Lemon Lava Cake is silky and luscious. This boxed cake mix recipe is simple and easy to make!
Made with cake mix and lemon pudding, it comes out of the oven with a self-made lemon sauce. It’s best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
When hot, the lemon sauce flows like lava out of this Easy Lemon Lava Cake, thus its’ name. You may have seen chocolate lava or red velvet lava cakes before. I didn’t want to discriminate, so tried the same cooking method using lemon. It worked like a charm.
Lemon Lava Cake
This pudding cake is luscious, with a velvety mouthfeel. There’s no tartness usually associated with lemon desserts. It’s sweet and sensational. It’s sure to satisfy the taste buds of the lemon lover in your life!
Recipe Tips
- First, this cake starts with a cake mix. If you have a basic lemon cake recipe, you can use that if you’re opposed to using a box mix. At times, I like a semi-homemade, time-saving cake and I start it with a cake mix.
- Next, I use the 15.25-ounce yellow or white cake mix.
- This cake uses instant pudding. If you are opposed to using instant pudding mix, I don’t know a substitution for that. If you are unable to find instant pudding in your area, try Amazon. This is the instant pudding I use in lemon flavor.
- Serve this cake warm, with homemade whipped cream or a good quality vanilla ice cream.
To make whipped cream, place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 cup heavy whipping cream in a large bowl. Whisk just until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Store any unused portion in an airtight container for up to 10 hours.
Easy Lemon Lava Cake
Want to save recipes? Create an account or login & then you can use the “Save Recipe” button when viewing a recipe to save it to your Recipe Box. You can access your saved recipes on any device and generate a shopping list for recipes in your collections.
Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 15.25 ounce package yellow or white cake mix
- eggs, oil, and water amounts called for on back of package (amounts vary by brand that's why I'm not listing them here.)
- (2) -3.4 ounce packages instant pudding, lemon flavored
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 cups cold milk
- 1 and 1/4 cup water
- *optional – confectioners sugar for dusting whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, fresh raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9×13 inch cake pan with non-stick spray.
- Prepare cake as directed on back of package.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
- Add dry pudding mix, granulated sugar, milk and water in a bowl.
- Whisk by hand 2 minutes.
- Evenly pour lemon pudding mix over cake batter. Do not stir.
- Place cake pan on a larger baking pan with at least a 1-inch edge in case the cake bubbles over.
- Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour or until cake is brown on top and wooden pick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool 20 minutes before serving.
- Dust with confectioners sugar.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and/or fresh raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
Nutrition
Finally, if you like Easy Lemon Lava Cake, you may also like these recipes
How to make Lemon MIni Cupcakes
Catherine says
I have been making this exact recipe for for more than 20 years. it’s good, and one of my favorite go-to, quick recipes to serve to guests. Don’t hesitate to try it!
Vernell BUNDRICK says
In one recipe it said pudding mix in pan first then cake mix on top is this correct or does cake mix go first then pudding mix I’m confused
Paula says
I made this one as the recipe specifies
Melody says
Made it for Easter and it was very easy and delicious. I will definitely make this again.
Diane DeHart says
Great idea for a light dessert recipe. I really think you meant to use 2 small packages of lemon pudding as opposed to the one listed in the recipe, as the amount of liquid is just too much for 1 package and results in too bland of a lemon custard.
Paula says
Eek! It is supposed to be 2. Thanks
Charolette jones says
Made this cake but omited the sugar used a lemon cake mix . it was delicious . will make other flavors and use this recipe thanks for the post
Sharla says
Going to give this a try shortly, making it in my stack cooker in my microwave. I did a Chocolate one a couple days ago, my hubby and son loved it!
A question for you, do you feel that Sauce ‘N Cake is the same as a lava cake? I did my chocolate one from scratch.
Paula says
I’m not familiar with Sauce N Cake, Sharla.
norma gedvillas says
I made this cake today. It looked beautiful coming out of the oven and I couldn’t wait to sneak a taste. My husband and I both thought the sauce was rather watery. In fact, it gave the cake a soggy taste. I wonder if I add less than 1 1/4c water to the mix if this would improve the sauce?
I bake quite a lot and make a point of following the directions. Any suggestions?
Paula says
I’m not sure what happened. I’ve never had it be that way. Maybe reduce the water next time
L M says
This was big in the 50s, seems like everybody’s mom made it .. it was called lemon sponge pudding, and everything was made from scratch … no cake mixed or pudding involved, yet somehow the batter separates into cake and custard emerged from the oven …
I think if you take a little extra time and make it from scratch (lots of recipes online), you’ll end up with a tremendously superior dessert.
Thank you for posting this. It brings back a lot of memories.
Vicky says
Oh my goodness does this sound delicious! I haven’t ever heard of a lemon lava cake before, totally trying it out!!!!
SandraW says
Can’t we ever have a recipe that does not have prepared and packaged foods as prime ingredients?? I simply toss these…
Paula says
https://www.callmepmc.com/cold-oven-brown-sugar-whipping-cream-pound-cake/
https://www.callmepmc.com/million-dollar-pound-cake/
https://www.callmepmc.com/pmcs-caramel-cobbler-call-me-pmc/
https://www.callmepmc.com/sour-cream-pound-cake-recipe/
GRACE says
where is the RECIPE FOR THE FROSTING SHOWN ON THE LEMON CAKE??????
Paula says
There is not frosting on the cake
Ali says
This was delicious! Everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe.
Erica says
Instead of pudding could I use the lemon pie filling. It’s what I have now and been looking for a excuse to use it 🙂
Paula says
Erica, I think it will work. I’ve never made it like that though.
Mary baxter says
Erica, did it work with lemon pie filling as we don’t have lemon pudding mix in the uk?
Lynn says
Years ago there was a delicious boxed mix for a lemon pudding cake that my mom especially loved, your recipe brought back fond memories. Thanks, I’ll have to try this on for sure.
Heidi says
Yup, duncan hines made a lemon pudding cake. Over the years I’ve tried many recipes for it without succeeding. A few years ago I found a recipe very much like this (if not exact, not looking at it right now) on another website and it nailed it!
ELVA NICHOLSON says
I made this but I used yellow cake mix and chocolate it was good . I also had try some of your other recipes I like every I have made . THANK YOU
Melissa @ Served Up With Love says
Thanks for sharing at Weekend Potluck! If you could be so kind to add a link back.
Amy@Frugale.org says
Looks like I have new dessert for Superb Bowl Sunday!