July 1, 2026
A lemon poke cake — box mix plus lemon pudding, glazed while warm. From Gooseberry Patch; originally Denise Grace Musgrave's grandmother's recipe (Shelbyville, IN).
dessertWord Count: 300
| Total time: 50 minutes |
|---|
| Prep time: 10 minutes 1 |
| Cook time: 40 minutes |
Equipment
| Equipment |
|---|
| Large Mixing Bowl |
| Whisk or Hand Mixer |
| 13x9 Baking Pan |
| Fork |
| Small Bowl |
Ingredients
Cake
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Yellow Cake Mix | 1 pkg (18.25 oz) 2 |
| Instant Lemon Pudding Mix | 1 pkg (3-4 oz) |
| Oil | 3/4 cup |
| Water | 3/4 cup |
| Eggs (beaten) | 4 |
| Powdered Sugar (garnish) | for dusting |
Glaze
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Powdered Sugar | 2 cups |
| Butter (melted) | 2 tbsp |
| Water or Lemon Juice | 2 tbsp |
| Lemon Juice | 1/3 cup |
Steps
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 13x9 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, oil, water, and beaten eggs. Mix well.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake bakes, make the glaze: stir together the powdered sugar, melted butter, water, and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over the top with a fork.
- Pour the glaze over the warm cake so it soaks into the holes.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Serves 10–12.
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Prep time is estimated. The original recipe only lists bake time (35–40 minutes); this is a dump-and-mix batter, so 10 minutes is a rough hands-on estimate. ↩︎
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The original recipe predates the 2010s downsizing of boxed cake mix from 18.25 oz to 15.25 oz. Because the mix is combined with pudding, oil, water, and eggs (not baked per the box directions), the liquid-to-dry ratio matters — a 15.25 oz box will bake up wetter/denser and rise less. To match the original, add ~3 oz (about 6 tbsp) of plain flour, or 3 oz from a second cake mix, to a modern 15.25 oz box. ↩︎