This Lemon Jello Cake is perfect anytime of year, but it’s especially great for Easter and the 4th of July. It’s an easy lemon cake that uses a few shortcuts to speed things up!

The Best Lemon Cake Recipe

Hey guys! It’s Sarah, yes that one who was able to share our road to adoption with your help and the most incredible day when we finally held our baby girl and the miracle of adoption. But today is about lemon jello cake.

I got so excited about this easy lemon cake recipe that I have to warn you that this post not only includes a delicious recipe for lemon jello cake, but it also includes a lot of tangents that you’ll read in the gazillion parenthesis! Writing this down instead of telling it to you personally allows my brain too much time to wander as I write simple sentences.  You will learn the inner-workings of my head!

a photo of a moist piece of lemon jello cake with a bite removed so you can see the inside of the cake

I love lemony food. Everything with lemon tastes fresh—lemonade, lemon squares, pasta lemon cream sauce…Sour Heads (those freshen up your senses pretty quickly). And there is nothing better than a fresh tasting dessert! (Do you want to know how I learned to spell dessert? In elementary school my teacher told me that you want more dessert so you spell it with two “s”es and not one…desert. Shout out to you, school teachers!)

This lemon jello cake is one of our favorite treats. It is the moistest (my sister-in-law’s favorite word…and anything that has the “oi” sound) cake with help from the Lemon Jell-O flavor packet and the icing on top that seeps down through the sponginess (is that a word? I like to make up words) of the cake. And moist cakes are the only way to go.

This lemon jello cake will forever and ever remind me of visiting my grandparents house on Sunday evenings where we would play, talk and eat.  I still see their 50-year-old antique silverware and old plates lining the table before everyone digs in. Food does that, doesn’t it? What recipe do you make that transports you back in time?

a photo of all the ingredients for a lemon jello cake including a cake mix, a packet of lemon jello, eggs, lemons, powdered sugara photo of all the ingredients for a lemon jello cake including a cake mix, a packet of lemon jello, eggs, lemons, powdered sugar

Lemon Jello Cake Ingredients

This lemon cake recipe comes together quickly with the help of a few shortcuts. I love homemade cakes, but simpler family recipes like this one are great to have on hand too! Here’s what you’ll need to make this cake mix lemon cake recipe:

  • Lemon Cake Mix: We prefer Duncan Hines brand, but any brand will work great.
  • Eggs: Adds structure to the cake.
  • Water: Adds moisture and helps activate the jello making the cake extra moist
  • Oil: The fat that keeps the cake moist and tender.
  • Lemon Jello: You will use just the jello powder and be sure it isn’t sugar free
  • Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice is an absolute must!
  • Powdered Sugar: Adds all the sweetness to the icing

The measurements for all the ingredients can found down below so keep scrolling down to the recipe card for all the details.

a photo of a full 9x13 cake pan full of a bright yellow lemon cakea photo of a full 9x13 cake pan full of a bright yellow lemon cake

How to Make Lemon Jello Cake

Want to know why this is the best lemon cake recipe ever? Because it’s also the easiest! Here are the basic steps for making this lemon poke cake:

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan.
  2. Mix: Add the boxed cake mix, eggs, water, oil and jello powder to a stand mixer and mix until just combined.
  3. Pour: Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
  4. Bake: Place the cake into the oven and bake for 27-30 minutes.
  5. Whisk: While the cake is baking, whisk the ingredients together for the icing.
  6. Poke: When the cake is done, poke holes it all over with a fork while it is still hot.
  7. Pour: Spread the lemon glaze all over the top of the cake being sure to spread it to every corner of the cake.

It really couldn’t be easier, right?! These instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

a photo of a piece of moist lemon jello cake sitting on a small white dessert platea photo of a piece of moist lemon jello cake sitting on a small white dessert plate

Watch this Cake Be Made…