My very awesome roommate actually made this cake (twice!), so the technical comments are based on her experiences. But I can definitely say that this cake tastes wonderful. It's very moist, but light, and not too sweet.
The first time my roommate made it though, it looked really gloopy -- the icing was sliding off, and the juice from the strawberries made smears on the cake. Here's what she did the second time: she used less milk in the pudding mix (for the icing) to make it firmer. She handled the pudding/Cool Whip mixture as little as possible -- just enough to fold it all in, but no more. Finally, she drained the strawberries AFTER slicing them (leaving them in a papertowel-lined bowl in the fridge overnight), and blotted the slices w/ a paper towel before putting them on the ice cake. With these modifications, the cake held up much better, and looked as fantastic as it tasted!
The taste is what saved this cake for me. 1st make sure you read ALL the steps (i didn't read ahead just followed the steps in order) my first mistake was mixing both boxes of pudding in with the cake mix (I used lemon cake mayo). When I got to the 2nd step for the filling I was like what pudding? Anyways I went to the store and got another box of lemon pudding for the whipped topping filling. So the cake wound up having an extra box of pudding in it. The filling was so runny that it would not set up and the cakes were sliding around. It wound up looking like an avalanche. But it was delicious. If I were to make it again I would fill it differently maybe use real whipped cream instead of whipped topping or a whipped cream/cream cheese combo with the lemon pudding. But the lemon/strawberry combo is very good and the actual cake itself was dense and moist and really good.
I used a lemon cake mix instead of white I wanted a more lemony flavor. I also used mayonnaise instead oil. Turned out perfectly! Nice refreshing summertime dessert.
this cake is simply amazing. I made it for a memorial day bbq. I originally thought it may have been too much since there were only 6 people there but everyone had seconds and there was only one piece left for me to take home. I am debating on making it again today....just because! its so tasty...i loved it!! also many reviewers complained about the frosting not being firm enough. i refridgerated the pudding and them when i mixed in the whipped cream topping and put it in the freezer to thicken it up some. turned out perfect!!! review edit: I made this cake again with jello brand pudding...BIG mistake. the "frosting" was so runny and i couldnt get it firm. i made another one the same day with generic lemon pudding...it turned out amazing!!! so i HIGHLY recommend using the generic pudding...its cheaper it taste better and it looks better....not to mention its easier to work with!!!
I made this cake last night & used some of the suggestions from the past reviews. For the cake I used a lemon cake mix & vanilla instant pudding. I made the filling as the recipe reads but used the Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from this site to frost the sides instead of just whipped topping. This is one of the best cakes I have ever made. I was hesitant about using mayo in the cake instead of oil but it was outstanding! This cake was super-moist & I will make it again for sure!
I found this recipe when my daughter wanted a lemon cake for her birthday. Huge hit! I've since made it for co-workers and both of my kids who have June birthdays are asking for it too. I've made a small change simply be accident because my husband picked up MY T Fine brand lemon pie filling instead of instant lemon pudding. I decided to try to work with it mixing with 1/2 c sugar and 1c water then cooking until thick. It made a very simple mock lemon curd which worked wonderfully mixed with the whipped topping. The second time I made it I used the instant lemon pudding and it wasn't nearly as good or as thick and easy to work with. The error was a wonderful success and I won't do it any other way now. This is one of the best summer cakes I've ever had.
I made this for a co-worker's birthday and it was gone in minutes! I used a lemon cake mix and used half of the vanilla pudding mix. I also made fresh whipped cream and added lemon pudding mix (generic brand) and used 1/2 of this mix to put it in between cakes. For the outer frosting I made fresh whipped cream and added a table spoon of lemon juice and 1/2 cream cheese so it will hold. Very tasty!!
I made this for a comany Easter Party. It looked great and tasted better than I had hoped. Everyone loved it. I used a French Vanilla cake mix light mayo and Fat Free Cool Whip and it just turned out great. It wasn't to gooey like I had read in the other reviews. Oh I also added a teaspoon of lemon extract to the cake batter for a hint of lemon. I do recommend drying strawberries before use.
Wonderful recipe! I like tall cakes so I made a 3 layer cake (2 white layers & 1 lemon layer in the middle.) Adding whole strawberry on top was a nice touch. I will definitely make this one again!
very light and easy to make
