Cake
The Store-Bought Secret Behind My Grandma’s Lemon Cake
Six decades later, this baking trick is as good as ever.
Photo by Julia Gartland
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5 Comments
Msglasky
June 26, 2023
I have been making this cake for more than 40 years but always use a white cake mix and have never poked the holes. I also make this in a bundt pan and just pour the glaze over. The recipe came from one of college roommate's mother. It is fantastic. Next time I am going to poke holes!
Julie
June 26, 2023
We made a similar cake when I was a child, named for someone's Aunt Genta, since it was called "Aunt Genta's Lemon Cake." We used Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix with lemon jello AND a lot of grated lemon zest and juice in the cake itself. We usually iced it with a lemon icing as well. Probably all the work we did on it defeated the purpose of using the boxed mix in the first place.
It's not a cake I make these days, since I can no longer abide the flavor of boxed mixes. I can always tell, and the artificial flavorings just skeeve me. I find it more rewarding to make scratch cakes, honestly.
It's not a cake I make these days, since I can no longer abide the flavor of boxed mixes. I can always tell, and the artificial flavorings just skeeve me. I find it more rewarding to make scratch cakes, honestly.
Carol
June 24, 2023
This was my mom’s go-to cake for years. She also lived in Sacramento during the same time period as your grandma. It makes me wonder if the recipe appeared in the Sacramento Bee. Thanks for reminding me of this memory.
Alyce
June 23, 2023
Hooray! I found this recipe in an old cookbook which was compiled by the Wisconsin Northwoods Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in 1975. The members shared their favorite recipes and the publication raised funds for their chapter. It would be fun to know where the person who shared this recipe got it originally. It calls for one cup of confectioner’s sugar and (like the original, I’m sure) mentions using a toothpick to make the holes for the glaze. I like your Grandma’s idea of using a fork instead. Thanks for sharing your fond memories of this recipe. I look forward to making it soon for my family.
Steven W.
June 23, 2023
I never heard this but remember one that called for a powdered lemonade-type drink mix. Same Idea, I guess!
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