Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake is an easy baked dessert made with layers of sweet strawberry pie filling, bright lemon cake mix, rich cream cheese, melted butter, and white chocolate morsels. It requires no traditional cake batter and comes together right in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
The combination of strawberry and lemon gives this dessert a sweet, fruity flavor with a fresh citrus note. Cubes of cream cheese create rich, creamy pockets throughout the cake, while the lemon cake mix and melted butter bake into a golden topping. White chocolate morsels finish everything with an extra touch of sweetness.
If you need a simple dessert for a family dinner, potluck, weekend gathering, holiday, or celebration, this Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake is an easy recipe to keep on hand.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake
Dump cakes are popular because they offer the comfort of a warm baked dessert without many of the steps involved in making a traditional cake.
There is no cake batter to mix and no frosting to prepare. Instead, the ingredients are added directly to the baking dish in layers. Once everything is assembled, the oven does most of the work.
This particular dump cake stands out because of its combination of flavors and textures.
The strawberry pie filling creates a soft, fruity base. Lemon juice and lemon cake mix bring a citrus flavor that pairs naturally with the strawberries. Cream cheese adds rich, creamy bites throughout the dessert, while the buttery lemon topping provides contrast to the soft fruit underneath.
White chocolate morsels add one final sweet element and make the topping even more indulgent.
Best of all, the preparation is simple enough for beginner bakers while still producing a dessert worthy of sharing with family and friends.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy strawberry lemon dump cake.
- 2 (21 oz) cans Duncan Hines Comstock Strawberry Pie Filling
- 1 (8 oz) package Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cold
- 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake Mix
- 3/4 cup Land O’Lakes Butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Nestlé Toll House Premier White Morsels
How to Make Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake
The secret to a good dump cake is simple: layer the ingredients evenly and don’t stir them together.
Here’s how to make it.
1. Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Make sure to cover the bottom and sides lightly so the finished dessert is easier to serve.
2. Add the Strawberry Pie Filling
Pour both cans of strawberry pie filling into the prepared baking dish.
Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread the filling evenly across the entire bottom of the dish. Try to get the strawberries into the corners so every serving has plenty of fruit.
3. Add the Lemon Juice
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of lemon juice evenly over the strawberry filling.
You don’t need to stir it into the strawberries. Simply drizzle it over the surface.
The lemon juice adds another citrus note and complements both the strawberries and lemon cake mix.
4. Add the Cream Cheese
Keep the cream cheese refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.
Cut the cold 8-ounce block of cream cheese into small, relatively even cubes.
Scatter the cream cheese cubes evenly over the strawberry filling.
Try to distribute them across the entire dish rather than concentrating them in the center. This helps create little pockets of creamy filling throughout the finished dump cake.
5. Sprinkle on the Lemon Cake Mix
Open the lemon cake mix and sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the strawberry and cream cheese layers.
Do not prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box.
For this recipe, you don’t need to add eggs or water to the cake mix. It goes directly from the box into the baking dish.
Also, don’t stir the cake mix into the strawberry filling. The layers should remain separate.
6. Drizzle with Melted Butter
Melt 3/4 cup butter and slowly drizzle it over the dry lemon cake mix.
Move back and forth across the baking dish while pouring so the butter covers as much of the cake mix as possible.
Taking a little extra time with this step helps create a more evenly baked, golden topping.
7. Add the White Morsels
Sprinkle 1/2 cup white morsels evenly over the top of the cake.
Try to distribute them from edge to edge so there is a little white chocolate throughout the finished dessert.
8. Bake
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven.
Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden and the strawberry filling is bubbling around the edges.
Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven.
9. Cool Before Serving
Allow the Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake to cool for approximately 20 minutes before serving.
The fruit filling will be extremely hot when the cake first comes out of the oven, so don’t skip the cooling period.
Resting also gives the dessert time to settle, making it easier to portion and serve.
Tips for the Best Strawberry Lemon Dump Cake
This is a simple recipe, but a few small details can help you get the best results every time.
Keep the Cream Cheese Cold
Cold cream cheese is much easier to cut into neat cubes than room-temperature cream cheese.
Take it directly from the refrigerator when you’re ready to prepare that layer.
Spread the Strawberry Filling Evenly
Make sure the strawberry pie filling reaches all four corners of the baking dish.
An even fruit layer helps prevent some servings from having too much filling while others don’t have enough.
Don’t Mix the Layers
This is one of the most important rules when making this dump cake.
Once you’ve started layering the ingredients, resist the temptation to stir everything together.
The strawberry filling stays on the bottom, followed by the cream cheese, dry lemon cake mix, butter, and white morsels.
Use the Cake Mix Dry
Don’t follow the preparation instructions printed on the cake mix box.
There is no need to add the usual eggs, water, or other ingredients. Sprinkle the cake mix directly from the package over the fruit and cream cheese.
Drizzle the Butter Slowly
Avoid pouring all the melted butter into one spot.
Instead, slowly drizzle it back and forth over the entire surface. The goal is to distribute the butter across as much of the dry cake mix as possible.
Look for a Golden Top and Bubbling Edges
Baking time is approximately 45 to 50 minutes, but the appearance of the dessert is also important.
The top should look golden, and you should see the strawberry filling bubbling around the edges.
What Does Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake Taste Like?
This dessert brings together sweet, tart, creamy, and buttery flavors in every serving.
The strawberry pie filling provides most of the fruit flavor and creates a soft, jammy layer at the bottom of the dish.
The lemon cake mix gives the topping a noticeable citrus character, while the tablespoon of lemon juice adds another bright note to the strawberries.
Then there is the cream cheese.
Instead of being blended throughout the entire dessert, the cream cheese is cut into cubes. As a result, you get creamy pockets scattered between the strawberry filling and lemon topping.
The white morsels add extra sweetness to the top, while melted butter transforms the dry cake mix as it bakes.
The result is somewhere between a warm fruit dessert and an easy cake, with several different textures in each spoonful.
How to Serve Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake
This dump cake is especially delicious when served warm after its 20-minute cooling period.
You can simply scoop portions directly from the baking dish into dessert bowls or onto plates.
It doesn’t need any additional toppings, but you can dress it up if you’re serving it for a special occasion.
Try serving it with:
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream
- A spoonful of whipped cream
- Fresh sliced strawberries
- A small amount of fresh lemon zest
Vanilla ice cream is particularly good with a warm serving because the cold, creamy ice cream contrasts with the warm strawberry filling.
For a simpler dessert, serve the cake on its own and let the strawberry, lemon, cream cheese, and white chocolate flavors take center stage.
How to Store Leftovers
If you have leftovers, allow the dump cake to cool before storing it.
Because the recipe contains cream cheese, cover the baking dish tightly or transfer individual portions to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator.
You can enjoy leftovers chilled if you prefer a firmer texture.
For something closer to the freshly baked experience, reheat an individual serving until it reaches your preferred temperature.
The texture will naturally become firmer after refrigeration, especially the cream cheese and fruit layers.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even an easy recipe can turn out better when you avoid a few common mistakes.
Preparing the Cake Mix Like a Regular Cake
The lemon cake mix needs to be used dry.
Don’t add eggs or water and don’t turn it into cake batter before adding it to the baking dish.
Stirring Everything Together
This recipe depends on layers.
Mixing all the ingredients together will change the intended texture of the finished dessert.
Using Soft Cream Cheese
Softened cream cheese can be difficult to cube and distribute evenly.
Cold cream cheese makes this step much easier.
Pouring the Butter in One Spot
If most of the butter lands in the same area, other sections of cake mix may not receive enough coverage.
Drizzle slowly across the entire dish instead.
Serving Immediately
The strawberry filling becomes extremely hot in the oven.
Letting the cake cool for about 20 minutes makes it safer and easier to serve while still allowing you to enjoy it warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you stir Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake before baking?
No. The ingredients should remain layered. Spread the strawberry filling across the bottom, drizzle with lemon juice, add cream cheese cubes, sprinkle on the dry cake mix, drizzle with butter, and finish with white morsels.
Do I need to prepare the lemon cake mix first?
No. Use the cake mix directly from the box in its dry form. You don’t need to add eggs or water.
Why does the cream cheese need to be cold?
Cold cream cheese is firmer and easier to cut into small cubes. This makes it easier to distribute the cream cheese evenly across the strawberry layer.
How long does Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake bake?
Bake the dump cake at 350°F for approximately 45 to 50 minutes. It should have a golden topping, with the strawberry filling bubbling around the edges.
How do I know when my dump cake is done?
Look at both the topping and the edges. The topping should be golden, and the fruit filling should be hot and bubbling around the sides of the baking dish.
Can I serve strawberry lemon dump cake warm?
Yes. This dessert can be served warm. Let it cool for about 20 minutes after removing it from the oven before portioning.
What goes well with strawberry lemon dump cake?
Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, fresh strawberries, or a little lemon zest can complement the dessert. It can also be served without additional toppings.
Does Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake need to be refrigerated?
Leftovers should be refrigerated because the dessert contains cream cheese. Cover the baking dish or transfer portions to an airtight container before refrigerating.
What size baking dish should I use?
A 9×13-inch baking dish is recommended for the ingredient quantities in this recipe.
Can I mix the cream cheese into the strawberry filling?
For this recipe, it’s better to leave the cream cheese in cubes. Scattering the cubes over the fruit creates individual creamy pockets throughout the baked dessert.
Final Thoughts
Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake proves that a delicious baked dessert doesn’t need a complicated preparation process.
With strawberry pie filling on the bottom, bright lemon flavor, rich cream cheese cubes, dry lemon cake mix, melted butter, and sweet white morsels on top, every layer brings something different to the finished dessert.
The preparation is straightforward: layer everything in a 9×13-inch baking dish without stirring, then bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden and the strawberry filling is bubbling around the edges.
Let it cool for about 20 minutes, scoop out a generous serving, and enjoy it warm on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Whether you’re preparing dessert for a family meal, a weekend gathering, a potluck, or simply want an easy strawberry dessert, this Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake is a simple recipe worth adding to your collection.
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