Vintage Lemon Lime Cake is made with a boxed cake mix combined with jello for a quick and easy citrusy dessert.
So, by now, you must know how much I enjoy vintage recipes, right? Oh, I like learning about new ingredients, techniques, and cuisines, of course.
Exploring new ideas in the kitchen is fun! But vintage recipes? Those just take me right back in time. Some of my favorite old recipes come from the era when “convenience” foods were being introduced.
Boxed and frozen ingredients were a huge boon to home cooks back in the day. When these products arrived in the grocery stores, suddenly busy cooks were able to get a meal on the table with record speed making a huge difference in people’s everyday lives.
One of the most beloved of the mid-century convenience products is probably the boxed cake mix. Available in every variety under the sun, these mixes were a huge value to those who weren’t particularly great bakers.
Inventive cooks took those mixes and created all kinds of goodness with them. Like this Lemon Lime Cake.
I know you’ve seen this one before. I’m guessing it originated in the 1970s, maybe? Really easy and quick. And really, really delicious.
How to Make Lemon Lime Cake
Preheat the oven according to the baking instructions on the cake mix. Grease a 9×13 pan and set it aside.
Combine the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and jello in the bowl of a stand mixer or beat with a hand mixer in a mixing bowl. Mix for the time stated in the cake mix’s instructions.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake according to the time stated in the cake mix instructions.
Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
Turn the cake out onto a platter or tray. Beat the cream cheese and butter until they’re light and fluffy. Add the zest, juice, and sugar, then mix well.
Frost the top and sides of the cake.
I added a little lime zest and a few slices of lime for decoration!
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
- Strawberry Icebox Cake
- Honey Bun Cake
- Red, White, and Blue Jello Parfaits
- Chocolate-Chocolate Cake
- Caramel Layer Cake
- Banana Split Icebox Cake
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Lemon Lime Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces lemon cake mix recommend: Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup oil
- 4 eggs
- .3 ounces lime Jello sugar-free
Frosting:
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- Zest of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven according to the baking instructions on the cake mix. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside.
- Combine cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and jello in mixer bowl. Mix according to the cake mix’s package instructions.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake according to the cake mix instructions.
- Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
- Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add zest, juice, and sugar. Mix well.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
This reminds me of my mom’s Lemon Pound cake from the Duncan Hines box. I will have to try the lime jello! Thank you
I hope you enjoy this one as much as your mom’s pound cake, Andi!
The only .3 Oz jello I can find is sugar free. Is it supposed to be 3 Oz or 0.3 Oz jello?
Yes, I use the sugar-free.
It was awesome and easy to make even for me. Considering I usually do 2 ingredient recipes. Everyone loved it. Will make it again soon.
Can this be made into cupcakes with this same recipe?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tammy. I haven’t made this as cupcakes, but I’m sure it would work fine. Mix it up just like for cake and follow the directions on the cake mix package that you used for baking cupcakes.
Thank you I will be trying cupcakes soon
Beautifully photographed. Can’t help but wonder how in the world you got that size cake out of the pan and onto the pretty platter.
It was easy, Stella. I put a sheet pan over the cake pan and flipped the cake onto it bottom side up. Then I put the platter over the cake and flipped it onto the platter. Viola!