Citrus Lemon Dump Cake (Printer-Friendly)

Bright layers of tangy lemon and sweet citrus topped with buttery cake—ready in under an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit Layer

01 - 2 cups lemon pie filling
02 - 1 cup mandarin orange segments, drained
03 - 1 tablespoon 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 Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - Spread lemon pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared dish.
03 - Distribute mandarin orange segments over the lemon filling. Sprinkle lemon zest evenly across the top.
04 - Sprinkle dry yellow cake mix over the fruit layer in an even layer. Do not stir or mix.
05 - Drizzle melted butter and milk evenly over the cake mix, ensuring maximum coverage of dry ingredients. Sprinkle with granulated sugar if desired.
06 - Bake for 35-40 minutes until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling.
07 - Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The contrast between tangy lemon and sweet mandarin oranges creates layers of bright flavor that wake up your palate
  • You can throw this together in under ten minutes flat—no mixer required and almost zero cleanup
  • That golden buttery crust forms naturally in the oven, creating pockets of crispy cake that everyone fights over
02 -
  • The cake mix should still look dry and powdery in spots before baking—this is exactly right and creates those crispy buttery pockets
  • Serving this warm makes a huge difference, the flavors meld together and the texture is infinitely better
03 -
  • Use a microplane for the lemon zest—those tiny pieces release more oil than larger shavings
  • If your butter is not fully melted, it will pool in spots instead of soaking evenly through the cake mix

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