This lemon cream cheese dump cake is an easy dessert made with just a few simple ingredients, but it bakes up with bright lemon flavor and creamy pockets of sweetened cream cheese throughout. It’s one of those recipes that looks impressive but comes together quickly with minimal prep.
If you love simple desserts like this, you might also enjoy my Lemon Dump Cake (without cream cheese) or my 3 Ingredient Strawberry Dump Cake for another easy option.
Why I Love This Recipe
This lemon dump cake with cream cheese is an easy dessert recipe that uses simple ingredients and delivers bright lemon flavor with a thin, creamy cheesecake layer. It just adds to the flavor and texture!
This recipe uses canned lemon pie filling and cake mix, making it a quick and beginner-friendly dessert that doesn’t require complicated steps.
The cream cheese mixture creates soft, creamy pockets throughout the cake, rather than dry chunks, giving a better texture than traditional cube-style dump cakes.
This lemon dessert is perfect for spring, summer gatherings, Easter, Mother’s Day, or anytime you want a fresh, citrus dessert.
It’s flexible and forgiving, so you can use one or two blocks of cream cheese depending on what you have on hand.
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix (can also use white or lemon cake mix)
1 can lemon pie filling (about 21 oz)
16 oz cream cheese, softened (you can use 8 oz for a lighter version)
½ cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter, thinly sliced
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Step 2
Spread the lemon pie filling evenly across the bottom of the dish.
Step 3
In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and creamy.
Add the egg and vanilla, and mix just until combined.
Step 4
Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the lemon filling.
Gently spread or lightly swirl, but do not fully mix together.
Step 5
Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top.
Spread thinly sliced butter over dry cake mix, covering as much of the surface as possible.
Step 6
Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center is set.
Let cool for at least 20–30 minutes before serving.
Tips for the Best Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake
Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened before mixing so the layer turns out smooth and creamy instead of lumpy. Always beat the cream cheese by itself first before adding sugar and egg to avoid lumps.
Use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar for a smoother cream cheese mixture. Dollop the cream cheese mixture instead of pouring it so you get creamy pockets throughout the cake. Spread gently, don't mix with the lemon layer.
Place butter pats on the dry cake mix. Cut them thinly so you can spread over most of the cake.
If you see small dry patches of cake mix after baking, that’s normal with dump cakes and won’t affect the flavor. However, I don't like those so here are some options to get rid of them.
1. Give the dry spots a quick spray with a no stick spray. OR
2. Add more butter slices, often cut into smaller pieces to put on dry spots. OR
3. My newest and favorite method - take a stick of butter and gently rub on dry spots. Enough butter melts in seconds to cover the dry cake mix.
Bake for about 5 minutes so the butter/spray is absorbed and topping browns.
What to Expect from This Recipe
This is not a layered cheesecake bar.
Instead, this lemon cream cheese dump cake bakes up with a thin, creamy pockets of cream cheese between the lemon and cake mix layers. That texture is part of what makes dump cakes so easy and forgiving.
If you prefer a more defined cream cheese layer, you may want to try a lemon cream cheese bar version instead.
Variations
Use lemon cake mix for even more lemon flavor.
Try adding fresh berries like blueberries or raspberries for a lemon berry version.
Add a light dusting of powdered sugar on top before serving. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
FAQs
If you see small dry patches of cake mix after baking, that’s normal with dump cakes and won’t affect the flavor. However, I don't like those so here are some options I use.
1. Give the dry spots a quick spray with a no stick spray.
2. Add more butter slices, often cut into smaller pieces to put on dry spots.
3. My newest and favorite method - take a stick of butter and gently rub on dry spots. Enough butter melts in seconds to cover the dry cake mix.
Bake for about 5 minutes so the butter/spray is absorbed and topping browns.
Yes, you can use one block instead of two. The cake will still be delicious, but you’ll have fewer creamy pockets throughout.
This usually happens if the cream cheese was too cold or not beaten first. Always soften it and mix it before adding other ingredients.
You can, but powdered sugar gives a smoother texture and blends better with the cream cheese.
Yes, you can make it a day ahead and store it covered in the refrigerator. Reheat slightly before serving if desired.
More Lemon Dessert Recipes
Easy Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix can also use white or lemon cake mix
- 1 can lemon pie filling about 21 oz
- 16 oz cream cheese softened (you can use 8 oz for a lighter version)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Spread the lemon pie filling evenly across the bottom of the dish.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix just until combined.
- Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the lemon filling.
- Gently spread or lightly swirl, but do not fully mix together.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top.
- Spread thinly sliced butter over dry cake mix, covering as much of the surface as possible.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center is set.
- Let cool for at least 20–30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition (estimate)
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