Lemon Lush Yogurt Cake
Elevate a basic box of lemon cake mix with today’s recipe for a Lemon Lush Yogurt Cake, topped with a zesty lemon pudding layer followed by a lemon-infused frosting.
Lemon Lush Yogurt Cake Recipe
Avid readers might know that I’ve already previously posted a Lemon Lush Dessert Lasagna and two Yogurt Cakes based on the traditional French Yogurt Cake recipe that French school kids learn to make using a yogurt cup as a unit of measurement.
Today’s recipe is courtesy of one of my book club friends who brought this cake to share and everyone loved it! (Book was Hillbilly Elegy, for anyone curious.)
Today’s lemon lush yogurt cake is vastly different from those recipes; it uses a boxed lemon cake mix and yogurt (or marscapone or ricotta cheese) to make a luscious and decadent lemon sheet cake.
I used marscapone cheese because I always have it on hand but Greek yogurt or even ricotta cheese can be used in it’s place. Regardless, the result is a rich lemon cake with a zesty lemon pudding layer topped with a lemon-infused frosting.
This is definitely a dessert for lemon lovers!
How to store this lemon lush cake: this cake should be refrigerated due to the yogurt or cheese ingredients. Wrap or cover and refrigerate for up to a week.
How to freeze this lemon lush cake: the unfrosted cake can be wrapped well or stored in ziptop freezer bags before freezing for up to two months. Thaw completely overnight before frosting and serving.
More Luscious Lemon Desserts:
- Easy Lemon Cake
- Lemon Muddy Buddies
- Lemon Lush (Layered Dessert)
- Lemon Sticky Rolls
- Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Homemade Lemon Curd
- Magical Color-Changing Galaxy Lemonade from In the Kids’ Kitchen
- Lemon Pudding from The Food Network
Ingredients for a Lemon Lush Yogurt Cake
Lemon Cake Ingredients:
Lemon Mascarpone Filling ingredients:
- Large lemon, zested and juiced
- Mascarpone cheese
- Large eggs
- White sugar
- Vanilla extract
Lemon Pudding Topping Ingredients:
- Mascarpone cheese
- Whole milk
- Lemon instant pudding mix
Lemon Frosting Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Lemon juice
- Lemon extract
- Lemon zest
- Powdered confectioner’s sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: swap out the marscapone cheese for Greek yogurt for a more authentic version of this recipe.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- 9″ x 13″ cake dish
- Measuring Cups
- Mixing Bowl
- Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
- Piping Bag fitted with a Star Tip
How to Make Lemon Lush Yogurt Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9″ x 13″ cake dish. Set aside.
Follow the back of the cake box to prepare the cake batter.
Once batter is made, pour it into the baking dish and set aside while you make the filling
Using a medium bowl, beat together the lemon zest and mascarpone cheese until combined and smooth, followed by the sugar and vanilla, and then finally adding each egg one at a time.
Spoon this mixture on top of the batter and try to spread it out evenly, as best as you can.
Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. (Or until the cake batter has risen to the top of the ricotta layer.) Test to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
For the Lemon Pudding Topping:
Using a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth, then gradually beat in the milk.
Beat in the lemon pudding packet until smooth and combined.
Set aside to allow the pudding to thicken.
Once the cake has cooled, spread the pudding mixture over the top of the cake.
Place the cake in the fridge while you make the frosting.
For the Lemon Frosting:
Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together until combined, smooth and slightly stiff.
Scoop into the piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Pipe dollops of frosting all over the cake to completely cover it.
Cut and serve!
Pin this Lemon Yogurt Cake for a decadent lemon dessert perfect for any occasion:
Grab your free printable recipe card for our lemon lush yogurt cake recipe:
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Lemon Lush Yogurt Cake
Lemon lush yogurt cake uses a boxed lemon cake mix and yogurt (or marscapone or ricotta cheese) to make a luscious and decadent lemon sheet cake with a zesty lemon pudding layer topped with a lemon-infused frosting.
Ingredients
Lemon Cake Ingredients:
- 1 box lemon cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
Lemon Mascarpone Filling ingredients:
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- 4 oz mascarpone cheese
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Pudding Topping Ingredients:
- 12 oz mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 package lemon instant pudding mix (3.4oz)
Lemon Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon extract
- 3 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 3-4 cups powdered confectioner's sugar
- 3-5 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9" x 13" cake dish. Set aside.
- Follow the back of the cake box to prepare the cake batter.
- Once batter is made, pour it into the baking dish and set aside while you make the filling
- Using a medium bowl, beat together the lemon zest and mascarpone cheese until combined and smooth, followed by the sugar and vanilla, and then finally adding each egg one at a time.
- Spoon this mixture on top of the batter and try to spread it out evenly, as best as you can.
- Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. (Or until the cake batter has risen to the top of the ricotta layer.) Test to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
For the Lemon Pudding Topping:
- Using a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth, then gradually beat in the milk.
- Beat in the lemon pudding packet until smooth and combined.
- Set aside to allow the pudding to thicken.
- Once the cake has cooled, spread the pudding mixture over the top of the cake.
- Place the cake in the fridge while you make the frosting.
For the Lemon Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together until combined, smooth and slightly stiff.
- Scoop into the piping bag fitted with a star tip.
- Pipe dollops of frosting all over the cake to completely cover it.
- Cut and serve!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1115Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 210mgSodium: 573mgCarbohydrates: 164gFiber: 1gSugar: 142gProtein: 9g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this lemon lush yogurt cake as much as my friends did!
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