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This lemon pudding cake came about while I was fresh off the success of my homemade Pistachio Pudding cake. That cake rocked my world. It took my love of pistachio pudding to new heights. This cake rocked my lemon world and was in fact, Mike’s birthday cake. He wanted date squares for his birthday. I gave him date squares and a homemade lemon pudding cake because I mean, honestly, what’s a birthday without a birthday cake? What kind of wife, nay, what kind of food blogger would I be if I didn’t bake my husband a cake for his birthday?
And what a cake it was.
How to Make Lemon Pudding Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard Bundt pan.(the 12 cup capacity)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt then set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the lemon pie filling mix POWDER ( YOU DO NOT COOK IT) and combine thoroughly.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly incorporated.
- Mix in the lemon zest.
- Combine the milk, oil and vanilla extract in a large measuring cup or bowl.
- Starting with the dry ingredients, alternate pouring a third of the wet and dry ingredients into the mixer bowl, incorporating thoroughly after each addition. You will end on the wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes after the last addition.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Invert the cake onto a baking rack to cool.
- Frost with Lemon Buttercream Frosting when the cake has completely cooled and sprinkle lemon zest over the icing if wanted.
Fluffy, moist, amazing lemon flavor cake for my honey bunny on his birthday. So he got his birthday date square and I got my lemon cake. I think it’s a good symbiotic relationship. Not that he complains of course. “Oh no, my wife made me TWO desserts for my birthday because she wanted to try a lemon cake. Poor me!” <—- said no man ever.
Happy baking everyone! I hope you love this cake!
Love you more than cake,
Karlynn
Homemade Lemon Pudding Cake
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 55 minutes
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Course
- Dessert
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 12
- Calories
- 377
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups of white granulated sugar
- one 99 grams -128 grams package of jello lemon pie filling or instant lemon pudding (small packet
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard Bundt pan.(the 12 cup capacity)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt then set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the lemon pie filling mix POWDER ( YOU DO NOT COOK IT) and combine thoroughly.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly incorporated.
- Mix in the lemon zest.
- Combine the milk, oil and vanilla extract in a large measuring cup or bowl.
- Starting with the dry ingredients, alternate pouring a third of the wet and dry ingredients into the mixer bowl, incorporating thoroughly after each addition. You will end on the wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes after the last addition.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Invert the cake onto a baking rack to cool.
- Frost with Lemon Buttercream Icing when the cake has completely cooled and sprinkle lemon zest over the icing if wanted.
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Nica says
I made this cake this morning. It fell in the center, but when I turned it out it was really pretty, so I guess if it tastes good I don’t mind too much that it fell (it might effect the cutting though, we’ll see if it kind of crumbles because of the center falling). I only made half of the frosting recipe since I knew I was going to just pipe a few rosettes on top and the frosting was FAB! Since I was piping the frosting I did not add the cream because I needed it thick enough to pipe and it worked beautifully. As far as the cake falling in, my batter was very fluffy and smooth so it’s possible I over mixed. I will try this recipe again and watch the mixing time better. I baked mine for 50 minutes exactly. I have attached pictures. Thanks for the recipe, I will surely try it again. I am taking it to my husband’s work for his anniversary so I’m sure I’ll get plenty of feedback as to how the cake tasted 🙂
HeatherH says
My cake fell, too. I guess I should’ve looked at the recipe reviews before choosing this one. Oh well, live and learn!!
thekitchenmagpie says
@HeatherH Did you test it with a tester? Most cakes fall when they are underdone, you open the oven door too early or there is too much moisture (you live where it’s humid) This cakes takes a LONG time!
Novel Baker says
I made this cake yesterday for a church function and it was great! It was my first time baking it in a 9×13 pan as I needed cake squares; it did sink in the middle, which is not a big deal to me. I have made this cake two times previously, but I used the bundt cake pan. It did not fall the first try… the second attempt fell but thats because I used greek yogurt instead of milk (I won’t do that again!). All in all, this is a great recipe that yields one of the best lemon cakes!
Queen of All Fun says
Hi,
I’ve noticed several comment about the cake falling. I made the cake and had no such problem. Could it be that some folks added prepared (cooked) pudding into the batter instead of the dry powder pudding mix straight from the box? I used the mix, (not cooked pudding) and my cake came out beautifully.
LisaKelsey says
Queen of All Fun I agree–mine came out great.
Stowbars says
Did you use instant or cooked mix?
Queen of All Fun says
Stowbars
I used the mix that needs to be cooked, NOT instant pudding mix. Also, I did use a bundt pan. I think that might be another key to this cake. Happy baking!
Pearse says
Hey, it’s jello instant pudding mix or cook & serve pudding mix
Thanks
Pearse
Sarah says
I made this cake today for a birthday party… unfortunately the cake rose and fell, and rose and fell a second time before it even made it to the 40 minute mark. I left it in the oven hoping in would recover but was just a disaster. What a bummer :/
D says
I live in Nova Scotia and can only locate Shirriff original lemon pie filling in a 212 g package.
How much would I use to make the lemon cake?
Also, should I reduce amount of sugar in above recipe>
Thanks.
Dorothy
JanShwetz says
I had the same problem. I was impressed with how high it rose and then it fell on one side. I think my problem was that the pudding didn’t get mixed in as well as it should even using my kitchen aid. Good thing the Lemon Buttercream Icing covers a lot of issues. It was tasty and everyone loved it.
tinapq73 says
My Mother – who bakes everything well, made this cake TWICE (as she was bringing it to Easter dinner) and both cakes rose really high and then fell! She was so disappointed.
LisaKelsey says
I just took this cake out of the oven and it looks like it came out well. One correction I would suggest is the serving size for the pudding mix is 1/2 cup–not a cup. So a packet makes 2 cups, not four. This might be confusing to some people. Also, I think two tablespoons of lemon zest is really a lot–that would be the zest of about five or six lemons. I only had two large lemons which made about two teaspoons of zest so I added a little lemon extract.
thekitchenmagpie says
LisaKelsey YES thank you, I meant 2 cups and 4 servings thank you! As for the zest I don’t tamp it down, so usually 2 TBSP is one lemon, maybe two at the most. Let me know how it worked!
LiveLaughLove1 says
how many cupcakes do you think this would make?? I’ve made the bundt and it was amazing now want to do cupcakes.
Ceci Hughett says
I made this cake and it rose really high and then fell dramatically after I took it out of the oven. I was very disappointed. It tasted wonderful but I wonder if I really needed that much butter. Something went wrong…
Melissa Szczech says
Ceci Hughett I had the EXACT same issue. Frustrating!
thekitchenmagpie says
@Melissa Szczech Ceci Hughett This is the same recipe for all my pudding cakes so that’s incredibly weird. Rising then falling can be : under-baking it, living in a humid area (or snowy or rainy day) or over beating the ingredients, since there’s enough baking powder in this by itself.
Also, make sure it’s in a bundt pan, it’s not mean for another shape of pan.
cathymurray61 says
This looks so yummy! Can I make it in a 12″ round cake pan? Do I double the recipe?
ShannahMort says
Can I use sugar free instant lemon pudding? My hubby grabbed the sugar free lemon pudding by accident.
SpringBeauty says
Should I use instant lemon pudding or cook and serve? Thanks
Stowbars says
I was wondering the same thing. Which did you use?
Phyllis wilkinson says
Cook an serve an after you add flour you don’t beat you stir just enough to mix it an pour it into pan
Allison1167 says
Made this cake today and it was like a little piece of heaven!
April Lynn says
Can I use whipping cream instead of milk? If so do I use the same amount?
carol peters says
I was so excited to make this cake, however, I would have chosen a different pan to bake it in, as i inverted the cake it fell to pieces, i am so disappointed!
peters carol says
Very disappointed, would definately choose a different pan to bake in! When I i\U0001f613nverted the cake, it fell to pieces and was very disappointed for that reason
woolcos says
So – what can we do if we don’t have this Jello stuff? Is there a UK equivalent or another substitute you can think of?
letsgetpink says
Do you make the pie filling per the instructions on the package or do you just pour in the dry contents of the box in the batter?
thekitchenmagpie says
letsgetpink Just the contents of the box!
annbishop8112 says
I sooo want to make this cake this weekend. It looks delicious!! I am a bit confused about the icing. On this photo the icing is yellow but when I click on the Lemon Buttercream Icing link the icing is white. How did you make the icing on this cake yellow?
Queen of All Fun says
I made this cake with the lemon buttercream icing. It was the best! One suggestion: Butter and flour your bundt cake pan very liberally. My cake stuck and it took some doing to separate it from the pan. Luckily icing covers a multitude of flaws!
jlg1967 says
I made this and it bubbled up and over the bundt pan and didn’t cook toward the center ring……what did I do wrong? The outer part cooked and was delicious!! I want to try this again…..any suggestions? Can this be made in a 9 x 13 pan?
thekitchenmagpie says
jlg1967 Was your bundt pan large enough? That’s really weird, it’s not a very light batter AT all… The bundt pan should be 10 inches by almost 4 inches tall…
thekitchenmagpie says
jlg1967 And technically the 9×13 would give you 2 cups more wiggle room for space, so yes, try it!
Vicky says
Did you use the small box (4 serving) of pudding or the large (6 serving)? thanks
thekitchenmagpie says
@Vicky The smaller one. Pie filling packets aren’t the same from country to country, so I wrote in the small one that amounts to 4 servings, around 4 cups.
jaze says
we loved your pistachio cake and it was so easy to make I was wondering could I just use a cake mix to make the lemon pudding cake also
holly says
Do you use the instant pie filling or the cook and serve? And have you made it with 2% milk?
thekitchenmagpie says
@holly Instant and 2% would be fine. It’s not that much of a difference between the two. There might be a slight texture difference but not much.
LiveLaughLove1 says
What size of pie filling? 3.4 oz or 6oz?
thekitchenmagpie says
LiveLaughLove1 The smaller one. Pie filling packets aren’t the same from country to country, so I say the small one that amounts to 4 servings, around 4 cups.
jarred1204 says
I used to make this all the time, but I totally forgot about it! I’m so
glad you posted this so I could remember it. It’s seriously the best!
I also think it’s so awesome that it separates into cake and pudding
while it cooks. Brilliant!
Jarred,
Zespri Kiwi fruit information
Stephanie says
I can’t wait to make this recipe! But I live in Australia and have no idea what jello lemon pie filling is? What could I use as a substitute. Thank you!
VernaBurkeWorthington says
@Stephanie It is a box of instant pudding.
Jim Shibley says
My mother used to make this in Southern California in the late 1950’s. One of my favorites along with Chocolate Peach Up-side Down Cake.
thekitchenmagpie says
@Jim Shibley Oh my goodness, chocolate peach upside down cake??! That sounds amazing! I’m putting that on my summertime baking list!
Marianne Scott says
Ooooo this looks yummy!….wait…wha??? Snow??????