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A slice of lemon cream cheese dump cake with golden crumble topping and a creamy lemon center on a dessert plate.

Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake Recipe You’ll Make Again

This lemon cream cheese dump cake is a great example of a dessert that feels a little special without making your kitchen day harder. It has bright lemon flavor, creamy cheesecake-style richness, and an easy buttery crumble that gives it plenty of comfort and charm.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 12 serving
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American-style baking
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box yellow cake mix or lemon cake mix for a stronger lemon flavor.
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted.
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cans lemon pie filling 21 ounces each.
  • 12 ounces cream cheese softened.
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar.
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
  • 1 egg.
  • Zest of 1 lemon.
  • Powdered sugar optional, for serving.

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  2. Stir the cake mix and melted butter together until the mixture looks crumbly. Press about half of it lightly into the bottom of the pan to form the base.
  3. Spread the lemon pie filling evenly over that bottom layer. The source recommends using 1 1/2 to 2 cans depending on how generous you want the lemon center to be.
  4. In another bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg, and lemon zest until smooth. Spoon or spread this over the lemon layer.
  5. Scatter the remaining cake mix crumble over the top. It does not need to cover every bit of the cream cheese layer.
  6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the cream cheese layer is set without a loose jiggle in the middle.
  7. Cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing, then dust with powdered sugar or serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you like

Notes

Fully softened cream cheese matters here. The source notes that cream cheese that is still too cold can leave the filling loose or uneven instead of smooth and creamy.
If you want a more balanced dessert, use yellow cake mix. If you want the lemon flavor to come through more strongly in every bite, use lemon cake mix instead.
The amount of pie filling is adjustable. The page says 1 1/2 cans hits a nice middle ground between gooey and sliceable, though a full 2 cans will give you a more generous lemon layer.
Do not rush the cooling time. The source specifically says the rest period helps the layers firm up, and slicing too early will make the dessert much softer and messier.