Lemon Cream Cake (Olive Garden Copycat)
This lemon cream cake features a moist white cake, fluffy lemon cream filling, and a buttery crumb topping. It's a flavorful dessert that rivals Olive Garden's version, starting with a store-bought cake mix.
Servings 12 servings
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 15.25-oz white cake mix
- 4 egg whites
- 1 ⅓ c. water
- 1 3-oz white chocolate instant pudding mix
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Lemon Cream Filling
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- 1 ½ c. heavy whipping cream
- 4 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon, grated peel
- Yellow food coloring
Crumb Topping
- 2 Tbsp butter, cold
- ¼ c. powdered sugar
- ¼ c. flour
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- berries, optional (e.g., raspberries, blackberries)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour your cake pans. You can use 1, 2 or 3 pan depending on what you have. 8- or 9-inch rounds work best.
- Pour dry cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Stir in dry pudding mix. Add remaining cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into pan(s).
- Bake for 40-45 minutes if using one pan and 30-35 minutes if using multiple pans, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool 5-10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto metal cooling racks to cool completely.
Lemon Cream Filling
- In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
- Mix in lemon juice and lemon zest. Whip cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream.
- Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl, combine flour and powdered sugar. Add cold butter and dribble in the vanilla. Use your hands to mix.
- Break butter into smaller pieces as you incorporate dry ingredients. Be sure not to press together. You want to end up with a very crumbly texture with pieces no bigger than a pea. If you’re having trouble, put mixture in the fridge for a few minutes to harden the butter.
- Chill until ready to use.
Assembly
- When cake layers are cool, place the bottom layer of the cake on a serving plate or stand. If you used one pan, cut the cake in half and level out the top.
- Depending on how many layers you have, divide the filling into half or thirds. Be generous with the filling. Carefully place each layer on top of the cake/filling and spread the filling over the top and sides.
- If you are using any berries on top, place those before putting the crumb topping on. Sprinkle crumb topping on top of icing.
- Chill the cake for at least 3 hours. Sprinkle top with sifted powdered sugar before serving.