🍋 Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake
A ridiculously easy, tangy, and creamy dessert — basically a “dump everything in a pan and bake” cake with a lemony twist and luscious cream cheese swirls.
🛒 Ingredients (Serves 8)
- 1 box yellow or white cake mix (about 15.25 oz / 432g)
- 1 (8 oz / 225g) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 (21 oz / 595g) can lemon pie filling (or lemon curd)
- Optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
🥣 Instructions
1️⃣ Preheat Oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2️⃣ Prepare Cream Cheese Layer
- In a bowl, beat cream cheese + sugar (and vanilla, if using) until smooth.
- Drop spoonfuls over the bottom of the prepared pan (it doesn’t have to cover completely).
3️⃣ Add Lemon Layer
- Spread lemon pie filling over the cream cheese layer, leaving some cream cheese exposed for swirls.
4️⃣ Add Cake Mix
- Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top.
5️⃣ Add Butter
- Drizzle melted butter evenly over the cake mix.
6️⃣ Bake
- Bake 40–45 minutes until top is golden and edges bubble.
- Let cool 10–15 minutes before serving.
7️⃣ Serve
- Optional: Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with glaze.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with whipped cream.
🔥 Tips & Variations
Extra Creamy
- Cut cream cheese into cubes instead of dollops; it creates more pockets of melty goodness.
Lemon Zest Boost
- Add 1–2 tsp lemon zest to cream cheese mixture for extra zing.
Berry Twist
- Add fresh blueberries or raspberries on top of the lemon filling before sprinkling cake mix.
Mini Versions
- Use muffin tins for individual lemon cream cheese dump cakes; bake ~20–25 minutes.
If you want, I can also give you:
- Gluten-free version
- Ultra-lemony version with lemon glaze
- Make-ahead freezer version
Do you want it more tangy or sweet and creamy?
