Hello! I use Betty Crocker cake mixes and I have searched high and low for lemon cake mix but can't find it anywhere! I bought a package of Duncan Hines lemon instead but it flopped (I think I'm used to the way Betty Crocker bakes so I under cooked it). I also didn't really like the taste. Does any one have a recipe to turn a white or yellow cake mix into lemon? I have lemon pudding and a few fresh lemons... any ideas?

Thanks!

Hi, I don't use cake mixes, but can't you add lemon juice and zest to the white cake? This is just a suggesion.

I use lemon icing fruit. Check with your local cake supplies store to see if they carry it. You can also order it from CK. In fact I keep orange, strawberry and lemon on hand at all times! That way at a moments notice I can make the following cakes: white, almond white (almond extract), strawberry, lemon and orange. (I bake from scratch, but icing fruit works with any batter or icing.)

I just made a cake for a bride who wanted pineapple cake, and instead of doing a pineapple cake, I used the WASC and left out the almond extract and added pineapple extract and 1 extra teaspoon, I am sure you could do the same with lemon extract, just adjust the amount of extract little by little until you get the right flavor.Oh, and it was great! Good luck!

I made the WASC this week and added lemon extract instead of the almond, put in a box of lemon pudding, and used 1/3 cup of lemon juice in place of the same amount of water. I didn't have fresh lemons or I would have put in some zest. It was wonderful, everyone raved.
HTH
Kathleen

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I think I'll try the WASC cake with lemon extract, lemon pudding and zest... hopefully it'll taste as good as it sounds!

I just contacted Betty Crocker with that exact same question.  They said to use 2 tbsp lemon juice INSTEAD of any water.  When I asked why she said if you use water with the lemon juice it will fall.  Bake as usual.  I'm going to try it right now.  

AGrated zest of two organic lemons.

2 Tbsp of lemon juice to replace a whole 1/3 or 1/2 cup of water?   The ratio of liquid doesn't sound right.  Have you tried it?

I baked one a couple of months ago replacing all the water with lemon juice; not a good idea.  Should have known better but had a brain fart at the time.  The texture wasn't as bad as I thought but boy was that mix sour.  Learn from our mistakes, huh?  I like the icing fruit; it is great stuff and it sure beats pureeing my own fruit.

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/searchresults.aspx?description=icing%20fruit

I have made white cake from a box mix into lemon cake by replacing 1/2 of the water with frozen lemonade. Thaw it before measuring it and adding to cake batter. It's already sweetened so it won't taste sour. It was yummy!

Good lord, I just saw that this post was from 2008!!

I have had problems adding lemon juice to cakes (scratch - have not tried with a mix) they always bake up with big holes.  Seems as if the acid must react somehow and make gas bubbles.  For my standard white cake recipe that makes 2 8 or 9 inch layers I add the zest of 3 lemons (3 Tbsp) to a small amount of the sugar and process it until really fine,mix that in with the rest of the sugar and let sit a few hours or overnight.  When ready,  use the sugar as usual.  I also add 1.5 tsp lemon OIL.  I highly recommend getting lemon oil.  It has so much flavor and is not bitter.  It is strong, so use less when substituting for extract.    This makes a very nice lemony cake with the same structure and consistency of the base recipe you are using.  Since you can't mix the zest with the sugar separately when using a mix, just finely grate the zest and add it in.  Maybe mix it into the mix ahead of time and let sit a while to diffuse the flavors?  For over the top lemon flavor use lemon curd between the layers.  I really like RLB's lemon curd.  I you cook it at 190 degrees for an extra 20 to 30 minutes (stirring constantly) it is really thick and absolutely delicious!