If you've been searching for the BEST recipe for Lemon Cake from a doctored cake mix, we are happy to say that this is it!

This easy lemon cake has a lovely soft texture, is ultra moist, has fantastic lemon flavor, works for cupcakes as well as cake layers, and is sturdy enough to hold up to fondant! What's not to love?

Moist and Delicious Lemon Cake Mix Recipe

We've frosted this lemon layer cake with a luscious Lemon Buttercream, which is a new recipe for our site also! We've fallen in love with its lemon flavor and it pipes like a dream.

We're so glad to have this lemon buttercream option for slathering and swirling onto all sorts of cakes from lemon cake to homemade vanilla buttermilk cake to classic yellow, coconut and even strawberry! Lemon buttercream pairs perfectly with so many cake flavors.

However, our Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting as well as our homemade Lemon Curd Filling would both be great choices!

Easy and Delicious Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Table of Contents

How to Make a Lemon Cake- Doctored Cake Mix Recipe

You can find the full, printable cake recipe further down in this post, but here is a quick rundown of our steps!

First, you'll start with a simple white cake mix (look for recipes that do not contain pudding in the mix as we'll be adding a bit of lemon pudding to this recipe). We used Duncan Hines.

Combine the sifted cake mix with the flour, sugar, and pudding and whisk to blend. *Just 4 tablespoons of pudding is all that we needed to really make a difference in the texture and flavor of this cake.

We tried baking without the lemon pudding, and while it was good, the stand-out favorite among all of our family taste-testers was the version that contained pudding. The texture is more velvety and the lemony flavor is really nice. We also tried using Lemon Cake Mix instead of White, but didn't like the flavor as much.

Add the remaining ingredients, including the eggs, water, sour cream, extracts, and lemon zest. The addition of pudding, sour cream, and flour give the cake a from-scratch feel, as it is a bit denser than a straight from the box cake mix cake...but I wouldn't describe this as a dense cake. It is light, has a soft texture, and did I mention an amazing lemon flavor? SO good!

The BEST Lemon Cake: A Doctored Cake Mix Recipe

This recipe makes about 7 ½ cups of batter which was just the right amount to divide between three 8 inch layers. I love cake recipes that have enough batter for three layers so that you can have an additional layer of filling! Mmmmm....bring on the lemon buttercream!

Looking for a Lemon Scratch Recipe Also?

I should also mention that while we LOVE this doctored Lemon Cake Mix recipe, we have a favorite Scratch Lemon Cake Recipe as well! If you enjoy baking scratch recipes also, this is a great one.

We hope to eventually have a doctored cake mix version and scratch version of all of our recipes!

Moist and Delicious Lemon Cake Recipe from a doctored cake mix

Lemon Cake: A Doctored Cake Mix Recipe

Nobody would guess that this amazing lemon cake recipe all starts with a simple cake mix! So moist and lemony!

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz.) white cake mix, sifted (Any mix without pudding in the mix)
1 cup (114g) all purpose flour (plain in the UK)
1 cup (200g) sugar
½ box (4Tablespoons, (48g) instant lemon pudding (we used Jell-O brand) Do not make pudding, use the dry mix.
3 large eggs
1 ⅓ cups (322g) water
1 cup (242g) sour cream (we use full fat sour cream)
1 Tablespoon (12g) lemon extract
½ teaspoon (2g) vanilla extract
zest of one lemon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8x2 inch round cake pans.
In the bowl of your mixer, add the dry ingredients and whisk at least 30 seconds to blend.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for 1 more minute. If you are using a hand mixer, mix for a bit longer.
Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Check at 25 minutes, if a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, it is done.
Cool in the pans 5 to 10 minutes then turn out.
Makes 7 ½ cups batter
Works well for cupcakes

332 Comments

Hi Andreina, I have never used that substitution so I am not sure how it will affect the cake. I think it could make the cake a bit drier, however recipes using cake mix are very forgiving. I'm sorry I don't have a definite answer for you.

No problem! Thank you, I’ll go buy some sour cream so I can give the recipe a try, thank you!!

This recipe did not work for me. I weighed all ingredients and followed the directions, but the cupcakes came out deflated. They were in the oven for 25 minutes, golden on top and the toothpick came out clean, but as soon as they came out, they caved in. So disappointed

Hi Lara, I'm sorry there was a problem, it is so frustrating to feel as though you have wasted your time and money. Recipes that use a cake mix are very forgiving so there is rarely a problem. For baking standard size cupcakes 25 minutes is usually too long. A typical time is 18 to 20 minutes, so under baking would not be the cause. If a recipe has too much liquid, (sugar is also considered a liquid) it can cause the center to sink so possibly you miss measured an ingredient. Over beating or beating at too high a speed, it is best not to beat above medium speed. It would be a good idea to get an oven thermometer to make sure your oven it heating to the correct temperature. I hope you will give the recipe a try another time.

Will this recipe work for a 3-D Wilton cake? Thank you

Hi Sylvia, yes, I think with the added sour cream and pudding, it should be fine!

Would this work for mini cupcakes? If so, what would the baking time be?

Hi Brenna, Yes, you can bake mini cupcakes with the recipe. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Bake at 350 degrees if using a shiny metal pan, if using a dark metal non stick pan decrease the temperature by 25 degrees and bake a bit longer.

I’m not sure if I should use the heat conductor core in the 3-D bear cake, any advise?

Thanks

Could I use a 9x13 pan? Sounds like there might be a little extra batter, but I’m making a shape from a 9x13 and am looking for a good lemon cake recipe to use. (My son doesn’t want a chocolate cake! Is he even mine?)

Hi Natalie, Yes, you could use a 9x13 sheet cake pan with this recipe. The recipe makes 7 1/2 cups batter. You need a minimum of 7 cups for a 9x13 so you will be fine. Hope all goes well.