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The Best Easy Lemon Jello Poke Cake Recipe – delicious moist cake baked with lemon jello for a tart and sweet lemon cake that is super simple and easy to make!
This easy lemon jello poke cake is loaded with flavor, and stays perfectly moist, every time.
It is bursting with lemon flavor and crazy easy to bake – this cake is going to be your family’s next favorite!
If you’ve never tried a poke cake, you’re in for a treat – they are fabulously easy to make, are incredibly nostalgic, and bursting with flavor – but they don’t dry out and maintain a perfect moist texture making it a perfect beginner cake.
If you’re looking for another delicious lemon dessert, don’t skip my easy baked lemon bars recipe!
I hope you love this lemon jello poke cake as much as I do!
Just Take Me To The Lemon Jello Poke Cake Already!
I get a lot of questions from readers who want more information with recipes to feel more confident while they cook.
To better provide for those readers, I add a lot of recipe background to my posts.
If you’d like to skip over this, please click “skip to recipe” in the top left corner, or scroll to the bottom of the page for the easy printable recipe.
What is a Poke Cake
Poke cakes are just sheet cakes that have holes poked into the cake after it bakes, so that different flavors can be added to the cake.
Often people add pie toppings, cool whip, pudding, or even more frosting into the little holes in a poke cake – but we’re giving this lemon cake a delicious sweet and tart extra dose of lemon jello!
How To Store Lemon Jello Poke Cake
Wrap leftover cake tightly with plastic wrap and add to refrigerator.
You can keep frosted cake in the refrigerator for two to three days.
If topping with thin lemon slices, remove lemon after serving to prevent it from getting too bitter and spoiling faster.
Other Easy Desserts You’ll Love
If you love this delicious easy cake, be sure to check out our other favorite easy desserts:
Easy Lemon Frosting Recipe
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup lemon pudding or jello mix, dry
How to Make Jello Frosting
- Combine the frosting ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until stiff, light, and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and enjoy immediately or store covered in the refrigerator.
- Top with sprinkles, nonpareils, or a thin twist of lemon if desired.
How To Make Lemon Poke Cake
This lemon jello poke cake couldn’t be easier – but there are a couple of steps you need to take to make sure your cake turns out perfect, every time!
Mix
Bake
Poke
Poke cakes get their name from poking holes in a cooked cake so you can spread lots of delicious filling inside.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in your sheetcake.
I make a grid of dots about 1″ apart from each other.
If you poke holes too close together, your cake will be way too moist.
If your holes are spaced out too much across your cake you won’t have as much filling spread about the cake.
I prefer to go quickly… no need to worry about being perfect.
Just try for 1″ apart, but don’t stress it too much – this cake is meant to be easy!
Pour
Next, pour jello mixture over the cake.
The jello brings a delicious, bright, lemon flavor and keeps your cake from drying out.
You won’t believe the flavor!
This cake cannot be rushed because the jello needs to set – don’t frost and cut it too early.
Let jello set two hours by placing in the refrigerator.
This cake is best served chilly – so frosting right out of the fridge is ideal.
Frost and Decorate
Once set, make frosting and then frost, decorate, and serve!
This cake is pretty with sprinkles, coconut flakes, nonpareils, twist of lemon, or fresh fruit!
Easy Lemon Jello Poke Cake Recipe
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Easy Lemon Jello Poke Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 1 15 oz. box Lemon cake mix, plus ingredients called for on back of box
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- Filling:
- 1 3oz. box lemon jello
- ½ cup hot water
- ½ cup cold water
- Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup lemon pudding or jello mix, dry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F for a dark non-stick pan or 350 degrees F for a glass pan. Grease a 9×13-inch pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Prepare the cake with the ingredients according to the box directions. Fold in the juice and zest from the lemon.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes with a non-stick pan or 25 to 30 minutes with a glass pan or until a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center.
- Use the back of a spoon, a straw, or a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
- Add the jello mix to a medium bowl and whisk in the hot water until the jello has dissolved. Then add in the cold water and carefully pour the mixture over the top of the cake.
- Place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.
- Once set, combine the frosting ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until stiff, light, and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and enjoy immediately or store covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Lemon juice and zest can be omitted but the flavor won’t be as tart and intense, more of a sweet lemon.
- The old fashioned/original version of this cake was made with a cool whip frosting.
- Bake time can vary, refer to the box mix you use for the type of pan and cake size you want.
- This cake cannot be rushed because the jello needs to set.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have been baking for 30 years and this recipe was absolutely delicious. I live in Norway, but I was able to find most ingredients from Sweden and it was the uk version of Betty Crocker lemon cake in a box I used to make this, but nonetheless brilliant in every way and It was super refreshing, light and what a super surprise it was. If I would say anything at all about the instructions, it would be that you should tell everyone that the cake should cool for 20 minutes before you pour the jello mixture onto the cake and also to let the jello mixture rest until room temperature before you do that. Thank you for your recipe.