Easy Lemon Bars with Cake Mix

These easy lemon bars with cake mix are delicious! Nobody will know these weren’t homemade. Use boxed cake mix to make the sugar cookie crust + a jar of lemon curd for this tasty dessert treat.

Cake Mix Lemon Bars

Ok so y’ll know how obsessed I am with easy cake mix hacks. True that. This is just one of many where you can use a boxed mix to make something totally different from cake or cupcakes. I mean that is okay but kinda’ boring right?? Now THIS one gives you a ton of opportunities to swap things up with not just lemon but all the things…..

Use a “plain” yellow cake mix flavor for the crust below or give it a tweak by using strawberry or in this case lemon to intensify the flavors! There are other types of filling you can choose from too. So far I’ve found raspberry, lime and orange beyond this one. That means more duos you can create if you have a group coming over.

Meyer Lemon Bars

If you wanted to make homemade curd for the filling instead of bottled you could do that for sure too, we are talking about easy this time though. You’re going to need a 9×13″ baking dish so the thickness is just right and lining it with parchment paper makes it a lot easier to serve. If you just use non stick cooking spray your cake mix lemon squares won’t be as pretty. You’re going to need;

• 1 box dry cake mix – yellow, white or lemon cake mix is ideal, 15.25 oz
• Egg
• Butter melted

Now the above is going to make your sugar cookie pie crust. You can use this as the base for ALL sorts of baked goods beyond this one like our pumpkin pie sheet cake and more. With butter and an egg it creates a dough you can spread and mold into whatever shape of pan you have.

• 1 jar lemon flavor curd 13 oz jar
• 1/4 c powdered sugar

If you made a homemade filling you would need to make that separately and make sure it was at room temperature before adding on top of the bottom layer. A bit of fresh lemon zest on top is great if you have fresh fruit with you.

Cranberry Lemon Bars

Let’s think about the holidays now shall we? This is a great one to make with a Christmas twist to it let’s say. Make this the same way but drip a bit of cooled cranberry sauce over the top and then drag a knife over the top thru the curd so it looks pretty with 2 colors and flavors.

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix, egg and melted butter. 
• Press the batter evenly into the bottom of a 9×12 pan (lined with parchment paper).
• Spread the lemon curd over top.
• Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are slightly brown. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely before sprinkling on powdered sugar.

Most of the time this lemon bar recipe, or lemon crinkle cookies, don’t not last beyond the first sitting. I make it when others are visiting so 12 or so pieces works out quite well. If you cut them smaller you could certainly get 24 pieces out of it.

Easy Lemon Bars with Cake Mix

What can you add to lemon bars to add more flavor and texture to your cake mix recipe?? There are tons of ideas!

1. You can add some sweetened shredded coconut to the shortbread crust or sprinkle it on top of the lemon filling when done too.
2. When done, add a few fresh berries like raspberries or blueberries on top for a fruity twist.
3. Adding some chopped almonds or walnuts to the crust or sprinkling them on top of the filling after baking can give your bars some crunch.
4. Spreading a bit of softened cream cheese underneath this topping would be a great combination of flavors.
5. Add a bit of vanilla extract to the lemon curd filling can enhance the flavor and make your bars even more delicious.

Want a kick once they have cooled? Drizzle some chocolate sauce over the top, I mean how can you go wrong with that??

Blueberry Lemon Bars

And yet here is another tweak. If you cannot find curd at all in your store or don’t want to buy it you can swap it out for pie filling too. There are even more flavors as far as that one goes. I have even seen lemon varieties of this which is basically the same but usually a bit cheaper on the wallet. Choose blueberry and lemon and use them both, that combo is quite popular.

If you do have leftovers you should keep them in a sealed container or wrapped in foil and in the fridge. Enjoy within 7 days but 1-2 days later is ideal as they will begin to dry out over time in the cold air.