Easy Lemon Sheet Cake


Author: Rachel

Published Date: April 18, 2022

This Easy Lemon Cake is the perfect box cake mix recipe! If you love lemon desserts, you’re not going to want to miss this easy recipe. Lemon lovers agree that you can’t top the fresh lemon flavor of this delicious treat! You just might want to eat the entire cake!

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Easy Lemon Cake

What I love about this simple lemon cake recipe is that the cake batter is so simple and easy to make! I also love adding lemon juice and lemon zest that are in the homemade lemon frosting! The family agrees that this recipe is literally the perfect cake!

Perfect for a special occasion or comparable to a lemon pound cake, this simple dessert is made with simple ingredients that any lemon dessert lover will enjoy! Trust me – this cake is a good thing that you’re going to want to make over and over again! Spring and summer is the perfect time of year to make this velvety lemon cake!

Try some of my other dessert recipes

If your mouth is watering over this yummy cake recipe, spoil yourself some more! Here are some of my other top desserts that I’m pretty proud of. They’re all crazy good and crazy addictive: Strawberry Sheet Cake, Ice Box Eclair Cake, Blackberry Lemon Bread or Lemon Crinkle Cookies!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

  • Using cake mixes create easy cakes (or lemon cupcakes if you want!)
  • You can double the cake recipe next time and create an epic second-layer cake.
  • This moist cake tastes delicious the next day!

Quick and Easy Lemon cake ingredients

  • Yellow Cake Mix
  • Lemon Pudding Mix
  • Lemon Juice
  • Lemon Zest
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • Powdered Sugar

*see recipe card for detailed measurements

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KITCHEN SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED

  • Cake pan
  • Lemon zester

How to make Lemon Sheet cake

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9X13 inch cake pan using a nonstick spray. You can also use parchment paper to line the cake pan as well.

Step 2: In a bowl, mix the dry pudding mix, lemon juice, cake mix, eggs, and melted butter using an electric mixer. Use a spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.

Step 3: Pour the batter into the cake pan (or cake pans if you’re making double) and smooth it out. It needs to be level before adding it to the oven.

Step 4: Bake the cakes for 20 minutes and then check that the cake is done. If it’s not done, bake for another 3-5 minutes. Once done, remove the cake and let it cool in the pan.

Step 5: As the cake is cooling down, it’s time to make the glaze. Mix the lemon zest, powdered sugar, and 3 T of the lemon juice in a bowl. Use a whisk or mixer to mix together and then add 1 T of lemon juice if you need to think it out some. You want it to be easy to spread in a thin layer.

Step 6: Once the cake has cooled down, pour the icing over the top and then cut the cake. You can also take the cake out of the pan completely and then cut and pour on the glaze. It’s up to you.

Add some lemon slices on top and enjoy!

STORAGE AND RE-HEATING NOTES

To store this fluffy lemon velvet cake, you need to cover the cake with tin foil or secure it in an airtight container with a lid. As long as you store it in the fridge, it will last for up to 7 days without issues.

To warm up the cake before eating, pop it into the microwave for 15 seconds to soften the icing on top.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS

Like lemon flavoring but don’t want it to overpower? Cut down the flavor of lemon by swapping out the lemon juice in the frosting and using milk instead. You can also leave out the lemon zest as well.

Don’t have fresh lemon juice? You can use bottled lemon juice instead! I do think that fresh tastes better but if you don’t have that much juice, use bottled!

Not a fan of frosting? Lemon treats taste great with powdered sugar as well so swap out the frosting and enjoy. This easy lemon cake recipe would also taste great with lemon cream cheese frosting and all things lemon!

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How do I thicken the glaze?

To thicken the glaze on the top of the cake, you can use less lemon juice. Play with the amounts that you add until it’s the consistency that you like.

Can you freeze the baked cake?

Yes, you can! Make sure that the cake is cool and that the icing is set before starting. Then, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer-safe bag or container. The cake will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How hard is it to make this into a gluten-free lemon cake?

Since this cake is made from a cake mix, it’s not hard at all! Just be sure that you buy a gluten-free cake mix from the store and that is all you need to worry about! You also want to be sure that the other basic ingredients that you’re using are gluten-free, too.

How do you know when this cake is done baking in the oven?

The easiest way to tell that this moist lemon cake recipe is done is to use the toothpick check to find out. Once the timer has gone off indicating the cake is done baking in the oven, insert a clean toothpick into the middle of the cake and pull it out. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done and needs to be taken out of the oven.

How hard is it to make a second cake layer?

It’s not hard at all to make a layered cake! You just need to double the original recipe, let the cake cool, then stack them on top of one another! The cake layers make the best lemon layer cake recipe that everyone will love! If you’re able to double the cake, it’s sure to be one of your favorite lemon cake recipes!

If you’ve made this recipe or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how they turned out. We love hearing from you! You can also follow along with me on FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM to see more colorful recipes!

Easy lemon sheet cake slices on parment paper.
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Lemon Sheet Cake


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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 346 kcal
This Easy Lemon Cake recipe is crazy good and so easy to make!

INGREDIENTS
  

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1/4 cup lemon pudding mix
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

To make the glaze:

  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9X13 inch cake pan using nonstick spray. You can also use parchment paper to line the cake pan as well.
  • In a bowl, mix the dry pudding mix, lemon juice, cake mix, eggs, and melted butter using an electric mixer. Use a spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.
  • Pour the batter in the cake pan (or cake pans if you're making double) and smooth it out. It needs to be level before adding it into the oven.
  • Bake the cakes for 20 minutes and then check that the cake is done. If it's not done, bake for another 3-5 minutes. Once done, remove the cake and let it cool in the pan.
  • As the cake is cooling down, it's time to make the glaze. Mix the lemon zest, powdered sugar, and 3 T of the lemon juice in a bowl. Use a whisk or mixer to mix together and then add in 1 T of lemon juice if you need to think it out some. You want it to be easy to spread in a thin layer.
  • Once the cake has cooled down, pour the icing over the top and then cut the cake. You can also take the cake out of the pan completely and then cut and pour on the glaze. It's up to you.
  • Add some lemon slices on top and enjoy!

NOTES

Storage: To store this fluffy lemon velvet cake, you need to cover the cake with tin foil or secure it in an airtight container with a lid. As long as you store it in the fridge, it will last for up to 7 days without issues.
To warm up the cake before eating, pop it into the microwave for 15 seconds to soften the icing on top.

NUTRITION

Calories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 4gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 345mgPotassium: 73mgFiber: 1gSugar: 59gVitamin A: 92IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @sweettea_and_sprinkles or tag #sweetteaandsprinkles

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