Description
Lemon cream cheese dump cake brings sunshine to your dessert table with minimal effort and maximum flavor. Grab your ingredients, toss them into a pan, and watch pure lemony magic unfold in your oven.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients:
- 1 box yellow or lemon cake mix
- 1.5 to 2 cans (21 oz each) lemon pie filling
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
Binding Ingredients:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Finishing Ingredient:
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Grab a 9×13-inch baking dish and coat it lightly with cooking spray. Heat your oven to precisely 350°F for optimal baking conditions.
- Melt ¾ cup unsalted butter completely. Dump the entire box of cake mix into a mixing bowl and pour the melted butter over it. Mix until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Take half of the crumb mixture and press it firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, creating an even base layer.
- Open 2 full cans of lemon pie filling. Carefully spread all 42 oz across the crumb base, ensuring complete and uniform coverage.
- In a separate bowl, combine 12 oz softened cream cheese, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and fresh lemon zest. Blend until the mixture becomes silky smooth.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture directly over the lemon filling. Use a spatula to distribute it evenly across the entire surface.
- Scatter the remaining crumb mixture across the top, allowing some areas of the cream cheese layer to peek through for a rustic appearance.
- Place the dish in the preheated 350°F oven. Bake for exactly 38 minutes, watching for a golden-brown top and set cream cheese layer.
- Remove from the oven and let the cake rest for 50 minutes. This allows the layers to settle and makes cutting easier.
- Dust with powdered sugar just before serving. Slice into generous squares and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Cream cheese must be completely softened at room temperature to blend smoothly without lumps.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute regular cake mix with a gluten-free yellow cake mix and ensure all other ingredients are certified gluten-free.
- Fresh lemon zest adds bright flavor, so always grate it directly before mixing to capture maximum citrus essence.
- When spreading layers, use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to create even, gentle coverage without disturbing previous layers.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Category: Dump Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 436 kcal
- Sugar: 44 g
- Sodium: 310 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg