The 2-Ingredient Dessert I Can’t Stop Making

Growing up, I was always the kid you wanted to share a bag of candy with because I only wanted the lemon, unlike the other kids who would beg for your strawberry or cherry-flavored pieces. In my opinion, lemon is the best all-around flavor, not just for candy but desserts and savory dishes too. That’s why I love these angel bars packed with tart, bright lemon flavor. 

There are simple desserts, and then there are these angel bars: So easy to make, they’re in a category all their own. These sweet and tangy bars are made with just two ingredients. A box of Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake Mix is combined with a can of lemon pie filling and baked for thirty minutes. Then, it cools and chills in the fridge for an hour. 

I like to dust mine with a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar to make slicing less sticky. The result is a custardy, light, and vibrant lemon bar with hints of angel food almond flavor throughout. Everyone will be asking for seconds!

2 Quick Tips for These 2-Ingredient Bars

• Use Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake “Just Add Water” Mix: This recipe works best with Betty Crocker brand’s “just add water” angel food cake mix. I’ve tried it with other store-bought brands, and the end result was still tasty, but the texture was too fluffy and cake-like. 
• Use a Jelly Roll Pan: Baking sheets and dishes come in so many varieties. From full size to half to quarter and everything in between. For this recipe, I prefer to use a jelly roll pan that’s 15.75"L x 11.25"W x 1.63"H. This recipe will work in a classic 9x13-inch baking dish, but it will be taller and have more of a cake-like consistency. However, it’s just as delicious (trust me). 

Angel Bars and Rising

The nature of store-bought angel food cake mix is that it rises. You’ll notice this while you’re combining the ingredients in the mixing bowl. It’s important to bring the oven fully up to temperature and have your baking pan coated with baking spray before you start mixing the batter, or else it will be so fluffy that it will be hard to spread into the pan. 

Once it bakes, it might overflow a little around the sides of the pan. Just cut that extra crust away when you’re slicing for prettier lemon squares. 

How to Make My Angel Bars

Note: Don’t start mixing this batter until the oven is fully heated and your baking pan is sprayed. Angel food cake tends to expand after it’s mixed, and we don’t want it to expand too much before baking. 

For 12 servings, you’ll need:

• 1 16-ounce) box of Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake Mix
• 1 (22-ounce) can lemon pie filling
• Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 15.75x11.25x1.63 jelly roll pan thoroughly with baking spray, being sure to coat the bottom and the sides.

Once the oven has fully preheated, in a large mixing bowl, use a spatula to gently mix together the pie filling and angel food cake mix until fully incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Angel food cake naturally expands, so don’t panic as the batter starts to grow while you mix. 

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until the edges start to turn golden, about 30 minutes.

The cake will be puffy when you first pull it out of the oven, but it will shrink as it cools. Cool completely on the counter for about 1 hour. Then chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge to fully set. 

Optionally, dust with powdered sugar and slice into 12 equal squares. The powdered sugar helps keep the knife from sticking as you slice. Store angel bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. 

Variations

This recipe works great with other pie fillings, but I like to purée the fillings that have lots of fruit pieces before mixing them in with the angel food cake for a more even bar. Cherry and strawberry are my favorite alternatives to lemon, but get creative with your own preferences. 

More 2-Ingredient Desserts

• 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pudding
• 2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
• 2-Ingredient Jam Bars
• 2-Ingredient Ice Cream Bread