Lemon Dump Cake (with Cream Cheese)

Lemon Dump Cake with Cream Cheese is a zesty layered dessert made with lemon curd, a sugary cream cheese mixture, white cake mix, and salted butter. Enjoy this citrus dump cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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Overhead shot of lemon dump cake on a white serving plate, two silver forks, textile linen, sliced fresh lemon, white bowl of fresh lemons, glass baking dish with remaining lemon dump cake, on a white marble countertop.

This Lemon Dump Cake with Cream Cheese is a citrusy mixture of lemon curd, cream cheese mixture, and white cake mix. It’s as easy as layering your ingredients into a dish to bake and then serving it up with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Lemon dump cake on white stacked side plates, textile linen, glass baking dish with lemon dump cake, fresh sliced lemon, white bowl holding fresh lemons, jar of white sugar, on a white marble countertop.

While I love this zesty-flavored dump cake using easy lemon curd, it’s also a versatile recipe that can easily be used as a foundation for whatever modifications you want. For instance, you can use a vanilla cake mix or yellow cake mix and a fruity pie filling to make this Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake or Blackberry Dump Cake. Add some chunks of pineapple to the mix, and suddenly you have Lemon Pineapple Dump Cake!

With only 15 minutes needed to prepare this dessert, it’s a great option for a no-fuss dessert that will feed a crowd! If you love lemon desserts, try Lemon Cream Cheese Pie, Lemon Cheesecake, Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars, and Cream Cheese Filled Blueberry Lemon Bread.

Why You’ll Love Lemon Dump Cake with Cream Cheese

This lemon dump cake with cream cheese is an easy layered dessert calling for budget-friendly and pantry-staple ingredients.
It’s a zesty dessert that isn’t overly rich in flavor but still decadent, thanks to the sweetened cream cheese mixture.
Simple modifications can be made to this dump cake recipe for an entirely different fruity dessert!

What Ingredients do I Need for Lemon Dump Cake with Cream Cheese?

Lemon curd –I’ve used two jars of lemon curd (each 12 oz), which was enough for this dump cake. You could use lemon pie filling instead.
Cream cheese – Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature so it can mix smoothly with the egg and sugar.
Egg – At room temperature.
Sugar – I’ve used granulated white sugar. I don’t recommend using brown sugar.
Cake mix – I’ve used a package of white cake mix, but you could use lemon cake mix, vanilla, or yellow cake mix.
Butter – Salted butter helps to balance the flavors in this dump cake, but you could use unsalted instead. Make sure the butter is cold so it is easier to cut into thin slices.

Close up of lemon dump cake (with cream cheese) on staked white serving plates, textile linen, sliced fresh lemon, bowl of fresh lemons, glass baking dish with remaining lemon dump cake, on a white marble countertop.

PRO TIP: If you want to ensure a more even distribution of butter over the top of your dump cake, consider melting the butter and drizzling that over the dry cake mix instead of adding cold slices of butter.

How to Make Lemon Dump Cake (with Cream Cheese)

PREP: Preheat the oven and spread the lemon curd on the bottom of a baking pan. Combine the cream cheese, egg, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add dollops of the cream cheese mixture to the lemon curd layer. Evenly sprinkle the white cake mix over the first two layers. Add thin slices of butter to the dry cake mix layer, covering it.

Baking dish with lemon curd spread on the bottom, tray of eggs, bowl of cream cheese mixture, textile linen, on a marble countertop.

Bowl with softened cream cheese, egg, and sugar, glass jar with sugar, tray of eggs, textile linen, on a marble countertop.

BAKE AND SERVE: Bake the assembled lemon dump cake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the dessert is golden brown and bubbling from the edges. Let the dump cake rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Baked lemon dump cake with cream cheese, checkered linen, fresh sliced lemons, on a marble countertop.

Serving of lemon dump cake with cream cheese on stacked white plates, textile linen, glass baking dish with baked lemon dump cake, white bowl of fresh lemons, on a marble countertop.

Make sure your butter is cold, making it much 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. If this happens, you can add a layer of frosting over the crust of your cake, but I suggest slicing the butter thin so that you can get ample coverage.
If it’s easier for you, consider melting your butter and drizzling it over the top of the cake mix before baking.
You can make homemade lemon curd instead of buying it.
There is a possibility of having your lemon dump cake stored at room temperature for a couple of days, but then you’ll need to ensure that it sits in an environment that is cool and not exposed to humidity. If I have any leftovers, I just store them in the refrigerator.

Fun Fact

Did you know that lemon trees can produce as much as 600 lbs of lemons in a year? That’s a lot of lemon curd!

Lemon dump cake (with cream cheese) on staked white serving plates, textile linen, sliced fresh lemons, glass baking dish with remaining lemon dump cake, on a white marble countertop.

Variations

Instead of making lemon dump cake, make a different fruit dump cake using a fruity pie filling instead of lemon curd. This could be Raspberry filling (affil), homemade Strawberry Rhubarb pie filling, or Cherry …the options are endless! You could also add chunks of fresh fruit to make varieties of dump cake, such as softened sliced apples for apple dump cake or peaches for peach dump cake.
Everyone knows how well blueberries and lemons go together! Use blueberry pie filling instead of lemon curd and lemon cake mix instead of white cake mix for a lemon blueberry dump cake.
Add lemon zest to the white cake mix for an intense lemon flavor.
Garnish this lemon cream cheese dump cake with fresh whole blueberries.
Use lemon, vanilla, or yellow cake mix instead of white.
Add an extra layer to this lemon dump cake recipe by spreading some Cool Whip over the top.

What Is Dump Cake?

Dump cake is exactly what it sounds like…where all of the ingredients get dumped into a 9”x13” baking dish, making it extremely easy and quick to whip up!

Like a cobbler, it follows the simple layering of a fruit filling into the bottom of the baking dish, then dumping cake mix on top before being baked.

How Is Dump Cake Any Different To A Cobbler?

While a cobbler and a dump cake seem indistinguishable, it’s important to note that a cobbler’s fruit filling base is traditionally topped with a crumbed biscuit topping, while dump cakes make use of cake mixes placed on top of the pie filling.

A classic cobbler will always have a fruit-based bottom layer, while that’s not necessarily the case with dump cakes. If you do a recipe search for dump cakes, you’ll see a variety, including those that are more cookie and cake inspired, using a cookie base, cream cheese filling, and a whipped topping such as an oreo cookie dump cake.

How Should I Store Lemon Dump Cake with Cream Cheese?

Store your lemon dump cake in the fridge in an airtight container or with a tight plastic wrap covering or lid for up to 5-7 days.

This dump cake can also be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month, making it a convenient make-ahead dessert. When ready to enjoy, remove it from the freezer to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

This lemon dump cake can either be served cold or warm – so it’s completely up to you whether you reheat it after it has been stored.

Can I Serve Anything With Lemon Dump Cake?

Yes, you can if you want to, but it’s optional. A dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream would be delicious alongside a serving of this dump cake.

Lemon Treats You’ll Love!

5 from 103 votes

Created by: Stefanie