Lemon Jello Pudding Poke Cake

I was asked to bring an appetizer and dessert for the family Easter get together. My friend Kristen kept talking about the Lemon Jello Cake that her Great Grandmother Agnes used to make and that she was going to be bringing it to her own family celebration. It sounded super easy and I pretty much like lemon anything… so I asked her for the recipe. She explained that there are many different recipes floating around online… some use packages of lemon Jello, some use packages of lemon pudding. She had made it before with pudding, so I was on board for that version.

The Ingredients:

• 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 Small (3.4 oz.) Package Lemon Flavored Jello Pudding
• 4 Eggs
• ¾ Cup Water
• ¾ Cup Vegetable Oil
• Juice of 2 Lemons
• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• Cool Whip
• Lemon Zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine: 1 package yellow cake mix, 1 small package lemon jello pudding, 4 eggs and ¾ cup water. Mix ingredients for 3 minutes using an electric mixer.
3.  Add ¾ cup vegetable oil and beat for additional 1-2 minutes on medium.
4. Pour batter into an ungreased 9×13 pan.  Bake according to cake box instructions. (Mine took close to 40 minutes) Remove from oven and poke holes throughout cake.
5. Combine the juice of 2 lemons and 2 cups powdered sugar. Gently pour glaze over cake after letting it cool for 5 minutes. (Note: It seems like it is going to be way too much, but it absorbs. Even the stuff that gathers along the sides does.)
6. Slice into pieces and top with cool whip and lemon zest.

Finn – my little kitchen helper,  really wanted at the cake batter before it went into the oven.

I got my glaze ready while the cake was baking in the oven.

My total bake time was longer than the cake package directions… my oven tends to do that, so just keep a close watch. I used two bamboo skewers to poke my holes. There was no pattern, I just poked away. The recipe mentioned using a fork, but I thought it would work better with the skewers.

Kristen made sure to send me a follow-up email mentioning that I should let the cake cool for about 5 minutes before gently pouring on the glaze. I ended up using a tablespoon to get the majority of the glaze into the center section holes… then I just dumped the remaining and spread it over the cake with a rubber spatula.

I waited a day to take the after photos… couldn’t really justify cutting a piece out of the cake before bringing it to the family Easter event… all though, my family is used to my food blogger ways and they probably would not have minded.

The cake was so moist. The flavor was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy… I really liked having a lighter option for dessert. While I’m the first person to ask for extra frosting, it’s nice to have something different.

The leftovers did not go to waste – think cake after every meal… 🙂 This was such an easy thing to bring to a get together. I will for sure be making this again. White cake with orange Jello and an orange juice glaze sounds like something I’d like to try next. I’m also thinking that a white or yellow cake with coconut pudding and a coconut milk glaze with shaved coconut would be a good combination too.

Hope you enjoyed lots of good foods for your Passover or Easter celebrations. I’ve still got Easter decorations to share… will save that for my next post.