If you thought the lemon flavored 7-Up cake looked good but don't feel like making a cake from scratch, let me introduce you to my great grandmother's Duncan Hines lemon pound cake recipe. This was our Louisiana "Mee-Ma's" signature cake.
Jump to RecipeDuncan Hines Lemon Pound Cake
Mee-Ma always made it with Duncan Hines, so I use that as well. Luckily, even though cake mix has been reformulated and the mixes come in smaller boxes rather than 18.25 oz boxes, the recipe still works. Duncan Hines even has it on the side of the box.
The box recipe is similar, but I use my own icing which is just the standard lemon juice and confectioners' sugar mixture. It's an icing that sets, so you can cut the cake in pieces, wrap them individually and send them along to wherever. Duncan Hines Lemon Pound Cake is so versatile and travels so well. No one ever complains that it's not scratch.
Here are a couple of pictures of the variation. In this version, lemon syrup is poured over the cake while it's cooling.
Duncan Hines Lemon Cake Mini Loaves
I recently tested the recipe as mini loaves and it worked perfectly! Since I don't have a lot of equipment available right now, I mixed the batter by hand and baked the loaves in a Breville toaster oven. Bake time was about 38 minutes, and the loaves baked up with beautiful lumps in the middle. I love it when that happens. One recipe for the lemon pound cake will give you four mini loaves. Here are the pans I used. They come in sets of three, so you may want to purchase two sets.
Instant Pot Lemon Pound Cake
This recipe works very well in an Instant Pot. In some ways it's even better because the Instant Pot makes Bundt cakes taste like the ones from Nothing Bundt Cake! To make an Instant Pot Lemon Pound Cake, use a 7 inch Bundt pan. Use half a box of lemon cake mix (weigh out 7.6 oz), half a box of lemon pudding (1.7 oz), 2 large eggs, ¼ cup oil, and only ⅓ cup of water. Mix as usual, pour into Instant Pot Bundt (do not cover), Put in the pot with 1 ½ cups boiling water and set time to 33 minutes with a 15 minute semi-natural release. Let cool for 10 minutes then carefully remove. For the glaze, you can use either one listed in the recipe below or make a cream cheese frosting and pipe it on as stripes.
Recipe
Lemon Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz package Duncan Hines Signature Lemon Supreme Cake Mix Package size reduced to 15.25
- 1 3.4 oz package instant lemon pudding and pie filling
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
Lemon Icing that Hardens
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan. Alternatively, you can use 4 mini loaf pans.
- Mix the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large bowl and beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 50 minutes (begin checking at 40) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Bake time for mini loaves is around 38 minutes, so begin checking at 30.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, carefully spoon icing over the top and let it fall down the sides.
- Icing: Put the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly, about a teaspoon at a time, add lemon juice and stir vigorously until the mixture is thick enough to drizzle. Try not to let it get too thin so it will stay opaque when set.
- Spoon over the cake and allow iced cake to sit until icing is firm.
Notes
- ⅓ cup butter (unsalted)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon Boyajian lemon oil
Using a knife, poke deep cuts into the hot cake. Pour the lemon glaze over the hot cake while it's still in the pan. Let it cool in the pan for about 45 minutes, then invert.
Anna
Thank you, Gregory! I am going to try your 7-up variation.
Gregory Gordon
My Variation is...1 box Duncan hines Yellow cake mix, Lemon instant pudding, a half a cup oil, 4 eggs and 1 cup 7 up or water. Another variation is...1 box Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix, 1 box of Vanilla instant pudding, a half cup of oil, 4 eggs and 1 cup of water. ALWAYS, ALWAYS AND ALWAYS USE DUNCAN HINES CAKE MIXES!! DOES NOT TASTE AS GOOD USING ANY OTHER BRAND OF CAKE MIX.
Mona
I make it with the Orange Supreme cake mix. It’s wonderful. I use orange juice and orange zest in the glaze. It’s fantastic!
Super simple and everyone loves it.
Anna
Got it! Thanks!
karenb
Anna, I only needed to bake the Triple Lemon Cake for 35 minutes, NOT the 45 minutes as written. It probably baked in less time than the original recipe states because I used a 15.25 oz. Cake Mix. The ORIGINAL recipe was from the early 1980's and most likely used an 18 oz. size Cake Mix.
PLEASE ADJUST baking time in recipe to 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Anna
Another note from Karen which includes a yellow cake mix enhanced with lemon flavored gelatin.
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Anna, I do not have a link for the Bon Appetit recipe. I clipped it out of an old magazine from 1980's.
Here is the recipe:
Triple Lemon Cake
1 Box YELLOW Cake Mix (do NOT use Lemon)
3 oz. pkg. Lemon Jello
3/4 C Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs, beaten to blend
1/2 C Water
1/4 C Lemon Juice
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease & Flour 10 C Bundt Pan.
Beat ALL ingredients on medium speed until smooth, about 4 min.
Bake approx. 35 minutes to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan 25 min., invert onto wire rack & cool completely.
Glaze
1 C Sifted Confectionery Sugar
3 TBS Lemon Juice
1 TBS Grated Lemon Peel
Stir ALL ingredients together until sugar dissolves.
Pierce Cake with fork.
Spoon Glaze over cooled cake, allowing to drip down sides.
Anna
Note: This comment is from Karen B. I am moving it from another thread and putting it with this cake since the changes apply to this cake.
Anna, I made the Lemon Cake with The Duncan Hines Cake Mix and Lemon Pudding. I thought the cake was good but for my family, it needed a bigger “burst” of Lemon flavor. I made it a second time with these additions and it was THE BEST LEMON CAKE ever!!!
These are the additions:
1. I added zest of 1 lemon to the batter.
2. Instead of icing the cake, I dumped a hot lemon sugar syrup over it when it came out of the oven. This slightly hardened giving the cake a crispy lemon coating. This extra crunchiness truly enriched this cake.
Hot Lemon Syrup
2/3 C SUGAR
1/3 C Butter
2 TBS Water
1/2 tsp Boyajian lemon oil
Combine all Glaze Ingredients in a small saucepan, cook over medium heat until butter is melted and SUGAR is dissolved. Do NOT Boil.
Insert a knife deeply into cake and “poke” holes.
Pour glaze over entire cake. Use a rubber spatula to gently pull cake away from sides of pan for glaze to sweep down.
Allow cake to cool completely in pan, approx. 45 minutes., than invert onto a serving plate. Dust with sifted confectioners’ sugar if desired.
If you try this, please let me know what you think. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!
Sonya
Awwww....good memories and a delicious cake - doesn't get any better than that!
AmyM
This was my husband's grandma's specialty. I now make it and bring it to every holiday. I also use the recipe on the box and I'm going to try your icing next time. By the way, I've used other cake mixes and the cake doesn't really "turn out" unless you use the Duncan Hines mix. Maybe because Duncan Hines is the only one without pudding in the mix?
Katrina
There is nothing quite like Mee-ma recipes! The cake I always remember form my grandma is angel food cake. I would not doubt if she used a cake mix for that one.