Old Fashioned Lemon Cake
This cake is so old school it takes me back to the ’70s growing up in South Carolina. Though it goes way back, don’t let it fool you. It’s quick and easy to make – in keeping with today’s fast-paced world. It even starts with a cake mix!!
This delicious, lemony goodness is so moist and flavorful your whole family is going to love it. It keeps very well on the counter and is also great for tailgating or picnics as it’s easy to simply eat with your hands. You can make it into a beautiful bundt cake or two loaf cakes, making it great for gifting.
This recipe is my son David’s favorite and I especially enjoy making it for him! Make this for a potluck, covered dish, or any other type of gathering, and watch every yummy crumb disappear!
Old Fashioned Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Duncan Hines brand Lemon Supreme Cake mix PKG = package
- 1 pkg Jello brand Instant Lemon Pudding mix PKG = package (3.4 ounces)
- 1 cup Apricot nectar (found in grocery store shelves; sometimes in fruit juice section, baking section or Mexican food section)
- 1/2 cup Canola, vegetable or avocado oil
- 4 lg Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Pure lemon extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup Sifted confectioners' sugar (sift sugar after measuring it)
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice (more if you like a thinner consistency – which is what I do)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the Bundt pan or 2 loaf pans with baking spray. I prefer Baker’s Joy but Pam makes a good one too. Make sure it’s baking spray and not regular non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and dry pudding mix, apricot nectar, oil, eggs and extract; beat on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan or 2 loaf pans.
- Bake Bundt cake for 45-55 minutes or Loaf pans for 25 -30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool pan(s) for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes more.
- In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- If you are using the thinner glaze as I do (about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 1 cup powdered sugar), while cake is still warm poke holes along the entire surface of the cake using a skewer or toothpick. Slowly drizzle glaze over the cake using the back of a spoon to glide across surface and help the glaze soak in. If you want the glaze to be more of an icing, let the cake cool completely and use the glaze recipe version of 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to one cup of powdered sugar. Drizzle icing over the cooled cake and allow it to ‘set’ for about an hour or so before serving.