This lemon poke cake is made with a moist and tender lemon cake, lemon condensed milk filling, and lemon mascarpone frosting.
This cake is incredibly soft and is full of lemon flavor from fresh lemons. It is topped with a zesty and light mascarpone whipped cream extra lemon zest and lemon slices for presentation.
The tangy lemon flavor infuses the moist cake, while the luscious mascarpone cream adds a velvety texture and decadent richness to each bite.
This dessert is a perfect balance of sweet and citrusy flavors, making it a refreshing treat for any occasion.
Whether served at a summer gathering or as a special indulgence after dinner, this cake is sure to impress with its vibrant taste and luxurious finish.
If you like making poke cakes, check out my chocolate pudding poke cake recipe.
For more lemon desserts, check out my lemon crinkle cookies, lemon shortbread cookies, lemon bars with graham cracker crust, lemon pound cake, and lemon curd cookies.
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Why this recipe works
- Natural- this cake does not use any artificial lemon flavoring like lemon pudding mix, or food coloring. It is all-natural and made with real lemons.
- Flavor- the flavor of this cake is full of lemon from the lemon cake, to the lemon filling and lemon and mascarpone cream topping! It is light and bright and is truly sunshine in a dessert.
- Ease- this cake comes together in one bowl and is made with super simple ingredients. It is easy to prep and can be made by anyone as long as you follow the instructions correctly.
- Texture- the texture of this cake is tender, moist, fluffy, and super soft and will melt in your mouth.
- Frosting- this cake is topped with a light and fluffy lemon whipped mascarpone cream frosting.
What is a poke cake?
A poke cake is a cake that is poked into while it's still warm. Then a liquid, that is usually sweetened condensed milk or pudding mix poured into the holes, and then the cake is topped with a light and fluffy frosting.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter-Â For this recipe, use unsalted butter. Only butter is suitable for this recipe; avoid margarine and coconut oil. Margarine can alter the taste and potentially ruin the flavor of the cake.
Eggs- you will need 4 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Lemon juice-Â use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. I don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Lemon zest-Â you will need 2 tablespoon of lemon zest. I recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking powder and baking soda – to allow the cake to rise. Ensure that your baking powder and baking soda aren't expired and are active.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Sour cream- use either sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both will work great. Use full-fat sour cream.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor. You can use regular vanilla extract or vanilla bean extract.
Buttermilk– gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the filling
Sweetened condensed milk- is the key ingredient to make this pie decadent and extra creamy! Use your favorite brand of sweetened condensed milk for this.
For the frosting
Mascarpone cheese- is the most important ingredient, make sure that you put your mascarpone cheese at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before starting to make the recipe.
Heavy cream- make sure that your heavy cream is cold. Cold heavy cream whips better and quicker.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the soft butter, granulated sugar, kosher salt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, lemon juice, and sour cream, and mix until well combined.
Add ½ of the flour, ½ of the buttermilk, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until almost combined.
Add the rest of the flour and buttermilk and mix the cake batter until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake the cake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes and poke holes using the back of a wooden spoon.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture on top of the cake and spread it out all over the cake using a spoon or an offset spatula. Ensure the holes fill out with the filling.
Make the lemon mascarpone whipped cream
Into a large mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, kosher salt, vanilla extract, and sugar and mix with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. (don't overbeat the mixture so you don't create butter)
Add the mascarpone cheese (which is at room temperature) and mix it lightly into the whipped cream using a spatula until a creamy mixture forms.
Top the cake with the cream and spread it evenly. Make swirls using an offset spatula and sprinkle more lemon zest and top with sliced lemon (optional). Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- After baking your cake, use the round end of a wooden spoon handle to poke holes evenly across the surface of the cake. These holes will later be filled with luscious fillings and toppings.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I understand the temptation to frost the cake right out of the oven, but it's best to let it cool for at least 1 hour. This will help the cake firm up, prevent it from crumbling, and keep the frosting from melting.
Faq's
Your poke cake might be soggy if you poked the holes too close together. Make sure that there's at least ½ inch between every hole.
Also, ensure that you let your cake cool to room temperature before you add the filling.
We use all-purpose flour for this cake, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Poke and pour cake is called poke cake since is it a recipe that calls for inserting holes into the cake, and then filling them with different fillings.
Storing
This cake can last up to 4 days when stored in the fridge. Make sure to cover it with plastic wrap or foil to keep it from drying out.
Freezing
You can freeze this cake after it has cooled completely. Store it in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
You can freeze the whole cake or slice it into slices and then freeze it.
If you are freezing individual slices of the cake, I would recommend storing them in a ziplock bag and then transferring them to an airtight freezer-friendly container.
Thaw at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Cake mix- I love making all of my desserts from scratch, but if you would like, you can make this cake with a boxed lemon cake mix. You will need a 15.25 oz package of boxed lemon cake mix.
Variations
Filling- instead of filling the cake with sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice, you can take it to another level and fill the cake with lemon curd.
Another filling idea is making a lemon pudding from an instant lemon pudding mix. Just use the package instructions and fill the holes of the pudding poke cake the same way.
Frosting- you can use your favorite frosting for this cake like cream cheese frosting, lemon buttercream frosting, vanilla frosting, mascarpone whipped cream, etc!
White chocolate- add mini white chocolate chips to the cake batter for a delicious white chocolate flavor.
Lemon zest- add even more lemon zest for a stronger lemon flavor and aroma.
Lemon flavor- for an even extra lemon flavor, add ½ teaspoon of lemon paste or lemon extract!
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- 9x13 baking pan
- Electric hand mixer
- Offset spatula
More lemon desserts
Chewy lemon blueberry cookies- These chewy lemon blueberry cookies are loaded with white chocolate chips and flavorful blueberries, are chewy in the middle, and crispy on the edges.
Lemon cooler cookies- These lemon cooler cookies are made with fresh lemon zest and lemon juice, making the lemon flavor pop! These are the perfect summer cookies buttery and tossed in powdered sugar.
Lemon tart- This lemon tart is made with a buttery pastry crust and filled with a zesty lemon curd filling. This tart is a ray of sunshine in a dessert!
If you tried this lemon sheet cake recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Lemon Poke Cake With Lemon Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients
- 230 g Butter unsalted, softened
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon Lemon zest
- ½ cup Sour cream
- 4 Eggs
- â…“ cup Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup Buttermilk
Filling
- 14 oz Sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup Lemon juice fresh
Lemon mascarpone whipped cream
- 340 g Mascarpone cheese softened
- 1 ½ cups Heavy cream
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the soft butter, granulated sugar, kosher salt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, lemon juice, and sour cream, and mix until well combined.
- Add ½ of the flour, ½ of the buttermilk, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until almost combined.
- Add the rest of the flour and buttermilk and mix the cake batter until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake the cake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes and poke holes using the back of a wooden spoon.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and mix until well combined.
- Pour the mixture on top of the cake and spread it out all over the cake using a spoon or an offset spatula. Ensure the holes fill out with the filling.
Make the lemon mascarpone whipped cream
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, kosher salt, vanilla extract, and sugar and mix with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. (don't overbeat the mixture so you don't create butter)
- Add the mascarpone cheese (which is at room temperature) and mix it lightly into the whipped cream using a spatula until a creamy mixture forms.
- Top the cake with the cream and spread it evenly. Make swirls using an offset spatula and sprinkle more lemon zest and top with sliced lemon (optional). Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- After baking your cake, use the round end of a wooden spoon handle to poke holes evenly across the surface of the cake. These holes will later be filled with luscious fillings and toppings.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I understand the temptation to frost the cake right out of the oven, but it's best to let it cool for at least 1 hour. This will help the cake firm up, prevent it from crumbling, and keep the frosting from melting.
Amy
This cake was wonderful! I made it for my brothers birthday and it was enjoyed by all! I used fresh off the tree arizona lemons and couldn’t find marscapone cheese so I substituted cream cheese. We all loved it!