Lemon Poke Cake is spongy and moist with rich lemon glaze filling every bite. Topped off with whipped cream, this homemade cake is beautiful, zesty, and perfect for your next party.
1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour + additional for preparing the cake pan
1cupgranulated sugar
½ teaspoonsalt
3largeeggs
¼cupunsalted buttermelted
1cupwhole milkor 2% milk
1 cupsour cream
⅓cuplemon juicepreferably fresh
1tablespoonfresh lemon zest
Lemon Glaze
2 cupsconfectioner's sugar
3tablespoons lemon juicepreferably fresh
4 teaspoonswhole milk
Whipped Cream Frosting
1 cupheavy whipping creamcold
⅓ cupconfectioner's sugar
½ teaspoonpure vanilla extract
Instructions
Bake the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9x13-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter and sprinkle with all-purpose flour.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt until combined.
Add the eggs, melted butter, whole milk, sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the mixing bowl. Whisk well until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 38-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. While the cake is still piping hot, poke every inch or so of the top of the cake with a chopstick or wooden skewer.
Make the Lemon Glaze
While the cake is still hot, make the lemon glaze: whisk together the lemon glaze: add the confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, and whole milk to a mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Pour the lemon glaze over the hot poked cake, spreading it out so evenly coats the top.
Let the glazed cake cool on the wire rack until at room temperature.
Make the Whipped Cream Frosting
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract just until stiff peaks form, or for about 1-2 minutes.
Spread the whipped cream over the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1-2 hours, or until serving. Enjoy cool!
Notes
To store: Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free use a gluten-free cake mix and gluten-free one-to-one flour. Some gluten-free boxed cake mixes make a smaller cake, so look for one that will be equivalent to a standard 16 oz cake mix.
Cool Cake Before Frosting: Let the glazed cake cool to room temperature before topping it with whipped cream. A hot cake will melt the whipped cream.