My late Great Auntie Edna made the moistest Lemon Cake you have ever tasted. In the 1950’s she worked in a bakery. Loved to bake. My mom says she made a mean pineapple upside-down cake, and my Great Aunt Ethel fondly remembers her Prune Cake. During the 1960’s, with convenience all the rage, a lemon jello cake recipe made its way around the country. It was quick and easy, made from a box of cake mix and a box of Jello. Auntie would bring this lemon cake to all the family functions…
Several years ago my brother was coming to visit me, and I asked him, what would you like me to cook for you? Aunt Edna’s Lemon Cake. I asked my mom if she had the recipe, she did, and I have been making different incarnations of it ever since. And although I did not inherit my Great Auntie’s love of baking, I do have her appreciation for convenient desserts.
Here is my MOJITO CAKE Version of Lemon Jello Cake:
3 oz. Jello added to 1 box (18 oz.) white cake mix.
To get the cake the color of a mojito, I use 1 1/2 oz. each Lemon Jello and Lime Jello.
Add 4 eggs, 3/4 c. canola oil, and 3/4 c. water. Mix well, then pour into a greased Bundt pan. (I use Trader Joe’s Cooking Spray with Flour). Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.
Cool slightly. Pierce lots of holes all over the cake. I use a wooden skewer, or you can use a chopstick.
Put 2 T. Rum and 1 T. Crème de Menthe (a sweet mint-flavored liqueur) in a measuring cup then add fresh squeezed lime juice to make 1/2 cup.
Combine the lime juice mixture with 2 c. powdered sugar.
Pour over the holes and let the lime sugar mixture saturate the cake. Invert the cake onto a platter, serve with limes and fresh mint. Dust with powdered sugar.
Mojito Cake: with flavors of lime, mint, rum, and sugar!
The Retro Lemon Jell-O Cake Recipe:
- 1 package 18 oz. classic yellow cake mix
- 1 small box 3 oz. Lemon Jello
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
Mix well, pour into a greased 13 X 9 cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes until the cake is set.
Cool slightly and then poke holes all over the cake with a fork.
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- ½ c. fresh lemon juice
Mix, then pour glaze over the cake.
Some of our other versions include:
Margarita Cake – sub Tequila and Cointreau in the Mojito recipe and garnish with salt crystals.
Pink Lemonade Cake – substitute raspberry Jello for 1/2 of the lemon Jello
Molly’s Strawberry Margarita Cake – add strawberry Jello
Did your Grandma or Great Aunt make a similar cake?