I'm the first to admit that I'm a food snob, but seriously--this just tastes so "fake". This is for a wedding this weekend. If anyone knows for sure that Pillsbury or Betty Crocker tastes better I'll go get it and rebake. What about adding Lorann lemon? I'll experiment with recipes later, but right now I only have time to try once more.

I have doctored it with no more than a teaspoon of lemon extract and used melted butter in place of the oil. The butter was stirred in after all other ingredients were mixed and completely blended together.

I added additional flavor by lightly brushing some frozen minute maid over the layers, kind of like a simple syrup.

The person I made it for raved about it and their family loved it, but I am still looking for a great lemon cake recipe.

I make it using the basic WASC recipe with instant lemon pudding, sour cream, and a mixture of lemon & vanilla extracts. The texture is great and it gets rave reviews.

I even like it--and I don't like lemon anything....

Rae

I just made a Lemon WASC cake (first time making a wasc anything!) and it was fantastic.

I used lemon and almond extract and a little vanilla extract, and used 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 cup lemon juice. Otherwise, just went by the original wasc recipe.

It's fantastic! My mom was even eating it, and she hates cake.

Oh, and I used Betty Crocker lemon mix.

Thanks ladies. If the cake is dry enough I may try to salvage it with a brushing of lemonade. Rachel--how much (more or less) of each extract did you use?

Here is a link to a great lemon cake. I made it last week and it was gone in a day! I didn't even frost it, it didn't need it

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/ultimate-cake-off/recipes/southern-lemon-butter-cake.html

She does fail to mention a pan size, so since I was experimenting I used a bundt pan. But it looks like enough (or more) for a 10".

Enjoy!

Betty Crocker has a great lemon buttermilk cake recipe in one of their magazines - my staff LOVED it.
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake Mix
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

I did this in a 8" pan, and did filling with lemon pudding.

I use the wasc recipe and add lemon juice, lemon extract and grated lemon rind. It's good; not over powered and tastes like refreshing, real lemon.

Thx for the recipes. I better get to baking now.

OP: how did your cake turn out?????????????????????

I'm ashamed to say I took the lazy way out and didn't do anything. The customer wanted lemon filling--which tastes really good--so I'm hoping that will make up for it. Meanwhile, I greatly appreciate the input here. I'm most definitely going to try some of these suggestions so that next time I'll feel better about what I'm producing. I love lemon, but I want it to taste like lemon--not artificial lemon. Same with cherries. I grew up on a cherry farm in Northern Michigan and love both sweet and tart (pie) cherries. Because tart cherries are so fragile they can't be shipped, so most people only know cherries in the form of Jello, maraschino, or canned pie filling. What a shame. Artificial cherry is NASTY! Dead-ripe cherries right off the tree make absolutely the best pies, jams, sauces--you name it. Sorry--off topic. I'll climb down off my soapbox. Thanks to all who replied; I'm really looking forward to trying these.

My family loves the lemon cake mix mixed with a small box of lemon pudding. I don't know if that will help you any.

Update: I was an hour away from being done with the whole 4-tier wedding cake, but kept going back to the lemon tier because it wasn't holding its shape. I finally messed with it enough that two tears appeared (I had rolled the fondant super thin). I decided to re-do the fondant. As I took it off the basis of the problem appeared: the cake was so unstable (pieces of the sides had come off when I de-panned them, and I had tried to make up for it with icing) that the icing just didn't adhere well. The problem didn't show up until the weight of the fondant was added. Caketastrophe! I handed out forks and my daughter went to the store. Now, after baking the second ones I know for sure that the lemon bakes up higher than other flavors (I have my pans marked with a Sharpie dot on the inside). The first two ran over all over the place. This time I filled to just under the line and made cupcakes, and they still ran over. I'm holding my breath hoping these come out of the pan ok. The day was going so well. Now I'm tired and I still have a cake to finish.

I hope it all turns out well for you.

As for a recipe I like to start with the DH white cake mix, use Lemonade instead of water (or any lemon liquid-just not flavoring that is way to much) and add a box of lemon pudding to the mix too. Great flavor!

Leily--I finished at about 10:00 after taking time out for dinner and relaxing with the family. Second one went so much better even though the edge broke off one layer when it was coming out of the pan. I glued it back on and put that side next to the cake board. Had it filled, iced and fondanted in under an hour. (Slow for some, but good for me.) There's nothing exciting about this cake. It's the base for fresh flowers that someone at the venue will be adding. Ho hum--just when I get to the part where I could be having some fun, I'm done!

I use the DH Lemon cake mix. I boil water, measure out the amount called for in the cake, add a box of lemon jello to it. stir until dissolved and prepare the cake according to directions after that. I love my lemon cake and so do the people who have had it. I make a lemon glaze with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

leily...i use the white mix as well!!! i make it as per the box, but i add in 1 tube of dr oetker lemon flavor, add the rind of 1 lemon, and a few drops of yellow food colouing, and voila!!! a nice light refreshing lemony cake!!

i use the DH lemon and everyone seems to like it. I make it a la WASC, but with no almond, and for the liquid i use half lemon puree and half water. comes out nice and tart and no one knows that it originated from a box

I too use the lemonade cake recipe. Very lemony (spelling?) You can adjust the amount of frozen lemonade to your taste.

I have to agree with everyone, I made the DH lemon for my daughters birthday and the taste was just way to artifical lemon, yuk. I now use a white mix, and add lorann lemon flavoring. Produces a nice light lemony flavor, and when you use a lemon filling, its just about enough lemon taste.