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4.28 from 206 votes
This Lemon Jello Cake is perfect anytime of year, but it’s especially great for Easter and the 4th of July. It’s an easy lemon cake that uses a few shortcuts to speed things up!
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The Best Lemon Cake Recipe
Hey guys! It’s Sarah, yes that one who was able to share our road to adoptionwith your help and the most incredible day when we finally held our baby girl and the miracle of adoption. But today is about lemon jello cake.
I got so excited about this easy lemon cake recipe thatI have to warn you that this post not only includes a delicious recipe for lemon jello cake,but it also includes a lot of tangents that you’ll read in the gazillion parenthesis! Writing this down instead of telling it to you personally allows my brain too much time to wander as I write simple sentences. You will learn the inner-workings of my head!
I love lemony food. Everything with lemon tastes fresh—lemonade, lemon squares, pasta lemon cream sauce…Sour Heads (those freshen up your senses pretty quickly). And there is nothing better than a fresh tasting dessert! (Do you want to know how I learned to spell dessert? In elementary school my teacher told me that you want more dessert so you spell it with two “s”es and not one…desert. Shout out to you, school teachers!)
This lemon jello cake is one of our favorites. It is the moistest (my sister-in-law’s favorite word…and anything that has the “oi” sound) cake with help from the Lemon Jell-O flavor packet and the icing on top that seeps down through the sponginess (is that a word? I like to make up words) of the cake. And moist cakes are the only way to go.
This lemon jello cake will forever and ever remind me of visiting my grandparents house on Sunday evenings where we would play, talk and eat. I still see their 50-year-old antique silverware and old plates lining the table before everyone digs in. Food does that, doesn’t it?What recipe do you make that transports you back in time?
Lemon Jello Cake Ingredients
This lemon cake recipe comes together quickly with the help of a few shortcuts. I love homemade cakes, but simpler family recipes like this one are great to have on hand too! Here’s what you’ll need to make this cake mix lemon cake recipe:
- Lemon cake mix
- Eggs
- Water
- Oil
- Lemon Jello
- Lemon juice
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Lemon Jello Cake
Want to know why this is the best lemon cake recipe ever? Because it’s also the easiest! Here are the basic steps for making this lemon jello cake:
- Stir together the cake mix lemon cake ingredients.
- Pour into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, prick all over with a fork and pour lemon cake icing over top.
Why Did My Cake Fall in the Middle?
There are several potential causes for fallen cakes, and happily, there are also several solutions.
1. Whether it’s too much or too little, incorrect moisture can cause problems in your cake baking. If there is too little moisture in a cake, it can fall in the center. However, too much moisture can also affect a cake.
2. If you forgot to add theeggs at the right time and then added them later figuring “eh, it will be fine,” you might pay the price for yourlaissez-faireattitude with a fallen cake.Be sure to read the recipe first.
3. Your oven could be to blame.Even if the temperature is set correctly on the dial, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the temperature inside of your oven.Check it periodically with a heatproof thermometer to make sure that the temperature you’ve set it on is actually thetemperature inside of the oven.
4. The cake may have puffed up and looked golden on top, but when you take it out of the oven it sinks and turns gummy in the middle.You probably didn’t bake long enough.Don’t depend on a visual cue to detect doneness; you should also insert a skewer or cake tester to make sure it comes out mostly clean.
Does Jello Cake Need to Be Refrigerated?
Normally, jello poke cakes need to be refrigerated because you’re pouring stuff over the cake and adding whipped cream, but this lemon jello cake is another story. Because the jello is baked into the cake and just a glaze is placed over the top you really don’t need to refrigerate it. Yay!!! Although, it’s actually really yummy both warm and cold, so do as you please.
Can You Freeze Lemon Jello Cake?
Because this isn’t a poke cake you can freeze jello cake! Lemon jello cake needs to be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap after it has cooled completely. It’s going to stay good for up to 3 weeks.
Tips for Making Lemon Jello Cake
You can use any lemon cake mix you’d like, but we typically stick to good ol’ Betty Crocker. But if there’s another brand you love, use that instead!
A few readers have suggested adding lemon zest into the cake and lemon icing. We haven’t tried this ourselves (yet!), but it sounds delicious.
Readers have also suggested using a mixture of orange and lemon jello in the cake mix or a mixture of orange and lemon juice in the icing. Again, both suggestions sound wonderful. I just wanted to mention these tips in case any of you are looking for ways to amp up the lemon jello cake!
More LEMON DESSERTS to Make:
- Lemon Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
- Sweet Glazed Lemon Cookies
- Classic Lemon Bars
- Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting
- Lemon Cheesecake Mousse Cups
- Lemon Raspberry Bars
More CAKE RECIPES You Have to Try:
- Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
- Better Than Anything Cake
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Banana Cake
- Strawberries and Cream Jello Cake
- Banana Pudding Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
- Gingerbread Cake
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- All our Cake Recipes here!
Lemon Jello Cake
Lemon Jello Cake
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4.28 from 206 votes
Servings: 12 -16
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 27 minutes mins
Total Time: 37 minutes mins
Description
This Lemon Jello Cake is perfect anytime of year, but it's especially great for Easter and the 4th of July. It's an easy lemon cake that uses a few shortcuts to speed things up!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box lemon cake mix, (regular size)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 package lemon jello, (small box — 3 oz)*
Icing
- 2 lemons, , juiced
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Jello Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and sprinkle with flour.
Tip and tap the edges of the cake pan to coat it with flour.
In the bowl of a mixer, mix the cake mix, eggs, water, oil and jello together.
Pour into the greased and floured pan.
Bake for 27-30 minutes. While the cake is in the oven, prep the icing (see instructions below).
When cake is done, prick with a fork while still hot.
Immediately pour lemon icing over top.
Make the Lemon Icing:
In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth.
Notes
*Note that you must use regular Jello (i.e. not sugar-free or another alternative).
Store covered, at room temperature, or may be stored in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 375kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 364mgFiber: 1gSugar: 37g
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: 500+ Best Dessert Recipes, America's Best 4th of July Desserts, Recipes and Sides, Over 100 Easter Recipes for Spring
Cuisine: American
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