Dump cake is one of the easiest desserts to make. The four-ingredient cake gets its name because the components are literally “dumped” into a baking dish. Most dump cake recipes don’t even require prep work other than melting or cubing the butter. This lemon dump cake recipe is so easy to pull off that even first-time bakers will revel in their success—and maybe even memorize the recipe after the first go!
We make our lemon dump cake with cream cheese, giving the dessert some serious cheesecake vibes. It’s a delight to the senses, especially for lemon lovers. The lemon filling has the perfect balance of sweet-tart flavors, and the mildly tangy cream cheese smooths out any lingering sourness. As for the texture, the cheese’s silky-smoothness creates gooey pockets in the soft vanilla-flavored cake. A buttery finish crisps the topping and brings all the rich flavors together. It’s nothing short of perfection.
Lemon Dump Cake Ingredients
- Lemon pie filling: We use two cans lemon pie filling to make sure this dump cake has the right ratio of filling to topping. If you’re feeling ambitious, skip the store-bought filling and make the homemade filling from our lemon meringue pie recipe.
- Yellow cake mix: Cake mix gives the lemon dump cake with cream cheese its cobbler-like topping. You’ll need two packages of the best yellow cake mix to create the cake and cream cheese layers.
- Cream cheese: Cut the soft cheese into small cubes to create delightfully cheesy pockets throughout the dump cake.
- Melted butter: Butter adds richness and helps the cake topping brown and crisp in the oven.
- Whipped cream: You can skip the whipped cream topping if you want to stick to four ingredients, but we love adding a smooth, creamy finish to this sweet-tart cake. If you have time, whip up a batch of homemade whipped cream.
Directions
Step 1: Spread the pie filling
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pie filling into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish.
Step 2: Add the cake mix
Sprinkle one box cake mix over the pie filling.
Dot the layer of cake mix with cream cheese.
Then, cover with the remaining box cake mix.
Step 3: Add the butter and bake
Pour the melted butter over the cake mix. Bake until the top is set and the filling is bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Editor’s Tip: No matter how hard we try to distribute the butter evenly, we always end up with a few dry spots in the topping. Don’t worry too much about these sandy areas, as the cake will turn out fine if the butter covers most of the topping. You can shake the pan if you need to redistribute some of the butter, but don’t mix the butter in or the cake won’t cook properly.
Recipe Variations
- Add extract: Add depth to the lemon cream cheese dump cake by mixing flavored extract into the melted butter. Try lemon, orange, almond or vanilla extract.
- Use another cake mix: Change the cake’s flavor by using white cake mix or a flavored cake mix like French vanilla or strawberry. For a fun twist, use chocolate cake mix to make a citrusy chocolate dump cake.
- Change up the filling: Use cherry pie filling to make cherry dump cake, blueberry pie filling for blueberry dump cake or strawberry pie filling for strawberry dump cake.
How to Store Lemon Dump Cake
We make our lemon dump cake with cream cheese, so it needs to be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. The leftovers will last up to three days, although the cake topping will lose its crisp texture over time.
Can you freeze lemon dump cake?
You can freeze lemon cream cheese dump cake for up to three months. Let the cake cool completely. Then, cover the pan with a layer each of storage wrap and foil. Thaw the dump cake in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How do you reheat lemon dump cake?
Reheat a whole lemon dump cake in a 350° oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes. For individual servings, reheat lemon dump cake in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until warmed through.
Lemon Dump Cake Tips
Can you make lemon cream cheese dump cake in a slow cooker?
To make lemon dump cake in a slow cooker, pour half the melted butter into the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Layer the lemon pie filling, yellow cake mixes and cream cheese as directed. Drizzle the remaining butter over the cake mix and cook, covered, on high for two hours. Check out our slow-cooker dump cake recipe for more tips.
What’s the difference between lemon curd and lemon pie filling?
Lemon curd and lemon pie filling are similar but have different textures when used to make a lemon dump cake. Lemon pie filling is made with citrus, sugar and sometimes eggs. It also contains cornstarch or flour to give the filling a thicker, firmer consistency. Lemon curd also is made with citrus and sugar, and it always has eggs. But instead of cornstarch or flour, curd is thickened with butter, which gives it a smoother, creamier consistency.
Should you mix the dump cake ingredients?
Mixing dump cake ingredients is a mistake, as it changes the way the cake layers bake. Keeping the layers separated allows the filling layer to stay melty and bubbly while the buttery cake topping gains a fluffy consistency. The added butter on top creates cobbler-like pockets of crumbly dough. When cooked correctly, the topping is slightly gooey on the inside and crisp on the outside.
