My lemonade cake recipe takes a lemon box cake and infuses it with lemonade concentrate for intense lemon flavor. It’s topped with a creamy lemon frosting that’s super rich thanks to cream cheese and salted butter. This one’s a keeper!
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Pin RecipeLemon cakes are some of my favorites to bake, and a lemonade cake is high up on my “must bake” list. Plus, I love the name—lemonade cake makes me think of lazy summer afternoons on the porch with a tall glass of iced lemonade. Turn that relaxed feeling into a cake and you’re sure to enjoy this one.
Lemonade Cake Recipe
I love all things lemon and this lemonade cake is no exception. It’s loaded with lemonade concentrate in the batter, and you add even more into the frosting for an explosion of delicious lemon flavor! Using the concentrate really gives you more of a lemon flavor than using just lemon juice, and the sugar in the concentrate adds a bit of sweetness to counter the tartness of the lemon.
All you need to make this very lemony cake is a box mix plus a few other pantry ingredients. And when I say “very lemony,” I really mean it! Since you use a lemon box cake mix as the base, you’ll have bursts of citrus in each bite. The sweet and lemony cream cheese frosting is absolutely irresistible as well as super easy to make.
For more of my favorite lemon recipes, you can check out my recipes for Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Cupcakes, Lemon Bundt Cake, or Lemon Bars!
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Ingredients for Lemonade Cake
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cake
- Lemon cake mix – You can use your favorite brand of cake mix for this recipe.
- Vegetable oil
- Milk – I use whole milk to give richness to the cake.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Eggs
- Frozen lemonade concentrate – I use frozen lemonade concentrate from a can, like Minute Maid brand.
- Powdered sugar
Frosting
- Cream cheese
- Salted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Frozen lemonade concentrate – You can use the same kind of lemonade concentrate in the frosting as in the cake.
Quick Tip
Sift the powdered sugar into the frosting mixture rather than dumping it in all at once. This will keep the frosting lump-free because sometimes powdered sugar right out of the bag is clumped together.
How to Make Lemonade Cake
- Prepare the pan: Preheat your oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Make the batter: Add the cake mix, milk, oil and eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk together to form a smooth, thick batter.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. The cake should be golden brown and spring back to the touch.
- Cool the baked cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
- Make the lemon flavoring: While the cake is cooling, mix the cup of lemonade concentrate with the cup of powdered sugar.
- Poke holes in the cake: Use a fork to prick the cake all over the surface, making small, even holes across the cake.
- Pour on the lemonade mixture: Pour the lemonade and sugar mix over the top of the cake, letting it soak into the cake as you slowly pour.
- Cool the cake: Put the cake in the fridge to cool for about an hour.
- Make the frosting: While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well-mixed.
- Add in the powdered sugar: Add the powdered sugar and lemonade concentrate to the frosting and beat until light and fluffy.
- Assemble the cake: Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake and enjoy!
Quick Tip
For the frosting, have both the butter and cream cheese at room temperature before whipping them together. This will help create a smoother, fluffier frosting.
How to Store
Store leftover lemonade cake tightly covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve cold from the fridge or at room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
This cake is loaded with flavor and is delicious just as the recipe is written! You can serve it plain and it’s absolutely perfect. But if you’d like to add a little more, here are some of my suggestions:
- With fresh fruit: Sliced strawberries would be amazing served with slices of lemonade cake! You could serve slices with strawberries piled on top or alongside. Blueberries would also be a wonderful addition to this cake—I love the combination of lemons and blueberries.
- With vanilla ice cream: This would be going over the top, but it’s hard to go wrong with vanilla ice cream. Serve slices of cake with scoops of vanilla ice cream, especially during the summer.
- With whipped cream: A dollop of sweetened whipped cream, homemade or store-bought, would also taste so good with slices of lemonade cake.
FAQs
Can I use lemonade instead of water in cake mix?
Yes! As in this recipe, you can add lemonade or lemonade concentrate to your boxed cake mix for extra lemon flavor.
Similarly, you can use lemon juice in your store-bought cake mix. The tartness of the lemon will help cut the inherent sweetness of the mix and give added lemon flavor.
You can use milk instead of water in your box cake mix for extra richness and flavor.
More Cake Recipes
Lemonade Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) lemon cake mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Frosting
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Add the cake mix, milk, oil and eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk together to form a smooth, thick batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. The cake should be golden brown and spring back to the touch.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling, mix the cup of lemonade concentrate with the cup of powdered sugar.
- Use a fork to prick the cake all over the surface, making small, even holes across the cake.
- Pour the lemonade and sugar mix over the top of the cake, letting it soak into the cake as you slowly pour.
- Put the cake in the fridge to cool for about an hour.
- While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Add the powdered sugar and lemonade concentrate to the frosting and beat until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake and enjoy!
