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Moist and Tangy Lemon Poke Cake (…Gluten Free version included)

This post was written by my foodie sister Robin, who is now sharing all of her favorite recipes and kitchen tips regularly on the new “Make It and Love It – in the KITCHEN” portion of this blog. Try a few of her recipes…your belly will thank you! -Ashley

. . . . .

Hi guys, it’s Robin!

Sometimes foods have an emotional association.  Whether they bring back memories of your boisterous family around the table for Sunday pot roast, to the casual Friday night pizza.  Whether we like it or not, it brings emotion.  It might be because there are more than one sense being used and stimulated when we eat and create memories. The smells, the textures, the taste, how it looks, and sometimes how it sounds.  It’s so interesting when the memories start flooding in!

Today’s recipe is one I have associated with a family member — my grandfather.  This one was his favorite.  My mother told me this was his all-time favorite dessert and he LOVED it when my grandma would make it. It also makes me remember that he always had a garage full of soda.  He was a a soda salesman at one time, so he always had it stocked up in the garage and would let us sneak out to the garage and drink all we wanted.  Oh, and his tomato plants.  I can’t tell you how many ripe tomatoes we’d eat off the vine!  He has since passed away (about 18 years ago), but when I make today’s recipe and taste of its tangy goodness, it also reminds me of those visits we had with him.

 

 

This Lemon Poke Cake is a very simple recipe because yes, it uses a cake mix.  But just think of that as the flour base because we’ll be adding so much more to it, to make this your all-time-favorite lemon cake recipe!!!!

 

Yes, there’s a gluten free version included and SURPRISE, it’s actually just as delicious as the regular Gluten FULL version!

 

 

There’s something about lemon that excites the taste buds!  But add the moist cake, the tangy glaze drizzled on top (and down into all of the “poke holes”) and then the fluffy whipped topping….YUM!

 

 

Here is what you need:

  • 1 pkg yellow cake mix (either gluten free or regular)
  • 1 pkg lemon Jello (3 ounce box)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • Juice of 2 lemons (roughly 6 tablespoons)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tub cool whip
  • lemon rind, grated (for garnish)

***Before you panic when you see “Cool Whip” in the ingredients, just know that I grew up in the 80s when Cool Whip was really cool!  So, I associate the flavor with this cake…..however, if you’d like to make your own whipped topping using fresh cream and sugar (which is what I normally choose and prefer) don’t add it to the cake until serving.  Because it will cause the leftovers to go bad.

 

 

Mix together the cake mix, the lemon Jello, the 4 eggs and the 3/4 cup of water.  In a mixer, beat on medium for 2-3 minutes.

 

Add the 3/4 cup of oil and beat for one more minute.

 

Pour batter to a 9 x 13 pan greased with cooking spray and bake in an oven at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes.  For box cakes, normally the toothpick method doesn’t gauge done-ness really well.  When the toothpick comes out clean it is over baked.  I usually check by lightly pressing the middle of the cake with my finger and if it springs back, it is done.

 

While it is still hot, start poking the cake wooden skewers (for nice sized holes) or a fork.  Set that aside.

 

Mix together the juice of the two lemons and powdered sugar with a whisk, making sure there are no lumps. You may need to add a bit of water so that the consistency is a glaze, which is slightly thinner than wet cake batter.

 

Pour the glaze over the cake (that is still pretty hot) and evenly distribute over the holes and let it seep down.  Allow the cake to cool completely. (More often than not, the main reason why box mix cakes are dry, is from over cooking.  If you by chance cook it slightly more than you should, the glaze can bring back the moisture.)

 

After it has cooled, spread the Cool Whip over the cake.  (Remember my note above about cool whip vs using fresh whipped topping.)

 

You don’t need to have special cake decorating skills to top this cake.  Yay, for that!

 

Add lemon zest if you and want….and that’s it!  Now you can all enjoy this lemony goodness!

 

There you have it.  It really is that easy.  Enjoy!

-Robin

 

Moist and tangy lemon poke cake (…gluten free version included)

Moist and Tangy Lemon Poke Cake (Gluten Free version included)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • Cake:
  • 1 pkg yellow cake mix (either gluten free or regular)
  • 1 pkg lemon Jello (3 ounce box)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • Glaze:
  • Juice of 2 lemons (roughly 6 tablespoons)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • Topping:
  • 1 tub cool whip

Instructions

    1. Mix together the cake mix, pkg of lemon jello, 4 eggs and water on medium for 2-3 minutes, scraping the bowl midway.
    2. Add the oil and mix for one more minute.  
    3. Pour batter in a 9 x 13 pan greased with cooking spray.  
    4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 – 40 minutes until done.  
    5. Pull from the oven and poke holes throughout the cake using wooden skewers or a fork.
    6. Set aside.  
    7. For the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar and juice from two lemons with a whisk until all there are no lumps.  
    8. Add more water if needed to thin to a crepe batter consistency.  
    9. Pour glaze over the poked cake so that it can seep into the holes.  
    10. Allow the cake to cool completely.  
    11. Spread with the whipped topping over the cake and garnish with lemon zest.  

    Enjoy!

Notes

***Before you panic when you see “Cool Whip” in the ingredients, just know that I grew up in the 80s when Cool Whip was really cool!  So, I associate the flavor with this cake…..however, if you’d like to make your own whipped topping using fresh cream and sugar (which is what I normally choose and prefer) don’t add it to the cake until serving.  Because it will cause the leftovers to go bad.

 

Robin

Robin has contributed 33 articles on https://makeit-loveit.com since May 6, 2014.

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Hi, I'm Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!

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