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Call Me PMc

Cooking. Creating. Sharing

Easy Lemon Lava Cake

Feb.posted by Paula 26 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Jump to Recipe

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.

slice of lemon lava cake on a white plate.

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.

scooping a serving of lemon pudding dessert from the baking dish.

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!

dollop of whipped cream on top a slice of lemon lava cake.
plated slice of yellow lava cake made with cake mix and lemon pudding.

Recipe Tips

  1. 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.
  2. Next, I use the 15.25-ounce yellow or white cake mix.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

slice of lemon lava cake, close up, topped with whipped cream.
Easy Lemon Lava Cake

Easy Lemon Lava Cake

Easy Lemon Lava Cake is an easy cake to make that begins with a cake mix and instant pudding mix. A great alternative to chocolate, this cake is sure to please that lemon lover in your life.
Author: Paula
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 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

Recipe from Paula @CallMePMc.com All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission that includes copying the ingredient list or entire recipe and posting in the comments on Pinterest for Facebook. If you want to share this recipe, please simply link back to this post for the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 270mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Please take a moment to comment letting me know how you liked it & consider giving it a 5 star rating. I love hearing from you!
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Finally, if you like Easy Lemon Lava Cake, you may also like these recipes

Easiest Lemon Dessert Sauce

Easiest Lemon Dessert Sauce

How to make Lemon MIni Cupcakes

How to make Lemon MIni Cupcakes

Cream Filled Lemon Bundt Cake

Cream Filled Lemon Bundt Cake

Lemon Ice Cream

Lemon Ice Cream

Paula
« Lulus Wow Sauce Recipe
Panko Crusted Baked Fried Green Tomatoes »

Comments

  1. Catherine says

    02.19.19 at 4:55 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  2. Vernell BUNDRICK says

    08.12.18 at 3:56 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Paula says

      08.12.18 at 7:10 pm

      I made this one as the recipe specifies

      Reply
  3. Melody says

    04.02.18 at 1:05 am

    5 stars
    Made it for Easter and it was very easy and delicious. I will definitely make this again.

    Reply
  4. Diane DeHart says

    03.02.18 at 11:15 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Paula says

      03.07.18 at 7:26 pm

      Eek! It is supposed to be 2. Thanks

      Reply
  5. Charolette jones says

    01.22.18 at 5:32 pm

    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

    Reply
  6. Sharla says

    02.05.17 at 6:49 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Paula says

      03.15.17 at 3:03 pm

      I’m not familiar with Sauce N Cake, Sharla.

      Reply
  7. norma gedvillas says

    02.04.17 at 7:32 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Paula says

      04.13.17 at 11:53 am

      I’m not sure what happened. I’ve never had it be that way. Maybe reduce the water next time

      Reply
  8. L M says

    02.04.17 at 2:51 pm

    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.

    Reply
  9. Vicky says

    02.04.17 at 3:25 am

    Oh my goodness does this sound delicious! I haven’t ever heard of a lemon lava cake before, totally trying it out!!!!

    Reply
  10. SandraW says

    02.03.17 at 2:35 pm

    Can’t we ever have a recipe that does not have prepared and packaged foods as prime ingredients?? I simply toss these…

    Reply
    • Paula says

      03.15.17 at 3:07 pm

      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/

      Reply
  11. GRACE says

    02.03.17 at 2:31 pm

    where is the RECIPE FOR THE FROSTING SHOWN ON THE LEMON CAKE??????

    Reply
    • Paula says

      03.15.17 at 3:09 pm

      There is not frosting on the cake

      Reply
  12. Ali says

    08.19.16 at 12:04 pm

    This was delicious! Everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  13. Erica says

    03.30.16 at 12:04 pm

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Paula says

      03.30.16 at 1:46 pm

      Erica, I think it will work. I’ve never made it like that though.

      Reply
    • Mary baxter says

      11.10.16 at 11:41 am

      Erica, did it work with lemon pie filling as we don’t have lemon pudding mix in the uk?

      Reply
  14. Lynn says

    02.22.16 at 2:03 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Heidi says

      02.09.17 at 6:58 am

      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!

      Reply
  15. ELVA NICHOLSON says

    02.22.16 at 1:37 pm

    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

    Reply
  16. Melissa @ Served Up With Love says

    02.16.16 at 1:19 pm

    Thanks for sharing at Weekend Potluck! If you could be so kind to add a link back.

    Reply
  17. Amy@Frugale.org says

    02.07.16 at 6:35 am

    Looks like I have new dessert for Superb Bowl Sunday!

    Reply

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profile picHi, I'm Paula. I'm a blogger, a baker, a runner, a writer, a recipe developer, & a cookie dough eater. I love creating great recipes & sharing them with you! You'll find healthy recipes, comfort food and my favorite, indulgent desserts!
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