This is the lemon cake that my Nana usually always makes for me when I go home to California. We both forgot about it during my last visit and I didn’t realize until I got back to Sicily that I hadn’t had my Lemon Jello Cake fix.
Luckily, I have the recipe! And lucky for you, I’m going to share it!
This is one of the easiest cakes you can make and I will argue that it’s one of the best-tasting cakes you will ever eat.
What makes this cake so great is the glaze. The cake is baked in a jelly roll pan so it is only about an inch thick. After it’s done baking, you pierce the cake all over with a fork and spread it with the sweet-tart lemon glaze. The glaze sinks down into the cake and the result is the best lemon cake EVER!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Nana’s Lemon Jello Cake
1 package yellow cake mix
1 small package lemon jello
3/4 C. water
4 eggs, well beaten
3/4 C. oil
glaze:
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 C. powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 18 x 13-inch jelly roll pan.
2. Pour cake mix and lemon jello powder into a large bowl; whisk together to remove any large lumps. Stir in the water then add eggs and oil. Blend, using a wooden spoon, with 50 strokes. There will be lumps, this is ok.
3. Pour batter into a greased and floured jelly roll pan; smooth batter with a spatula so that it is even. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees, checking after the first 20 minutes.
4. While cake is baking, mix together powdered sugar. lemon juice and zest.
5. While cake is still warm, pierce with fork all over then spread glaze evenly over the top. Allow to cool, then cut into squares and serve.
As you can see, the batter will be lumpy. It’s important to smooth the batter evenly with a spatula after pouring it in the jelly roll pan, so that it will bake evenly.
One of the greatest inventions ever, the microplane grater is perfect for zesting a lemon in seconds!
How do you juice your lemons? I usually just squeeze them by hand, using a small strainer to catch the seeds.
When making the glaze, you don’t have to use a cute little whisk like this one. But it always puts a smile on my face!
After the cake comes out of the oven, pierce it all over with a large fork. The holes will allow the yummy lemon glaze to penetrate the cake.
After the glaze is poured over the warm cake, make sure to spread it out quickly and evenly with spatula.
As the cake cools, the glaze hardens just a bit. Now is the time to dig in with your fork before dividing the rest into squares!
Related Recipes:
Around the Web:
- Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake from Tartelette
- Layered Lemon Cake from Smitten Kitchen
- Lemon Curd Cake from Alpineberry
- Best Lemon Cake Ever from Fancy Toast
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