June 1, 2023
Review RecipeLemon Dump Cake
This amazing lemon dump cake brings a lovely citrusy flavor to the dessert for a simple recipe to make for any occasion.
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Table of Contents
This bright and sunny lemon dump cake will become one of your favorite lemon desserts. It is filled with the tangy freshness of lemon, featuring lemon curd that is baked with cake mix and velvety cream cheese filling for a cake that is hard to resist.
Lemon Dump Cake Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 2 (12-ounce) jars of lemon curd
- 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box of vanilla, lemon, yellow or white cake mix (we used white)
- ½ cup salted butter, cold
PRO TIP:
When buying the cake mix at the grocery store, it is best to pick one that doesn’t have pudding mix in it; check the label to make sure.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
LEMON ZEST: Add lemon zest to the cream cheese or on top of the cake for a more tangy lemon flavor.
CAKE MIX: Lemon cake mix will take the citrus up a level in this tasty cake but white or yellow cake works just fine.
How To Make This Lemon Dump Cake Recipe
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
STEP TWO: Spread the lemon curd into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
You’ll want to use a 9×13-inch cake pan so that the texture and consistency are right. I’ve used an 11x 7-inch pan before, and it turned out a little too thick, which changed the delicious texture of the dump cake.
STEP THREE: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to combine cream cheese, egg, and granulated sugar until smooth.
STEP FOUR: Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the lemon curd.
STEP FIVE: Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the first two layers.
STEP SIX: Slice very thin pats of butter and spread over the entire top of the dry cake mix. Cover as much of the cake mix as possible.
PRO TIP:
Using cold butter makes it easier to get the slices very thin. When the dump cake cooks, the butter melts and blends with the dry cake mix, but it won’t spread, so if parts of the cake mix are left uncovered, they may come out of the oven still dry and powdery.
STEP SEVEN: Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
PRO TIP:
You may end up with some dry cake mix spots on the top of the dump cake. This is normal and is where the butter did not saturate into the cake mix.
If you prefer, you can add additional pats of butter over the dry area – check the dump cake after about 30 minutes to determine if the melting pats of butter missed any areas.
STEP EIGHT: Allow dump cake to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
PRO TIP:
Allowing the dump cake to rest for a bit before serving will give the lemon curd time to cool just a bit so that it is not super runny when you scoop into it.
How To Serve
Serve this yummy lemon cream cheese dump cake warm or cold with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream or Cool Whip. Add fresh blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries on top of the cake for a pop of color.
If you want another amazing citrus-flavored dump cake to serve with this lemon dump cake, try our peach dump cake.
If you are a lemon lover, try our lemon lasagna or lemon lava cake for more easy lemon dessert recipes.
MORE LEMON RECIPES
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: Store this delicious dessert in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, for 5-7 days.
IN THE FREEZER: Store this lemon dump cake in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the freezer. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight when you are ready to serve it.
A dump cake makes baking easy, just dump all your ingredients in a single pan and bake. This means no clean-up afterward and a tasty cake to enjoy.
The tart lemon flavor from the delicious lemon curd makes this lemon cream cheese dump cake a refreshing choice for a quick dessert anytime.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a dump cake?
A dump cake is an easy and super moist cake in which the ingredients are simply dumped into the pan and baked. Usually, they use a boxed cake mix and a handful of additional ingredients.
Can you make lemon dump cake ahead of time?
This is a great recipe to make ahead. You can make lemon dump cake up to 2 days ahead of time. Just store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Can I use a lemon cake mix instead of white?
You can substitute lemon or yellow cake mix for the white cake mix. It will give you a more intense lemon flavor but will work fine in the recipe.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- No Bake Lemon Pie
- Chocolate Dump Cake
- Caramel Apple Dump Cake
- Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
- Blueberry Dump Cake
- Cherry Dump Cake
- Lemon Custard Cake
- Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
- No Bake Lemon Pie
- Blueberry Cheesecake Dump Cake
- Lemon Curd
- Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
- Applesauce Cake
- Lemon Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Strawberry Dump Cake
- Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
- Apple Dump Cake
- Lemon Chiffon Cake
- Pumkin Dump Cake
Lemon Dump Cake
This amazing lemon dump cake brings a lovely citrusy flavor to the dessert for a simple recipe to make for any occasion.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 2 (12-ounce) jars lemon curd
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box vanilla, lemon, yellow or white cake mix (we used white)
- ½ cup salted butter, cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread the lemon curd into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to combine cream cheese, egg, and granulated sugar until smooth and combined.
- Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the lemon curd.
- Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the first two layers.
- Slice very thin pats of butter and spread over the entire top of the dry cake mix. Cover as much of the cake mix as possible.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is browned and the lemon curd filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Allow dump cake to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- When buying the cake mix at the grocery store, it is best to pick one that doesn’t have pudding mix in it; check the label to make sure.
- You’ll want to use a 9×13-inch cake pan so that the texture and consistency are right. I’ve used an 11x 7-inch pan before, and it turned out a little too thick, which changed the delicious texture of the dump cake.
- Using cold butter makes it easier to get the slices very thin. When the dump cake cooks, the butter melts and blends with the dry cake mix, but it won’t spread, so if parts of the cake mix are left uncovered, they may come out of the oven still dry and powdery.
- You may end up with some dry cake mix spots on the top of the dump cake. This is normal and is where the butter did not saturate into the cake mix. If you prefer, you can add additional pats of butter over the dry area – check the dump cake after about 30 minutes to determine if the melting pats of butter missed any areas.
- Allowing the dump cake to rest for a bit before serving will give the lemon curd time to cool just a bit so that it is not super runny when you scoop into it.
Nutrition
Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 513IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments
Naomi says
Has any one tried this recipe using a gluten free cake mix?
Pat says
Lemon curd is hard to find in my area if you can find it at all. So, can canned lemon pudding be used instead?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Pat – you’ll want to use lemon curd in this recipe for sure. We have this lemon curd recipe if you can’t find it in the store. Enjoy!
Vicki says
This sounds delicious. Which is better to use to bake…metal 9 x 13 cake pan or glass dish?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Vicki – we prefer using a glass dish but I’m sure metal would work just fine too. Enjoy!
Vix M says
I made this with a gluten free cake mix, vanilla yellow, and it turned out great. The mix was just over 19 ounces, so I made extra of the cream cheese mixture. Also added raspberries, tossed with cornstarch & sugar, to the top. It needed about 10-15 min extra cooking time.
Delicious!
Thank you for the recipe.
Dorothy says
a lot of dump cakes say can just melt the butter and mix with dry cake! so can I do it with this recipe? please respond to my email, I am a senior and get confused. thankyou. can you use homemade lemon curd?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Dorothy – just sent you an email! We would recommend following the instructions as outlined for best results. You can use homemade lemon curd. Enjoy!
Cindy says
If you are having dry spots on your cake, try grating frozen butter before making this dessert. It spreads more evenly and helps prevent the dry powdery top.