Lemon Pudding Cake is flavorful, moist, and made with only 5 ingredients. From the first bite, you’ll love this dense citrus cake recipe!

Love lemon? These Gooey Lemon Cookies are a reader favorite! Or give this classic Lemon Cupcake recipe a try next! Our lemon brownies light up a room!

Slice of lemon cake with cool whip on a white plate.

Why this Recipe Works

Pudding cake has to be one of the most simple desserts there is! Well, unless you count tearing into a package of Oreos, that is.

But if you want to bake something yourself that is simple and delicious, this lemon pudding cake is the recipe for you.

This lemon pudding cake only has five ingredients and is so easy to make.
The taste and texture of this cake sure give Oreos a run for their money. I love the light, lemon flavor, especially during the sping and summer, when I tend to enjoy desserts that are less heavy.
If you aren’t a fan of lemon, there are so many different options you can do with pudding cakes!
No measuring out sugar, flour, and other ingredients. It’s all in the cake mix and pudding mix.

Remember this chocolate pudding cake and this butterscotch pudding cake? Yep, they’re both pudding cakes. You really can do your combination of favorite flavors in with pudding cakes.

This lemon pudding cake is best served cold. Some pudding cake recipes are served as a warm pudding cake, which is more like a lava cake. But I like the cold and refreshing change that this cake provides.

Pudding cakes are much more dense and moist compared to a regular lemon layer cake, so don’t be shocked if it’s not the type of cake you are used to! Enjoy!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients needed to make lemon pudding cake.

Cake Mix- a lemon cake mix is best, but you can get away with a white cake mix too if that’s all you have! Save your other flavors of cake mix for cake mix cookies too!
Lemon Pudding Mix- Creates the dense flavorful texture to this cake.
Milk- whole milk creates a delicious rich flavor, but we’ve tested with skim milk (fat free) and it works beautifully too!
White Chocolate morsels- completely optional, but we love the flavor. Reminds us of our favorite lemon cheesecake bars.
Cool Whip- the only topping this cake needs is a layer of whipped topping. Make our homemade cool whip, or whipped cream if you prefer.

Lemon cake in a white 13x9 topped with whipped cream and sprinkles with one slice removed from pan.

Let’s Talk Whipped Cream

Instead of using Cool Whip as the frosting, you can make your own homemade whipped cream or a Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting for a rich, decadent, lemon twist!

This frosting is a less sweet version of my Lemon Buttercream Frosting and is perfect for these lighter cupcakes. It is so light and refreshing and pairs well with the flavors of the pudding cake.

Step by step photos showing how to make lemon pudding cake.

Tips and Tricks

Add lemon zest and lemon juice to your batter to give it an extra lemon zing.
You can also dust your cake with powdered sugar once it’s done cooking and leave it frosting-free for a lighter treat.
Use our homemade cake release to grease your baking dish!
If you opt for a different cake mix and pudding flavor, make sure they complement each other well. Here are some fun combinations:
- Rainbow chip cake and cheesecake pudding
- Red velvet cake with french vanilla pudding
- Strawberry cake with strawberry cream pudding
- Spice cake with pumpkin spice pudding
- Chocolate cake with peppermint pudding

Are you more of a cupcake fan than a cake fan? Want to make this lemon pudding cake as cupcakes for your next get together or party? You can turn this lemon pudding cake into lemon pudding cupcakes.

Lemon pudding cake served on a white plate with fork and one bite taken.

More Cake Recipes

Coconut Pudding Cake
Lemon Poke Cake
Strawberry Eclair Cake – with CHEESECAKE Pudding!
Cream Puff Cake
Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Banana Eclair Cake
Lemon Lush

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