This easy recipe for Lemon Cream Cheese Bars uses ingredients like cake mix, and lemonade mix to make an irresistible dessert. You'll get a rich & chewy crust with a creamy, tangy top layer - delicious!
For the crust layer, mix together cake mix, 1 egg, and a stick of butter until smooth. Press this mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13" glass dish.
For the lemon cheesecake layer, mix together the remaining ingredients (cream cheese, lemonade mix, powdered sugar, and 2 eggs) using a hand mixer until smooth. Pour this mixture on top of the cake mix in the glass baking dish.
Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until the top mixture is set and starts to brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes after removing from oven, then chill for 3-4 hours before cutting.
Notes
Make sure to spray your baking dish with cooking spray. These will stick!
Before cutting the lemon cream cheese bars, allow them to cool in the fridge for a few hours. Use a sharp knife to make the bars' edges smooth. Fill a bowl with warm water and dunk your sharp knife in the water before cutting each bar. I prefer to chill my bars before cutting so those edges are neat.
Make sure you don't bake too long. Over-cooking will dry out that luscious creamy cheesecake layer - nobody wants that. These should be pulled when the top just starts to brown.
Because of the cream cheese filling, you'll want to store any leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator after serving. Cover them and place them in an airtight container when storing. These should last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
This recipe can be frozen as well. Bake as instructed, wrap bars tightly with aluminum foil and plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 6 months. When you're ready to serve them, simply thaw in the fridge and enjoy!
I used a 7x11" glass Pyrex baking dish for this recipe. This makes for a thicker cake crust and an average-sized cream cheese layer. You would get similar results to mine with an 8x8" glass Pyrex dish. If you'd like thinner layers, I'd suggest going with a 9x13" glass baking dish.