Lemon Poke Cake

5 from 8 votes

A delicious homemade lemon cake topped with lemon curd and whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Servings cake

Calories 582kcal

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place butter in a mixing bowl and whip with a paddle attachment until nice and soft.
½ cup salted butter
Add sugar and oil and mix for 2-3 minutes until very soft and fluffy.
½ cup oil, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
Add eggs, one a time, mixing well between each egg.
3 eggs
Mix in vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice.
zest from 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Add 1 ½ cups of the flour to the mixing bowl. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over top of the flour.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
Mix just until the flour is incorporated.
With the mixer on low, add milk.
¾ cup milk
Add remaining cup of flour and mix just until incorporated. I often stop mixing and use my silicone spatula to finish folding the flour into the batter.
Add batter to a 9x13 inch cake pan sprayed with a nonstick spray.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30-35 minutes until the cake is fully cooked.
Remove from oven and allow cake to cool slightly.

Place egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in a bowl of a double boiler or in a metal bowl. Whisk together.
4 egg yolks, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 zest from 2 lemons, ⅓ cup lemon juice
Place over a pot with a small amount of simmering water. Make certain the bowl is not touching the water. Whisk mixture until it begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and whisk in butter a few cubes at a time making certain it is fully incorporated before adding additional butter.
4 tablespoons salted butter

Whip cream together until soft peaks are formed. Add sugar and stir.
2 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Poke holes in cake using the round handle of a wooden spoon.
Spread lemon curd over the top of the cake.
Add whipped cream and cover surface of cake.
Refrigerate, uncovered for at least 3 hours before serving. If serving beyond 3-4 hours, cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator

- When making the cake, use room-temperature ingredients.
- Use the fluff and scoop method when measuring flour to help prevent over-compacting the flour.

- Stop and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to make certain everything is well-mixed.

- Once you add the flour, don't overmix. Stir just until everything comes together.

- Keep holes in cake about 2-3 inches apart. Too close and your cake may not hold together when serving.

- It is okay if the cake is still warm when you add the lemon curd and the whipped cream.

- If your curd has lumps, press it through a fine-meshed sieve to remove the lumps.

Nutritional value is figure with the cake cut into 12 pieces.