Jamie Lee Curtis’ Favorite Cake Starts With a Box Mix

Have you ever seen a social media post of your favorite celebrities having dinner parties together and thought dang, I want to be there? Yes, we are talking about literally every one of Jimmy Kimmel’s celebrity dinners with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Bell, Jimmy Fallon, and Courteney Cox. 

As much as the company’s great, you have to imagine they serve some pretty delicious foods, too, right?

We absolutely love finding out what celebs are serving up for their get-togethers. It could be as classic as Jennifer Garner’s homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Or, something even simpler, like the coconut Bundt cake that Tom Cruise has delivered. 

But how about when Oscar Award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis is hosting? What does she make? A lemon Bundt cake. 

Sure, it’s not as easy as having a cake shipped to your door like Cruise, but Curtis’ recipe starts with a boxed cake mix, and that’s a pretty hot tip in our book.

How To Make Jamie Lee Curtis' Favorite Lemon Cake

On “Today,” Curtis shared her recipe for her favorite lemon cake, which comes from Anne Byrn’s 1999 cookbook “The Cake Mix Doctor.” Byrn is the world-renowned Cake Mix Doctor whose recipes all start with a store-bought baking mix that she then doctors to make even better.

Curtis’ favorite recipe is Byrn’s “Susan’s Lemon Cake,” which starts with a regular yellow cake mix. 

“I am not a genius,” Curtis says. 

Actually, the genius behind this cake isn’t even Byrn, but her sister Susan Anderson. The easy cake comes together with a box of yellow mix plus four additional ingredients.

“The key ingredient [is] Jell-O, lemon Jell-O,” Curtis says.

The lemon gelatin gives the cake its citrus flavor and also “makes it rich and moist and yummy,” according to Curtis. And, yes, you want to use lemon gelatin, not lemon pudding mix.

In addition to a package of yellow cake mix and a package of lemon gelatin, you’ll add “2/3 cup of oil, 2/3 cup of warm or very warm water … [and] four eggs,” Curtis says.

“That’s outrageously easy,” “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie chimes in.

After the batter is mixed, you’ll bake the cake in a greased Bundt pan at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes. 

“I underbake [it] and it makes it a little bit yummier,” Curtis says.

After the cake is cooked and cooled, Curtis tops it with a lemon glaze—made with 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.

“You can do designs and whatever else. Here’s my secret: I take the extra glaze, and I literally squeeze it in the middle [hole], so then it sort of absorbs into the bottom,” Curtis says.

Then, right before she serves the cake, Curtis says she picks fresh flowers from her garden and places them in the center of the Bundt cake for a beautiful (and easy) presentation.

I Tried Jamie Lee Curtis' Favorite Lemon Cake

We here at Allrecipes love most quick and easy recipes—especially when they have a hack like using boxed cake mix. So, naturally, I had to try Curtis’ beloved cake, and I’ll be the first to say it’s a home run. It comes together in mere minutes and it’s absolutely delicious. 

The lemon gelatin adds just the right amount of citrusy flavor to the cake while keeping it springy and moist. The glaze is where the fresh lemon flavor really shines through.

It was a crowd-pleaser in my house, so the “The Bear” actress has my stamp of approval. Now, I just want to know how to make Curtis’ “famous” Caesar salad—please give us the recipe, Jamie Lee, I'm begging!