This moist lemon poke cake is the ultimate Springtime dessert you didn't know you needed! It features a tender lemon sponge base filled with a zesty lemon filling and a final touch made with a creamy homemade Chantilly cream whipped topping that will leave you licking your fingers. It's fun, fresh, flavorful, and one of the best lemon cakes you will ever try!
Best From-Scratch Lemon Poke Cake Recipe
This lemon poke cake recipe takes my moist lemon sheet cake to a new level with swirls of lemon filling ribboned throughout, giving a bright, citrusy flavor just in time for spring!
I do not make my lemon poke cake with Jello, boxed yellow cake mix, or other artificial ingredients. Instead, it is 100% made from scratch, with fresh lemon flavor in every bite. And thanks to the magic combo of vegetable oil, Greek-style yogurt, and butter, the cake will stay soft and tender for days.
It's also a breeze to make! Using essential ingredients and less than 30 minutes of prep time, it's easy enough for a weekday treat but impressive enough for a baby shower, birthday party, or Easter celebration!
Katalin's Tips On the Best Filling For Lemon Poke Cake
The key to making perfect lemon poke cakes is all about the filling. If it isn't balanced just right—not too tart and not too mild—it can mean the difference between an unforgettable cake and a mediocre one. I´ve tried a few variations, so bear with me:
A lemon poke cake with lemon curd alone is way too tangy. The tartness level of lemon curd is too high and is not something meant to be eaten with a spoonful. Then there's lemon cream cheese frosting, which doesn't pack nearly enough lemon punch.
Some poke cake recipes use Jello instant lemon pudding mix, but it is a no in my book. There are too many artificial flavors and unknown ingredients even to consider a lemon Jello cake! Lemon pastry cream is an acceptable choice for a pudding-like texture, but it isn't the simplest to make in terms of steps and ingredients.
The best filling for lemon poke cake? Lemon curd combined with condensed milk! Not only is it low effort, but it delivers maximum lemon flavor to make your lemon poke cake irresistible!
Super Moist Lemony Sponge Cake
Before starting, your butter, eggs, and Greek yogurt must be at room temperature to blend easily. Use unsalted butter so you don't add any unwanted salt to the recipe.
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C (don't use the fan) and grease a 9x13-inch / 22x33 cm baking pan. You can also line it with parchment paper to make removing the cake easier later.
Using a microplane grater, zest the lemons into a small bowl. Rub the zest into the granulated sugar for about a minute to create a lemon sugar.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and lemon sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the oil and mix in the room-temperature eggs one at a time, ensuring each is thoroughly combined before adding the next. Last, stir in the room-temperature Greek yogurt and vanilla extract.
Sift the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Don't skip the salt–it is necessary to balance the flavors! Gently fold everything together with a rubber spatula, being careful not to overmix.
Pour the cake batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top. An offset spatula comes in handy here! Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Don't overbake unless you want a dry, crumbly cake!
Optional: Make my homemade lemon curd
You can use store-bought lemon curd; just make sure it's made with real lemon and eggs. Or, make my popular homemade lemon curd recipe that requires only a few simple ingredients like lemon, sugar, and eggs. If making homemade, make sure to start the recipe with the lemon curd as it needs to set a few hours before using it.
For the filling, whether homemade or store-bought, mix it with the condensed milk to make the lemon filling. That´s it! Easy peasy.
As soon as the lemon sheet cake finishes baking, remove it from the oven and use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes across the surface. Set aside 1-2 tablespoons of the lemon filling for later, then pour the rest over the warm cake, ensuring that each hole is filled.
Top with homemade whipped cream (whipped chantilly)
Before you start the whipped cream frosting, ensure that the heavy cream and mascarpone are very cold. Cold ingredients whip up better and give it stability, so you don't end up with runny whipped cream!
In a mixing bowl, combine the cold heavy cream, mascarpone, and sifted powdered sugar, then use your electric hand mixer to whip the mixture for about a minute. Add the vanilla extract, then whip it again for 2-3 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.
Once your cake has cooled completely to room temperature, spread the frosting over the top. For a marble-like appearance, place small dollops of the lemon curd across the top of the frosting, and then use the back of a spoon to gently swirl it into the whipped cream.
Pipe additional whipped cream on top and garnish with lemon and mint or basil for a beautiful finishing touch!
Do you want to bake ahead? This is how you store the cake
Like most cakes, this lemon poke cake will have the best flavor and texture when you serve it fresh the same day you make it. However, if you have leftovers or want to make it a couple of days in advance, you can cover it tightly and store it in the fridge for 1-2 days.
I don't recommend freezing a decorated cake since Chantilly cream doesn't freeze well. But you can always get a head start on the cake and freeze it for decorating later! Once the cake has cooled completely to room temperature, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, then put it in the freezer! Thaw it overnight in the fridge before decorating.
Try some flavor variations
Instead of a lemon curd filling, use my strawberry compote as I do for my strawberry poke cake. You can also try this recipe with my mango curd.
Swap out the vanilla whipped cream frosting with one of the several flavor variations from my chantilly cream recipe. Or, use my cream cheese frosting or one of these other 25 types of frostings instead.
You can combine fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar and top your lemon poke cake with lemon glaze. Or, top it with the blueberry glaze from my blueberry donuts recipe to make a lemon blueberry poke cake!
Top your cake off with my strawberry shortcake crumble, crushed nuts, or white chocolate shavings in place of the lemon and mint or basil garnish.
Allergy or dietary restrictions? Here are some helpful links
If you have dietary restrictions or food allergies, you can modify this lemon poke cake using the recommended alternatives in my substitution guides. For example, you can use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour, an egg replacement, or vegan and dairy-free options for butter, heavy cream, and mascarpone. Just remember that changing one ingredient may require adjusting others to maintain a similar texture and flavor.
Some More Expert Tips For Making Lemon Poke Cake
- For the best results, only use full-fat, high-quality ingredients, especially for the frosting. Low-fat ingredients contain more water, which doesn't blend well and throws off the texture. I recommend using heavy cream with at least 36% fat and mascarpone with around 41% fat.
- When whipping the chantilly cream, stop as soon as it's smooth, fluffy, and forms stiff peaks. Overwhipping will break the cream and make it runny.
- Feel free to adjust the size of the holes in your lemon poke cake. If you prefer smaller holes, a drinking straw works excellently in place of a spoon handle.
- For clean slices and appearance, poke the holes about 1.5 to 2 inches apart in even rows.
- Since ovens can vary depending on the model, use the toothpick test versus time alone to check if your cake is fully baked.
Equipment I recommend
For the most consistent results, I recommend using a digital scale to give you the most precise ingredient measurements. You will also want a digital oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the right temperature.
You'll need a 9x13-inch sheet pan, an electric hand mixer to prepare the batter and frosting, and a rubber spatula to gently fold in the dry ingredients. When you're ready to decorate, a piping bag makes it easy to add the final touch!
Try Some Of My Other Cake Recipes
If you enjoyed making this easy lemon poke cake, I'm sure you'll also love my other easy cake recipes:
- Carrot Sheet Cake
- Strawberry Icebox Cake
- Blueberry Ricotta Cake
- Strawberry Lasagna
- Nutella Cake
- Triple Chocolate Cake
And for even more impressive cakes perfect for celebrations or to enjoy at home, check out my roundup of the Top 40+ Layer Cake Recipes.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
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Lemon Poke Cake
Equipment
- Digital scale
- 9x13 inch sheet pan
Ingredients
Lemon Sheet Cake
- 300 g (1½ cups) Granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 Lemons
- 113 g (½ cups) Unsalted butter at room temperature
- 110 g (½ cups) Oil
- 3 Eggs at room temperature
- 240 g (1 cup) Greek Yogurt at room temperature
- 1 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 375 g (3 cups) All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
Lemon filling
- 300 g (1¼ cups) Lemon curd store-bought or homemade lemon curd
- 170 g (⅔ cups) Condensed milk
Whipped cream frosting
- 460 g (2 cups) Heavy cream 36% fat content, cold
- 150 g (⅔ cups) Mascarpone 41% fat content, cold
- 60 g (½ cups) Powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
Lemon Sheet Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ / 175℃ (no fan) and grease a 9x13-inch / 22x33 cm pan or line it with parchment paper on the bottom and sides for easy removal.
- Finely zest the lemons into a small mixing bowl using a microplane grater then massage the lemon zest into the granulated sugar for a minute.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened lemony butter and sugar together for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add the oil, followed by the room-temperature eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Finally, stir in the room-temperature yogurt and vanilla extract.
- Sift the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—into the butter mixture. Gently fold them in with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Avoid overbaking, as it can cause the cake to dry out.
Lemon filling
- Mix the lemon curd with the condensed milk.
- As soon as the sheet cake is done baking, take it out of the oven and use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the top. Pour the lemon curd sauce over the hot cake, making sure to focus on filling the holes. Set aside 1-2 tablespoons of sauce for later use as decoration.
Whipped cream frosting
- Place very cold 36% fat-content heavy cream and cold 41% fat-content mascarpone into a mixing bowl, along with the sifted powdered sugar. Use an electric hand mixer to whip for about a minute, then add the vanilla extract. Whip the mixture again for about 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
- Once the sheet cake has cooled to room temperature, spread the frosting on top. To create the marble decoration, place dollops of lemon curd sauce on top of the frosting and gently swirl it into the whipped cream. For the finishing touch, pipe additional whipped cream on top and garnish with lemon and mint or basil.
- Serve the lemon poke cake fresh. Any leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
- All cake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, butter, and yogurt.
- For the frosting, both the mascarpone and the heavy cream need to be high in fat. The low-fat versions won't whip up correctly because they contain more water.
- Make sure to check your store-bought lemon curd ingredient list; it should have mainly lemon, sugar, and eggs. Alternatively, use my popular homemade lemon curd recipe.
- Baking this cake takes 35 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaking your cake - that would result in a dry texture.
- Whipped cream frosting is very easy to overwhip. When whipping, stop as soon as the mixture has reached a fluffy consistency and stiff peaks. It won't get stiffer after this point. In fact, if you overbeat it, it will only get runnier, and then it will break.
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