Lemon lovers, this Triple Lemon Poke Cake is for you! Soft lemon cake is soaked with lemon Jello, chilled then topped with the most gloriously fluffy lemon frosting. This all lemon dessert could not be more refreshing or delicious!
Hi, I’m Keri and I can’t stop making poke cakes! This is the 6th and certainly not the last of these easy, make-ahead refrigerator cakes that combines the simplest of ingredients that you probably have in your pantry and fridge and turns them into an irresistible dessert! Now that Spring has sprung, I figured that another citrus dessert would be in order and this Lemon Poke Cake packs a triple punch of lemon flavor!
Triple Lemon Poke Cake
Lemon Poke Cake Ingredients
- Lemon Cake Mix, prepared according to package instructions
- Lemon Jell-O
- Whipped cream
- Instant lemon pudding
- Cold milk
- Lemon slices & sprinkles for garnish (optional)
How to Make a Jello Poke Cake
This dessert is not any different from any of the other poke cakes I’ve shared. They all start with a 9×13 baked cake. You can make it from scratch or grab a boxed mix from your cabinet. Since I am all about no-fuss food, a boxed mix it is! And a lemon one at that. Bake it, cool it and get ready to poke holes from here to Friday. Like this:
All of those holes give somewhere for the Jello to seep in to. For this poke cake, I used lemon Jello and poured it alllllll over the cake. That is lemon 2 out of 3 if you’re counting. As the Jello soaks in and sets up, it makes this cake so tender and oh-so-lemony!
What to Put on Top of Lemon Poke Cake
No poke cake is complete without some type of topping or frosting. You can use regular whipped topping, but since we need lemon 3 out of 3 for this Triple Lemon Poke Cake, I made an easy fluffy lemon topping with a box of lemon pudding mix, milk and whipped topping. And I added white nonpareils and lemon slices because it just looks so pretty. They are optional, so no worries if you decide not to add them.
I absolutely love the bright lemon-y yellow cake and pale yellow frosting. This cake is as pretty as it is tasty!
Can I Make Poke Cake Ahead of Time?
Poke cakes are the perfect make-ahead desserts, too. Since the cake needs to be refrigerated after the Jell-O is added, you can make the cake the night before and just add the garnishes right before you are ready to serve it. While I like to serve big ol’ slices, since this is a 9×13 cake, you can serve up to 18 or 24 people depending on the size of the slices. That is a lot of happy people 🙂
If you missed them before, here are all of the poke cake recipes here at Shaken Together:
- Lime Poke Cake
- Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake
- Lemon Strawberry Poke Cake
- Death by Chocolate Poke Cake
- Coconut Cream Poke Cake Cupcakes (an oldie but a goodie)
If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Lemon lovers, this Triple Lemon Poke Cake is for you! Soft lemon cake is soaked with lemon Jell-o, chilled then topped with the most gloriously fluffy lemon frosting. This all lemon dessert could not be more refreshing or delicious!
Ingredients
- One 9x13 lemon cake (baked & cooled)
- One 3 oz box of lemon Jell-O
- 8 oz. whipped topping (thawed)
- One small box instant lemon pudding
- 1 1/2 cups cold milk
- Lemon slices & sprinkles for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon or a large drinking straw to poke holes over the entire surface of the cooled cake.
- Prepare Jell-o with 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water. (This is 1/2 cup less water than the directions on the box.)
- Pour Jell-o over the cake – making sure to get some in every hole and over the surface of the cake.
- Refrigerate overnight or at least three hours.
Lemon topping
- Whisk together milk and lemon pudding mix.
- Let sit for about one minute then fold in whipped topping until incorporated.
- Spread topping over cake and refrigerate until serving.
- Add sprinkles and lemon slices for garnish just before serving.
Keywords: lemon poke cake
Cristina says
Yum! Pinned. This looks so amazing!
Dolores says
If we put a lemon frosting on top could it be taken to a luncheon where there is no fridge?
Melissa Riker says
Yes it should be fine for a few hours Dolores
Deb says
This cake was awesome!!so good I’m making it again for my family
★★★★★
Marion Myers says
Hi Keri! Gosh this is such a pretty cake & I love how easy it is. I know my family would gobble this up with all that lemony deliciousness. Thanks so much for sharing this fun poke cake recipe!
cheri says
HI Keri, your lemon poke cake looks delicious, I bet this has tons of flavor.
Hezzi-D says
A lemon poke cake sounds really bright and delicious!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
I love the way this cake looks so bright! I’ve never made a poke cake and you’ve convinced me that I need to make this one.
Wendy Klik says
I love poke cakes too. Thanks for sharing.
Whitney Mullennex says
I love lemon sweets! And this one looks divine. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
Thank you for this refreshing recipe. It is hotter than Hades here in Texas and this cake was the perfect dessert. The only change I made was to add 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the jello mixture because my family loves the added tartness. (I often do this to citrus-type desserts.) My grandchildren went after what was left in the pan with spoons! That is high praise indeed.
★★★★★
Libni Winsett says
Hello Lisa: I really don’t like to use the box of cake that is already done.
Can you gave me the recipe to make it from scratch ( the lemon cake ) I do prefer to do it myself
I would appreciate very much,
Sincerely,
Libni Winsett
Sarah Rangel says
This looks so refreshing!! I must try! I’ve been making poke cakes got quite a while, but never this combination!! Thanks for sharing!!
Melissa Riker says
I hope you like it as much as we do Sarah!
Sherri says
I have been making lemon poke cake for years but I use a can of frozen lemonade instead of the water. I put it in a glass measuring cup and heat it in the microwave then disolve the jello.
Melissa Riker says
Great idea!
Nancy LastPsalms says
What happens if I use a bigger package of Jello?
Linda Reese says
Hi I love lemon so I’m going to try your cake thank you very much for the recipe .
Melissa Riker says
I hope you love it, it is one of my favorites!