What You’ll Need
- Lemon cake mix. Use the dry mix straight from the box. The melted butter turns it into soft crumbs you can press into a crust or scatter over the filling.
- Unsalted butter. Let the melted butter cool slightly before stirring it into the cake mix. The mixture should look like damp sand with small clumps.
- Lemon pie filling. Use one 21-ounce can. Drop spoonfuls over the crust before spreading so you can cover the base without pulling up the crumbs.
How to Make Lemon Bars with Cake Mix
Mix the dry cake mix and melted butter until no dry pockets remain. Firmly press about two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread the lemon pie filling over the crust, then scatter the remaining crumbs over the top in small, loose clumps.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Look for lightly golden spots on the crumble and gentle bubbling around the edges. The center will still look soft when the bars come out of the oven and will firm up as they cool.
How to Cut Clean Lemon Squares
Cool the bars completely in the dish. For firmer squares, refrigerate the cooled bars for 1 to 2 hours before slicing. Use a sharp knife and wipe the blade between cuts to keep the lemon filling from smearing along the edges.
3-Ingredient Lemon Bars Recipe Card
Easy lemon bars with a buttery cake mix crust, lemon pie filling, and a crumb topping.
- Prep time — About 10 minutes
- Bake time — 25 to 30 minutes
- Cooling — Cool completely before slicing
- Optional chill time — 1 to 2 hours
- Yield — 16 squares
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 to 16.5 ounces) lemon cake mix
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 can (21 ounces) lemon pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.
- Stir the dry lemon cake mix and melted butter together in a medium bowl until evenly moistened and crumbly.
- Press about two-thirds of the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the dish, reaching all four corners.
- Spoon the lemon pie filling over the crust and gently spread it into an even layer.
- Scatter the remaining crumbs evenly over the filling, leaving them loose.
- Bake on the center rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is lightly golden in spots and the filling bubbles gently around the edges.
- Cool completely in the dish on a wire rack. If desired, chill for 1 to 2 hours for firmer bars, then cut into 16 squares.