Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Strawberry Lemonade Cake starts with a lemon cake mix + strawberry pie filling! So easy to make, crazy moist, and topped with the fluffiest & lightest whipped pudding frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword dessert recipe with a cake mix, strawberry cake with a cake mix, strawberry lemonade cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Cooling Time 2

Servings people

Calories 210kcal

Author Jessica

Ingredients

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

1 box (15.25 oz) lemon cake mix (DO NOT prepare according to package directions)
1 can (21 oz) strawberry pie filling
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk I use whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract

Whipped Pudding Frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix (DO NOT prepare according to package directions)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon lemon extract
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip thawed

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, dump in the lemon cake mix and stir it with a whisk to break up any large clumps.
*This is important or else there will be dry cake chunks in the baked cake once it's done. It mixes better with the pie filling if it's sifted (stirred with a whisk) to break up any large clumps.
Add the strawberry pie filling, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Use a handheld mixer to beat it together until well combined.
*You want to make sure the cake mix is thoroughly mixed in. It may take 1-2 minutes to combine it all together. Alternately, you can use the bowl of a stand mixer too.
Dump into the prepared baking dish and smooth out. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. Edges will be browned and center should look puffy.
*The cake may sink in the middle just slightly as it's cooling which is normal. If you tested with a toothpick and it came out dry, then the cake will be fine even if it sinks slightly in the middle while cooling.
Let cake cool completely before frosting. About 2 hours.
MAKE THE FROSTING - In the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a mixing bowl + handheld mixer, add the heavy whipping cream, dry instant pudding mix, powdered sugar, and lemon extract. Beat on LOW speed for about 1-2 minutes until it's thick and fluffy looking. Stir in the Cool Whip until combined.
Frost the cake once it's completely cooled. At this point it can be served right away or refrigerated for 3-5 hours before serving. I prefer to refrigerate the cake before serving. You can also serve each slice with some sliced strawberries!

Notes

Nutrition information is for one piece of the cake. I cut the cake into smaller pieces (24 pieces) when I serve it.

DO NOT prepare the cake mix or the pudding mix before adding them into the bowls when called for. Simply dump the dry cake mix into the bowl and dump the dry pudding mix into the bowl when making the frosting.

Nutrition