2-Ingredient Lemon Bars Are Too Easy Not To Make

Tangy, tart, and sweet, lemon bars are timeless desserts that'll make anyone who takes a bite pucker. Typically the ingredients that make up a batch of these sunshiney bars are lemons, eggs, powdered sugar, butter, flour, granulated sugar, and salt. But simply using two pantry staples — boxed cake mix and a can of lemon pie filling — can have you baking a pan of zesty lemon bars without much of the fuss.

Combining boxed angel food cake mix and lemon pie filling will result in zingy, bright custard-like bars that are simply too easy not to make. The dump-and-go technique , in which you mix the filling with the cake mix, then bake until they turn golden-brown, is way less complicated than the traditional method. In a pinch, it can be just the quick dessert you need. Boxed cake mix serves as an excellent foundation for all manner of baking experiments. While there are plenty of underrated ingredients to add to your boxed cake mix, lemon pie filling is certainly a winner when it comes to achieving lemon bar texture and flavor.

We know the obvious use for boxed cake mix would be to make cake. But with it being so versatile, this mix can be the base for a wide variety of other dessert recipes, not just lemon bars. Using angel food cake mix gives this two-ingredient recipe a light and fluffy feel with a retro texture and taste. It's also convenient; instead of measuring out one of potentially many types of flour, sugar, and all the other ingredients, both the cake mix and lemon pie filling are already assembled. All you have to do is mix and assemble them for easy execution and clean-up.

This one-bowl dessert works especially well since the angel food cake mix is widely loved and features in all manner of delicious treats. Alone, it achieves a tender, spongy, and sweet cake. But when mixed with creamy, sweet-tart lemon pie filling, it makes for a crowd-pleasing treat that takes relatively little effort in the kitchen. To get that traditional lemon bar look and feel, consider adding in a touch of lemon zest. Once the bars have been cooled and cut, a dusting of powdered sugar will also take this two-ingredient treat over the top.