Equipment Needed
- 9×13 inch baking pan
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cup (for the cake mix)
- Oven
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grab your 9×13 pan. I don’t grease my pan for this recipe, and here’s why: the batter is so light, especially with the Angel food mix, that it needs to cling to the sides to rise properly. A greased pan can cause the edges to pull away and shrink. I learned this the hard way with a slightly sunken first attempt. If you’re deeply nervous about sticking, a very light mist of baking spray is okay, but I find it’s truly not needed with the moisture in the pie filling.
Now, for the fun part: the mixing. Dump the entire box of dry cake mix and the entire can of lemon pie filling into your bowl. That’s it. No eggs, no oil, no water. Use a sturdy spatula or a wooden spoon to stir. It will seem impossible at first—thick and dry and clumpy. Trust the process. Keep folding and stirring with determination. After a minute or two, it will suddenly come together into a thick, lumpy, cohesive batter. Don’t use an electric mixer; it can overwork the mix. This is a job for good old-fashioned arm power.
Once your batter is combined—it’s okay if there are a few dry streaks, but try to get it mostly uniform—scrape it into your prepared pan. This is a thick batter, so use your spatula to spread it evenly into all the corners. I like to give the pan a few gentle taps on the counter to settle the batter and pop any large air bubbles. The top will be uneven and lumpy, and that’s perfect. Those peaks and valleys will bake up into a beautiful, golden, textured landscape.(See the next page below to continue…)