How to Make Lemon Cheesecake Bars with a Cake Mix

A pan of lemon cheesecake bars starts with three simple parts: a vanilla cake-mix crust, a cream-cheese filling, and ribbons of lemon pastry filling. Bake the layers together, chill, and cut into bars to share.

The shortcut is the vanilla cream cake mix. Instead of mixing a crust from scratch, combine the mix with an egg and melted butter, then press it into the pan. The lemon filling is swirled through the cream-cheese layer before baking.

What you'll need

Use a Vanilla Bean Baby Cake Mix and lemon pastry filling from our Pastry Fillings collection.

For the crust

• 1 Vanilla Bean Baby Cake Mix
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg

For the cream-cheese layer

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 3 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pound powdered sugar

For the lemon swirl

• 1 cup lemon pastry filling

How to make the bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with shortening.
2. Melt the butter and whisk the egg. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, egg, and melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
3. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until soft. Add the three eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat until well combined.
4. Spread the cream-cheese mixture evenly over the crust.
5. Cut a small corner from the pastry-filling bag. Squeeze eight strips of lemon filling across the short direction of the pan.
6. Drag the edge of a spatula through the strips at right angles, about ¾ inch apart, to create a woven pattern.
7. Bake for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
8. Chill before cutting into bars with a knife or pizza wheel.

Try another fruit filling

The original recipe also allows jam or another fruit pastry filling in place of lemon. Start with the lemon version, then choose another flavor for your next pan.

Explore pastry fillings →