Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
If you love the popular Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake, this recipe is for you!! Fluffy white cake filled with light and creamy lemon cream cheese filling and topped with sweet crumb topping. Light, refreshing and the perfect finish to any meal.
I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t order dessert in restarurants nearly enough.
And by enough, I mean ever.
I always have intentions on ordering dessert. I pick something out, I tell myself I’m going to “save room”, I get SERIOUS.
And then it’s dessert time and I’m too full and living in Regret City. Annoying.
Dessert needs to be a thing that happens BEFORE meals. Like margaritas.
I always order a margarita. Know why?
Because it’s BEFORE the food.
Also? Tequila. When the kids drive you cray and the baby is screaming because she can’t take Clorox wipes to her nap and the biggie wants you to figure out why his Playstation isn’t working and why can’t he have a Cosmic Brownie at 530 pm, your brain doesn’t tell you it needs cake. It tells you it needs tequila.
I wish it wasn’t so, but there you have it. Life is just confusing.
This cake is incredibly easy to whip up. Dangerously easy!!
But it doesn’t exactly LOOK dangerously easy. It’s the crumbs.
They add an element of sophistication.
Sophisticated crumbs. It’s a thing.
I love that this cake is really light. The filling is whipped, so it’s fluffy and not super dense. It’s got just a touch of lemon, just enough to make it taste like a hint of sunshine.
Sunshine, sophisticated crumbs, this just keeps getting better and better.
Might I suggest washing this down with a margarita?
Too much?
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 18.25 oz box white cake mix
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- Filling/frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 TBS lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Crumb topping:
- 1/2 cup plus 1 TBS all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, slightly softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Butter (or spray with nonstick vegetable oil spray) a 10 inch springform pan and set aside.
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or so, until top springs back when lightly touched in the center. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cover cake and chill for an hour or longer for ease in cutting.
- Prepare crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine flour and powdered sugar. Cut in butter and vanilla until mixture is crumbly. Place in the refrigerator to chill, then break crumb mixture into chunks.
- Chill a metal mixing bowl, plus the whisk attachment of your mixer in the freezer for 5 minutes. Whip heavy cream in the bowl until stiff whipped cream forms. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Fold in whipped cream until combined.
- Split cake horizontally. Fill with all but about 1/2 cup filling. Frost assembled cake with remaining filling and gently press crumbs into the top and sides.
- Keep uneaten cake in the refrigerator.
Notes
**oh so slightly adapted from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur
This cake is amazing. Perfect for Spring lunches and Easter brunches.
(I totally rhymed that on purpose)
Enjoy and have a great day!!
Sophisticated crumbs are TOTALLY a thing! Also I NEVER know why the dang Playstation isn’t working. Hate.
This cake looks like it could be a new favorite of mine. We hardly ever go to Olive Garden because it’s always SO CROWDED! Must be the cake :)
So, I pretty much order dessert EVERY time we go out. I will even not finish my meal to make room for dessert. And Olive Garden cake is awesome. LOVE this homemade version!!!
A Cosmic Brownie at 530 sounds like a perfectly valid request ;) This cake looks so light and inviting!
I have to try this cake. That crumble is great and I love lemons in any dessert. Might not get to have the originals but this has to pretty damn close.
Oh I’m totally into pairing this with a ‘rita. The citrus flavors complement each other, right?
That cake looks delicious! And your commentary is hilarious. I don’t have kids, but I’m always okay with a margarita!
xo
Haha you’re right, sometimes life just calls for Tequila! Being Canadian, I’m not as familiar with Olive Garden, but this cake does look incredible! Beautiful shots too :)
We have a tradition in our house that we call “pulling a gooddaddy.” You see, my dad (nicknamed “gooddaddy” by my kids) also felt that dessert should be served first so that you have room to eat it before the main meal. My dad passed away 9 years ago, but we still lovingly carry on this tradition in his honor! Of course not as often as my kids would like, but mom has to have some control :)
I never have room for dessert at restaurants either! It’s so disappointing. And why don’t they just start making bread pudding a meal? Honestly, who has room for bread pudding after eating dinner? Just turn it into a main course and I’m good. Speaking of…I’m pretty sure I could turn this cake into a main course. I looooove Olive Garden’s lemon cake!
I made this yesterday with two different cake mixes, one a 15oz and the other a 16.25 oz and it worked perfectly! the cake itself was just a little bit smaller and didn’t rise up as much as her picture.
the cake mixes that they now sell at the grocery store are no longer 18 ounces. They are now 15 or 16 ounces. Will this recipe still work?
I’ve been looking for this recipe for years now. SO happy to have finally found it here! I used to get a very similar cake from my Sam’s store all the time, just called an Italian Cream Cake, and then I was so sad when they stopped carrying it. In particular it was that crumb mixture I could never figure out. Thank you!!
hellow , wanted to know if it is salted or unsalted butter for the crumbs. Thx
Your pictures hooked me in & I just printed out the recipe. Looks perfect for Easter or a Hostess Gift. I also got a kick out of your writing :)
Thanks so much!
Kristan, you are my hero!!! This is one of my favorite desserts ever!!! I have wanted to make it for a long time. Every time we go to Olive Garden, I get it even if I don’t have room! In that case, I get it to go! Seriously, you made my morning!!
Seriously, you are my favorite dessert blogger. You crack me up and I just want to get in the kitchen and bake something. And have a margarita!
Cake and margaritas sound like a plan to me. Who needs dinner when it involves this gorgeous cake. I just love Olive Garden desserts, but I usually don’t have room for them either.
I believe this will be going on my annual Mother’s Day Brunch menu. Love me some lemon!
Looks like a new Easter dessert! Thank you!
I made this cake yesterday and it was gone before the sun rose today. My husband & I managed to get a piece before teenage son & friends demolished it.
As others have mentioned, the cake mix is a little over 16oz., not the 18.25oz stated in the recipe, but this seemed to have no effect on the final dessert. I was only able to use about 1/2 the crumb mixture, and I was wishing the crumbs were more streusel-like; more assorted sizes & bigger crumbs. That’s the only thing I will tinker with as I know I will be making this cake many times. Thank you so very much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I`m almost always too full by dessert time at restaurants. Especially at Olive Garden! I mean…endless breadsticks and salad?? How can I resist? I love how fluffy this cake looks!
Oh my gosh, what a great flashback. I haven’t been to an Olive Garden in years, but I definitely remember this cake, and it was awesome. I’d love to make it myself, sophisticated crumbs and all. Mahalo!
I made this today and it is incredible.My husband and I now have a new favorite dessert.My cake didn’t look as pretty as yours ,kristan ,but in time I will perfect it.Thank you so much for sharing.
I’ve been looking for this recipe! I tried it today and it’s easy & SO good! Thanks, I think this will be one of my special go to recipes.
I can totally relate to the clorox wipes with my toddler (20 mo), and in our case the xbox360 (11yr) and usually the other boy (7 yr) needs something he can’t have ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Oh well, they are growing up fast….. You always make me laugh, I love reading your blog. I can’t wait to make this cake.
My oldest daughter worked at the Olive Garden when she was in college (I didn’t just date myself, did I?), and she recommended this cake, but also brought out a raspberry sauce. Oh. My. Yumness. I can’t wait to try this recipe. It might even be on the blog… Yes, very likely a Pintest. Thank You!
I just made this cake for a friend’s birthday dinner, and it was a hit. She and the rest of the guests absolutely loved it. It was a big hit! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!
I made this today for my moms birthday. I can’t wait to eat it!
I am making this cake for the second time this week! It was such a big hit the first time! As others have noted, the cake mix I used was about 16 oz. and I just followed the amounts of oil, eggs, and water on the box. I also made it in 2, 9″ cake pans instead of the springform. The only thing I am changing today is making half of the crumb topping. Great recipe, thank you!
Oh, I swear, we only REALLY go to Olive Garden for THIS CAKE! Can’t wait to give it a try!!
Go to Olive Garden on Monday or Tuesday night less crowded…and you are right it is the cake, or the Gnocchi Cream of Chicken soup, or the Lasagne, yummm. Can’t wait to try this cake it is my very favorite cake! Thanks for recipe!
or I forgot my other love: the Chicken and Shrimp Carbornara incase you have not tried it!! No I don’t work at Olive Garden ;>)
I have made this cake twice for special office birthdays (one for the BOSS) It is soooo very good and alsways asked for.
Simple to make and tastes supreme. I couldn’t find the 18.25 cake mix, so just used 1 c water and other ingredients asked for on cake box. YUMMY!!!!!
Five stars
I made this cake tonight, and I followed all the directions and measurements very carefully, but my cake was a total disaster. My “crumb” was so wet it was more like a dough and it wouldn’t crumb up. I ended up adding 4 cups of powdered sugar to it before it would crumb up. And my filling was SO runny. It wasn’t anything like a thick cream and it was more like a batter. I tried freezing it for a while to stiffen it up, but when I put it on the cake and put the top back on it just ran out the sides of the cake and made a giant mess all over my counter. I ended up throwing the entire thing away…
I had the same problem, and an so disappointed! Did you ever figure out what the problem was or make it again and corrected it?
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made this cake, it was awesome!!!!!kept in a cake container in the refrig and it lasted 3 days!!!
I made this for my daughters bday and it turned out great, but I’m wondering if a step was missed? Ie. Baking the streusel topping? Because raw flour doesn’t taste very good. I put the topping in a pie plate and baked it for 15-20 mins, then crumbled it. It was perfect. Thanks for sharing!
I find the 16.5 oz cake mix does not rise enough. My trick is to add 2 oz or 1/4 cup of AP or cake flour to the mix and use a wire whisk to mix it in before adding the other ingredients. Kristan, this looks yummy. You have the best recipes!
I notice that 3 eggs are in the ingredients list but I don’t see where they come into play anywhere in the instructions…am I missing something? I’m assuming you would put them in with the whipping cream, for the filling?
Love this cake! Made it in the Springform pan, little messy so next time in a 9×13 pan. Easier to serve when you are taking to a party. So Easy and So Good!
I’ve made this cake in 2×9″ pans, 9×13, and Cupcakes. All works out Great, been a favorite for many years. But today I tried Turning it to Key Lime Cupcakes. Grated a little zest in cake mix and the crumbs, added 1 T of Lime juice to cake mix and less (2 T) in frosting and this is a winner.