I love Olive Garden! I also love making Copy Cat Olive Garden recipes at home. Sometimes, I do not want to head into town for dinner or only want a specific treat, so I make them in my home kitchen. I love this Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cake Recipe!
Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake Recipe
This Copy Cat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake Recipe tastes terrific! I am one happy gal between this recipe and the Copy Cat Olive Garden Breadsticks!
The Lemon Cake at Olive Garden is John's favorite! He would happily have it any day he can.
What are your favorite Copy Cat Recipes? Do you enjoy making your favorite restaurant meals at home?
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make an epic Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.
- Boxed White Cake: Prepare according to the box instructions.
Lemon Cream Filling
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Lemon Juice
- Heavy Whipping Cream
Vanilla Crumb Topping
- All-Purpose Flour
- Powdered Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
Equipment Needed
- Large Bowl: We are big fans of this glass batter bowl with a handle. It makes it easy to mix ingredients and keeps the mixing bowl steady on the counter.
- Hand Mixer/Stand Mixer: You can mix this with either a manual hand mixer or your electric mixer.
- Small Bowl - To make the crumb coating
- 9-Inch Round Cake Pans or a springform pan
- Heat-Resistant Potholders: A couple of years ago, we had a fire scare when we didn't realize we had turned a burner on, and a cloth potholder caught fire. Thankfully, we walked by the kitchen, saw the smoke, and got it out ourselves. Since then, we have only used these heat-resistant potholders.
How to Make Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.
- Bake white cake mix according to box instructions, and allow the cake to cool completely.
- Prepare lemon cream filling, mix cream cheese powdered sugar until smooth, and mix in lemon juice.
- Whip cream until stiff peaks form, and combine in cream cheese mixture by hand until well blended.
- Make crumb topping. Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and dribble in the vanilla.
- Use your hands to mix the butter into the flour/sugar mix until it is crumbly.
- Chill the buttery crumb mixture in the fridge, and keep the topping cold until ready to use.
- When the cake is cool, slice it through the middle and remove the top.
- Spread ½ of the lemon cream mixture onto the bottom layer of cake and then replace it with the top of the cake.
- Spread the remaining lemon cream mixture over the whole cake and sides.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping on the top of the cake and press crumbs it into the sides of cake until you have entirely covered the outside of the cake.
- Chill the Italian Lemon Cream Cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.
Preparation and Storage
Make Ahead: You can pre-make the vanilla crumb topping the day before and refrigerate it in an airtight container until it’s time to decorate your cake.
Storage: This cake tastes fantastic the next day! If you have any leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container and enjoy them within three days.
Freezing/How to Freeze: Check out Food Network’s guide on freezing cake for expert guidance. You can freeze leftover cake in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to three months.
How to Reheat: We like enjoying this cake cold. Let frozen leftover Lemon Cream Cake thaw on your kitchen counter or overnight in the fridge, depending on when you’re serving it.
Recipe Variations
Substitutions: Whether you use a boxed white cake mix or make a homemade white cake, we recommend sticking to white cake to let the flavor of the lemon cream filling and vanilla crumb topping shine. You can try French vanilla if you want to use another cake mix flavor.
Optional - Add in lemon zest for more lemon flavor or as a garnish on top of the cake.
Vegetarian Option: This dessert recipe is naturally vegetarian.
Vegan Option: Replace the white cake mix, cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and butter with plant-based substitutes to make this recipe vegan.
Gluten-Free: Gluten-free bakers should use gluten-free white cake mix and all-purpose flour to make this recipe safe for a gluten-free diet.
Smaller Serving Size: You can cut one round cake in half once it cools or make two 9-inch cakes. You can divide the mixture into smaller cake pans for mini Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cakes.
Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes one 9-inch, two-layered cake. You can double it for every extra cake you want to make.
Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 38 grams of sugar per serving. Swap the powdered sugar with a sugar-free alternative and the lemon juice with a no-sugar-added variety to make it sugar-free.
Tips for the Best Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
- Letting your cream cheese soften to at least room temperature makes mixing with the confectioner’s sugar easier.
- We recommend chilling the cake in the fridge for at least three hours before serving so the icing and filling meld into the cake and the flavors reach their fullness.
What to Serve with Copycat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
Enjoy this delicious cake alongside our other copycat favorites from the Italian chain for a complete takeout dinner at home. Here are some menu planning suggestions.
Sides: Olive Garden Breadsticks, CrockPot Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli, CopyCat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, CrockPot Zuppa Toscana Olive Garden Soup, CrockPot Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Main Dishes: Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce, CopyCat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce
When to Serve
- Dessert
- Date Night
- Italian Night
Great Recipe Collections
Lemon Desserts - Pucker Up for These Delicious Lemon Desserts! They are the perfect spring and summer sweet treat.
Olive Garden Recipes - Including soups made in the slow cooker and all of your restaurant favorites.
Cake Mix Recipes - Boxed cake mix used intentionally can be a canvas for scrumptious yet creative cookies, brownies, cakes, and desserts.
Cream Cheese Recipes - Check out how you can turn a block of cream cheese into something epic!
5 Ingredient or Less dessert recipes - check out the epic desserts you can make with only 5 or less ingredients.
Breakfast for Dinner Ideas - Who says the “most important meal of the day” can’t transition seamlessly from AM to PM hours? These breakfast for dinner recipes are the perfect night time brunch meal!
Sour Cream Recipes - Our favorite Sour Cream Recipes, including dips, desserts, appetizers, baked goods, entrees, and soups starring this versatile dairy product.
Cool Whip Recipes - You will love how many ways you can use Cool Whip in Recipes.
Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.
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Copy Cat Olive Garden Lemon Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- White Cake -Prepare with box instructions
Lemon Cream Filling
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 2 cups Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- 4 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Vanilla crumb topping
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoon Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- pinch Salt
- ¼ cup Butter softened
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Prepare white cake mix according to box instructions, allow cake to cool completely
- Prepare lemon cream filling, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar until smooth, mix in lemon juice
- Whip cream until stiff peaks form, combine in cream cheese mixture by hand until well blended
- Make crumb topping, combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and dribble in the vanilla.
- Use your hands to mix the butter into the flour/sugar mix until it is crumbly
- Chill the mixture in the fridge, keep topping cold until you are ready to use it
- When the cake is cool, slice it through the middle and remove the top
- Spread ½ of the lemon cream mixture onto the cake and then replace with top of cake
- Spread remaining lemon cream mixture over the top of the cake and sides
- Sprinkle the crumb topping on the top of the cake and press it into the sides all the way around the cake
- Chill the cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours
Kitchen Tools
- KitchenAid Mixer
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on May 28, 2013. Updated on April 18, 2020.
Jean
What side pan do you use to bake cake in.
Monica J.
Tammilee, still no mention of the dimensions of the "round cake pan". I would advise two 9 inch layers or a deeper 9 inch single layer pan. In recent years, the manufacturers of all cake mixes have cut the product from about 18.5 ounces down to 15 ounces, yet the additional components have remained the same. I have decided to buy four or five boxes of a mix at a time and keep the contents in a sealed jar or canister, then simply weigh out 18.5 ounces of mix for a 9 inch cake. Definitely add lemon zest to the filling. Lovely cake. Thank you for the recipe.
Deborah Keeffe
What size pan or round pans
SandyH
I wasn't sure about pan size at first either, I just used two 9" pans and made two layers, instead of splitting one thicker one. Worked perfectly.
Stella
Loved the cake but found the lemon taste could have been better with more lemon juice, zest or lemon extract. It just needed a little more for my taste. I used a 13x9 pan,covered it with wax paper, inverted it on a cookie sheet, put it in the freezer and it sliced perfect. Then I put the bottom half back in the pan, put the filling on it, put the top back on and finished it.
cathy
Amazing! This blog looks just like my old one! It's on a entirely different subject but it has pretty much the same
layout and design. Great choice of colors!
Erin
Seems it would need to be an 8" pan...I think a 9" would be too thin to cut like this.
Pauline
I, too, was wondering about pan sizoie to use. You gave an answer of using a round cake pan. Is it to be an 8" or 9" layer cake pan?
Judie
You do not mention the size of pan to use for the cake. Do you use 8 or 9 inch pans or is there another size that you use. Looks to be a bit tall for just one layer of 8 or 9 inch. Thank you.
Tammilee
Hi, I used a round cake pan for this cake.
Carole
Lovely work, Tammilee! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is all about cakes? There are lots of great links there already. I do hope to see you there. Cheers