2-Ingredient Lemon Cake
2-Ingredient Lemon Cake is a super simple and tasty dessert made with a lemon pie filling and a box of angel food cake mix. The result is a moist and flavorful cake that's perfect for any occasion.
2-Ingredient Lemon Cake is a super simple and tasty dessert made with a lemon pie filling and a box of angel food cake mix. The result is a moist and flavorful cake that's perfect for any occasion.
- Carbohydrate 54.7088894736842 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.1644 g
- Fiber 0.981247365138531 g
- Protein 3.6579 g
- Saturated Fat 0.025893 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (106g)
- Sodium 332.90084 mg
- Sugar 53.7276421085457 g
- Trans Fat 0.048909 g
- Calories 239 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine dry cake mix and pie filling in large bowl.
- Pour into greased 9 x 13? baking pan.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until top is starting to brown.
- Cool completely and top with powdered sugar, if desired.
The ingredient list fails to mention how the chemical leaveners inside a commercial angel food mix interact with the heavy, acidic fruit puree. Angel food mix relies entirely on dried egg whites and acid-activated or double-acting chemical leavening agents to trap air and build a fragile, spongy crumb. When folding in a dense can of lemon pie filling, the sheer weight threatens to deflate the aeration achieved during mixing unless handled with care. Bakers must gently fold the components together with a wide spatula rather than stirring vigorously, ensuring the trapped air bubbles remain suspended within the batter before it enters the preheated 350-degree oven.
The Role of Viscosity and Can Size
Can sizes vary widely across manufacturers, often ranging from twenty to twenty-three ounces, which directly alters the structural integrity of the final dessert. Adding too much liquid fruit filling will result in a heavy, gummy strata at the bottom of the pan because the delicate foam structure cannot support excess moisture. Conversely, insufficient purée leaves the crumb dry and crumbly, failing to hydrate the flour properly during the thirty-minute bake time. Watch for the top crust to turn a deep golden brown and spring back slightly to the touch before removing the pan from the heat.
Cooling and Presentation Mechanics
Standard angel food cakes require inversion while cooling to prevent the delicate structure from collapsing under its own weight, but this denser hybrid requires a different approach. Allow the rectangular pan to cool completely on a wire rack at room temperature so the interior starches can fully set without tearing upon slicing. Dusting the surface with powdered sugar adds sweetness that counterbalances the tart fruit, though this final step should only occur after the crumb has cooled entirely to prevent the sugar from dissolving into a sticky glaze.
