Updated: October 2020
I could eat coffee cake as often as you set it in front of me.
Number one because I like the cake, but most of all anything I can drink coffee with is tops in my book.
I've had this Lemon Pie Coffee Cake recipe forever and promised myself one day it would get made. It's easy to throw together and, besides the pie filling, you'll have all these ingredients in your cabinet.
The second time I made this, I used a "can" of lemon pie filling. It's supposed to be 15 ¾ ounces, but I accidentally picked up a 22 ounce can. And I used it all. Whoops. That's a lot of filling.
Because of the little filling error, the second Lemon Pie Coffee Cake came out loaded with pie filling and not that much crust. We put a dollop of very lightly sweetened whipped cream and it became a luscious, layered, lemony dessert - almost like a trifle.
The final sugar sprinkled on the top gives it a nice crunch, so don't forego that part.
A friend made it with blueberry pie filling and loved it - I can't wait to experiment with the fillings!
Next on the agenda is apple pie filling with a cinnamony-sugar topping. If you'd rather, use your favorite homemade pie filling. You can't go wrong with this one.
Such an easy lemon coffee cake recipe with simple ingredients. This one is definitely a keeper!
Lemon Pie Coffee Cake
Very tender coffee-cake texture loaded with lemon filling. Try it with
different kinds of pie fillings!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cups sugar, divided
- ¾ Cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 can (15 ¾ oz.) lemon pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9" or 11 ¾ x 7 ½" baking dish (see note under Tips and Stuff below) and set aside.
- In a stand mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, oil, and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs; beat until lightly lemon-colored.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. With mixer on low, add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Give it a final stir by hand to make sure the flour isn't stuck at the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Carefully top with the pie filling, smooth to the edges with the back of a large spoon. Pour the rest of the batter over the top of the pie filling.
- Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup sugar over the top of the cake, then bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack in the pan. Best served cool or right out of the refrigerator.
Notes
I've made this in a 13x9" baking dish (glass) and an 11 ¾ by 7 ½" baking dish (glass) and both work fine. If using a smaller dish, bake the cake for five to ten minutes longer. I liked it a bit better in the smaller baking dish because it's thicker.
I use the brand 'Comstock' pie filling. Some readers have used lemon pudding made from the small boxes, but if you do, make sure the resulting pudding is almost 16 ounces. You may need to use two boxes if you use boxed lemon pudding. I highly recommend the canned pie filling.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 217Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 0gSugar: 15gProtein: 3g
This is an excellent dessert! I did recipe 1-1/2 x in a 9x13 glass dish, used the larger can of lemon filling, and baked about 40 minutes. Next time I'm going to fashion this into an eclair cake with vanilla custard filling and melted chocolate chip topping.
That eclair cake is a fantastic idea, Joann! It's definitely going on my "to make" list!
I made this in a springform pan because I didn't have the 11x7 pan and it came out perfect. I only used 3/4 cup sugar in the batter, and the next time I will use fresh lemon juice instead of vanilla. I might even try my hand at making my own lemon filling. We want to try this using blueberries for a filling. Good recipe- it's a keeper
Sounds good Vicky. It's a fairly simple and versatile recipe. Blueberry filling would be great!
I would like this using a yellow or white or lemon cake mix. Has anyone tried that?
Vicky, it would work, but the texture would be cake-like instead of like coffee cake.
i found the batter to be too sticky. I followed the instructions exactly. Did anyone else have this problem. What should i try next time.
Seems I bought a 22oz can too, what do you recommend to made more crust? Or should I measure out 15 3/4 out and maybe use the rest as a dollop if wanted?
Hi Karen - I kind of liked it with all that extra filling, but it can get to be too much. You might make some whipped cream (or Cool Whip) and fold some of that lemon filling into it, then serve as a dollop on top of the cake. Or keep it and layer it in a pretty glass with whipped cream as a refreshing trifle (sans the cake).
I ended up added more flour and baking powder and it turned out good but would leave the recipe as is next time because I personal like the extra lemon pudding.
Thanks for the recipe.
Karen
Made this today. Couldn't wait for it to cool completely so had some warm. Super easy, super good. Thanks for sharing 😊
So glad you liked it, Sally! One of my favorites.
Just made this today. I've been wanting to now for about two weeks but I live in a rural area and don't go to the closest grocery stores (one is 30 mins. away, the other 45 mins. away). The one 45 mins. away is Walmart but they don't have cans of lemon pie filling that are available for shipping. I usually get a lot of non-perishable groceries shipped within 2 days but I've been going on Walmart and they have it to go pick up but not to ship. I also checked Amazon and there canned pie fillings are $7 and up. No way would I pay that price. So today I found a recipe for making my own lemon pie filling. I did and it tastes as good as or better than the canned stuff. So I made your recipe for the cake and we will be having it for dinner tonight. It smells delicious and I can't wait to give it a try finally.
I bet your homemade pie filling was delicious. Hope you all like it - thanks for the comment!
I substituted melted butter for the canola oil because I am leery of seed oils. This led to a thicker, fluffier batter that had to be spread in the bottom of the pan and spooned on top. I also made my own lemon pie filling with a can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 egg yolks and 6 tablespoons lemon juice. I hope this helps anyone who prefers butter in baked goods and adds steps instead of running to the store!.
Thanks for the tips, Joy!
In the nutrition info under sugar it says "0"...how can that be when it calls for 1 1/4 cups of sugar and I'm sure the canned lemon pie filling has sugar in it as well!
Hi Carol, the grams are to the right of the ingredient (sugar: 15g).
Would lemon curd work
Yes, I think it would work fine, Heather.
Can I make this in a Bundt cake pan?
You could, but you'd have to watch the time on baking and check it often.
Do you think this could be made omitting all or at least a large part of the oil, subbing apple sauce (this works well in many baked goods). Any thoughts on this ?Thanks. I'm itching to try this but don't want or need all that oil.
Jeannie - you can substitute the oil 1:1, but it will probably change the texture. You might try it 1/2 Cup apple sauce and 1/4 Cup oil first to see what it will do to the texture. I'd be interested to know how it works for you!
Can lemon pie coffee cake be frozen?
Hi Louise, I've not frozen it, but can't think of a reason it could be. I have a blueberry crumb cake recipe that's similar and I froze it successfully.
Could this be made in a pair of loaf pans or 4 small?
Yes it could, Terri. Be sure to layer the batter as thin as you would in a regular pan though. If layered thicker, you would need to add time to the baking time.
My 88 year old mom and I tried this today with peach pie filling. The store was out of lemon. It was delicious!
We will try other filling flavors and make it again!
Thank you
I'm so glad she liked it. It's very versatile with fillings. Choose the one you like! (I'm very partial to lemon.) 🙂
Will this be successful in a 9x9 pan???
Sheri, I would use two 8x8 pans if you have them. It would be too much for a 9x9 pan, but not enough for two 9x9 pans.
We love this recipe.
Lemon pie coffee cake. I made a crumb topping for it, not that it was needed, just for the fun of it.
It’s a great recipe!!!
Thanks Barb. A crumb topping sounds wonderful!
Could I use home made lemon curd in the place of lemon pie filling?
As long as it's pretty thick lemon curd it should work, Carolyn. Otherwise it might just soak into the cake.
Can you freeze the lemon pie coffe cake?
Walnut Coffee Cake. (I already used this recipe to make a coffee cake with pie filling which was great.) This time I used only the batter in this recipe (sugar, oil, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt) to make a Walnut Coffee Cake. Folded lots of pieces of walnuts fully into batter. Skipped the cinnamon. Used 8x8 glass pan. When cooled, I drizzled lemon frosting over the coffee cake. (powered sugar, lemon, a little butter and water to get right consistency). Thanks to Susan for providing this basic batter from which many things can be done! It is better than the batter recipe I had been using.
Could this be made the night before?
Yes, Holly. I would store it in the refrigerator instead of at room temperature. Then set it out about an hour before serving.
Can this be frozen?
Louise, I've never tried freezing it, but I don't see a reason it shouldn't freeze successfully.
Tried this coffee cake recipe using blueberry pie filling. It was great! Thanks.
I'm trying it with Apple Pie Filling next time! Glad you enjoyed it, Sherlynn