Lemon Poke Cake
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I love making cakes and cupcakes from scratch. It’s so much easier than people think. There are so many delicious flavor combinations using the cake flavor, the frosting flavor, a filling, or soaking the cake in flavored syrups.  Then you can decorate the cakes in a variety of ways. It’s fun pairing together different flavors.
However, there are sometimes when I just don’t have the time or energy to make a cake from scratch. Actually, it’s not just the cake, it’s the making of the cake and the frosting from scratch plus decorating that. So there are times when I make a cake from a boxed cake mix. Of course I have to do a few things to jazz it up a bit.
Enter the poke cake.  The original poke cakes were simply a boxed cake with holes poked in it and then flavored gelatin was poured over top of the cake and it was refrigerated. Then it was topped with Cool Whip. Today you can make any flavor of cake and fill the holes with gelatin, pudding, hot fudge, caramel, or a variety of other things.
This Lemon Poke Cake takes a boxed white cake mix and fills the holes with a combination of lemon curd and lemon pudding. The result is a moist cake that is bursting with fresh lemon flavor and while it is sweet there is a bit of tartness to it as well. The cake is topped with a mixture of whipped dessert topping and powdered sugar then I put lemon zest on top of it.
This cake was really easy to make but packs a ton of bright lemon flavor. It would be the perfect dessert to take to summer BBQ’s or parties.
Lemon Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 White Cake Mix plus ingredients needed to make it
- 1 1/3 c. lemon curd
- 1 box lemon pudding mix
- 1 c. milk
- 1 c. frozen dessert topping thawed
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Bake the cake according to the package directions in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Once it comes out of the oven immediately use a skewer or the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes in the cake. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the lemon curd, lemon pudding mix, and milk. Using a mixer blend on high for 1 minute.
- Pour the lemon mixture over top of the cake making sure it goes into the holes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- In a medium bowl combine the frozen dessert topping and powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
- Spread the "frosting" over top of the cake then sprinkle with lemon zest.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.