Citrus Lemon Dump Cake (Print)

Bright lemon and mandarin orange layers topped with buttery cake mix, baked until golden and bubbling.

# What You Need:

→ Fruit Layer

01 - 2 cups lemon pie filling
02 - 1 cup drained mandarin orange segments
03 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

→ Cake & Topping

04 - 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
06 - ½ cup whole milk
07 - ¼ cup granulated sugar

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - Spread the lemon pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared dish. Distribute mandarin orange segments over the filling and sprinkle with lemon zest.
03 - Pour the dry yellow cake mix over the fruit layer in an even layer. Do not stir or mix the layers together.
04 - Drizzle melted butter and whole milk evenly over the cake mix, ensuring coverage of as much dry mix as possible. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top for additional sweetness if desired.
05 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. The center should appear set.
06 - Allow the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm, optionally topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The tart lemon and sweet mandarins create this perfect balance that wakes up your tastebuds without feeling heavy
  • My kids actually ask for this instead of birthday cake now, and the fact that I can throw it together in under ten minutes makes me look like a kitchen genius
02 -
  • I learned the hard way that skipping the pan greasing step ends in tears when those caramelized fruit edges glue themselves to your dish
  • The dry spots on the cake mix will actually become these amazing buttery crispy bits, so don't panic if some areas look uncovered after drizzling
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients combine more easily, so pull that butter and milk out while you're preheating the oven
  • Zest your lemons before cutting them for juice—that way you don't accidentally zest into the bitter white pith

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