This Lemon Lime Poke Cake is a tender white cake soaked with lemon and lime gelatin, filled with pockets of creamy lemon pudding and finished with a cool layer of whipped topping. It's bright, tangy and refreshing, and because it starts with a box of cake mix, it's one of the easiest make-ahead desserts you can bring to a cookout.
Every slice has stripes of green and yellow running through it: lime on one bite, lemon on the next, with a ribbon of pudding in between. It tastes like a cross between a lemon bar and a key lime pie, but it's lighter than either, and it serves a crowd straight from the pan. If you like this one, you'll find plenty more flavors in all of our easy poke cake recipes.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- White cake mix. A white cake keeps the colors bright, so the green lime and yellow lemon streaks really show against the crumb. Any 13.25 to 15.25 ounce box works; we like Betty Crocker Super Moist White. Prepare it with the eggs, oil and water listed on the box. A yellow cake mix works too, though the stripes won't stand out as much, and a homemade white sheet cake is a great swap if you prefer baking from scratch.
- Lime and lemon gelatin. One 3-ounce box of each: Jell-O lime gelatin and Jell-O lemon gelatin. The gelatin is what gives the cake its two-tone stripes and most of its citrus punch. Sugar-free gelatin works exactly the same way if you want to cut back on sugar.
- Instant lemon pudding. It must be instant, not cook-and-serve, or it won't set inside the cake. Jell-O instant lemon pudding now comes in a 3.2 ounce box instead of the old 3.4 ounce size; either one works. Instant vanilla pudding is a good stand-in if you'd like a milder, creamier filling.
- Cold milk. You'll use 1 ½ cups, a little less than the pudding box calls for, so the pudding is thin enough to pour into the holes and then sets up thick inside the cake. Whole or 2% milk gives the best texture; skim sets softer.
- Whipped topping. An 8-ounce tub, thawed in the fridge, spreads easily and holds up for days. For homemade whipped cream, whip 1 cup of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to stiff peaks; it's best served within a day.
- Lemon and lime zest. A sprinkle of fresh zest over the topping adds color and a burst of citrus aroma. Zest only the colored part of the peel (the white pith underneath is bitter), and do it just before serving so it stays bright. A citrus zester makes quick work of it.
Helpful Tips
Poke the cake while it's still warm. Let the cake cool for 15 to 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven, then poke it all over with a fork. A warm crumb soaks up the gelatin evenly; a piping-hot cake can turn mushy, and a completely cold one resists the liquid and lets it pool on top.
Dissolve the gelatin completely. Stir each flavor into its cup of boiling water for a full 2 minutes, until you can't see any granules. Undissolved gelatin leaves gritty spots in the cake. Spoon it on slowly, aiming for the holes, so it sinks in instead of running to the edges of the pan.
Use two sizes of holes. The fork holes are for the gelatin; the bigger holes are for the pudding. After the gelatin has chilled for about 30 minutes, push the round handle of a wooden spoon straight down into the cake every inch or so and give it a little wiggle to widen each hole. Chilling first helps the holes keep their shape.
Move quickly with the pudding. Instant pudding starts to thicken within a couple of minutes, so have the cake ready before you whisk it. Pour it over the cake right away, then use an offset spatula to nudge it into the holes and smooth the rest into a thin layer.
Give it time to chill. This lime poke cake needs at least 4 hours in the fridge, and overnight is even better. The gelatin and pudding firm up, the flavors soak all the way through, and the squares cut cleanly. Wipe your knife between slices for the neatest stripes.
Variations
- All-lime poke cake. Use two boxes of lime gelatin and swap the lemon pudding for instant vanilla. Add extra lime zest on top for a cake that tastes a lot like key lime pie.
- Lemon poke cake. Go all lemon with two boxes of lemon gelatin and the lemon pudding, then finish with lemon zest and thin lemon slices.
- Extra-tart topping. Fold 1 to 2 teaspoons of lime juice and a little lime zest into the whipped topping before spreading it on. It tastes like a frosted limeade.
- Strawberry lemonade. Trade the lime gelatin for strawberry and top the cake with sliced fresh strawberries. If you love berries, try our Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe too.
- Graham cracker crunch. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers over the whipped topping right before serving for a nod to our No Bake Key Lime Pie.
- Cream cheese topping. Beat 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with ¼ cup of powdered sugar until smooth, then fold in the whipped topping for a richer, cheesecake-style finish.
Serving Ideas
Serve this cake cold, straight from the fridge, cut into squares and garnished with a thin lemon slice or a twist of lime. It's a natural fit for summer cookouts, potlucks, baby showers and Easter brunch, anywhere you want a dessert that's light, colorful and made ahead of time. Because it stays in the pan, it travels well: just pop the lid on and keep it in a cooler until dessert.
For a backyard menu, follow grilled mains like Ginger Lime Chicken and a bowl of creamy potato salad with a pan of this cake. To keep the citrus theme going, pour a round of our Lemon Lime Float or a pitcher of cold limeade. Building a bigger dessert table? Lemon cupcakes, fresh berries and a plate of sugar cookies all sit nicely alongside it.
Storing & Freezing
Keep leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; it's at its best within the first 3. Store it right in the baking pan with a lid or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, so the whipped topping doesn't pick up other fridge smells. The cake stays moist the whole time, though the topping will soften a little by day 3 or 4.
You can freeze poke cake, too. Cut it into squares, freeze them on a tray until firm, then wrap each one in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw squares in the refrigerator overnight. The texture is slightly softer after freezing, so add a little fresh zest on top to brighten it before serving.
To make it ahead for a party, bake the cake and add the gelatin and pudding the day before, then spread on the whipped topping and zest the morning you plan to serve it.
More Poke Cake Recipes
If you loved this citrusy cake, here are a few more poke cakes to try:
Recipe
Lemon Lime Poke Cake
Equipment
- mixing bowl 2 small bowls for the gelatin, 1 for the pudding
- wooden spoon for poking holes
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (13.25 to 15.25 ounces), plus the eggs, oil and water listed on the box
- 1 box lime gelatin (3 ounces)
- 1 box lemon gelatin (3 ounces)
- 1 box instant lemon pudding mix (3.2 or 3.4 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups milk cold
- 2 cups boiling water divided
- 8 ounces whipped topping (1 tub), thawed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon lime zest freshly grated
- 1 lemon thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to the temperature on the cake mix box (usually 350°F) and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions, pour it into the pan and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes, until it's warm but no longer hot. Poke holes all over the top with a fork, about ½ inch apart, pushing the fork about three-quarters of the way down into the cake.
- In a small bowl, stir the lime gelatin into 1 cup of the boiling water for 2 minutes, until completely dissolved. In a second bowl, dissolve the lemon gelatin in the remaining 1 cup of boiling water the same way.
- Slowly spoon the lime gelatin over the cake, aiming for the holes. Then spoon the lemon gelatin over the cake the same way, until all of the gelatin is used. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.
- Push the round handle of a wooden spoon straight down into the cake about every inch, wiggling it slightly to widen each hole. In a medium bowl, whisk the instant lemon pudding mix with the cold milk for 2 minutes. Immediately pour the pudding over the cake, nudging it into the holes with an offset spatula, and smooth the rest into a thin layer.
- Spread the whipped topping evenly over the cake and sprinkle with the lemon and lime zest.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until set. Cut into 12 squares and garnish each with a thin lemon slice, if you like. Serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
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