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This sweet and simple cherry dump cake is quite possibly the easiest way to make a cake for a crowd. It takes very little effort and I can guarantee you that the bursting sweet cherries and buttery crust will have everyone coming back for seconds!
If you have never made a dump cake before, you are in for a treat! I know, I was super skeptical the first time I made this. I was wondering how the heck this would come together but trust the process, my friends. This cherry dump cake comes together in the most magical way and it is utterly good.
It starts with a layer of canned cherry pie filling, which is spread across the bottom of a baking dish. A layer of white cake mix evenly poured on top and then it’s finished off with butter. You don’t even have to mix! In fact, you shouldn’t.The entire cake is baked until it’s golden brown and the cherry filling bubbles up around the edges. The end result is an incredibly delicious, sweet treat that everyone will love! Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra special dessert.
What is a dump cake?
A dump cake is a type of dessert that is made from canned pie filling, dry cake mix and butter. It’s an easy and delicious way to make a simple yet flavorful dessert without having to do any complicated baking. It’s perfect for gatherings where you need a dessert but don’t want anything store-bought nor want to bake something extravagant. This semi-homemade cake is the perfect in-between.
Why You’ll Love This
- Sweet and buttery goodness. The canned pie filling lends the sweetness to this dump cake along with the buttery crust from the cake mix and butter. It’s a combination that will remind you of popular fruit desserts in the summertime!
- Customizable. There are so many ways to change up this dump cake. Be sure to scroll down below for all the ideas!
- No complicated ingredients. Everything you need for this dump cake recipe is already either in your pantry or a quick run to the corner store. You don’t need special ingredients to make this!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make this simple cherry dump cake. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for exact measurements.
- Cherry pie filling
- Boxed white cake mix
- Butter
- Almond extract – this is completely optional but I do think it gives the cherry an extra boost in flavor and it gives the cake that oomph.
How To Make Cherry Dump Cake
Even though this cherry dump cake is wildly easy to make, there are specifics on what gets dump first, etc., so definitely be sure to follow that! Otherwise, it’s easy peasy! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
Set oven and prepare baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish or pan.
Dump the first layer. Add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to EACH can of pie filling (so you are using 1 teaspoon total but 1/2 teaspoon in each can) then stir it together with a spoon. Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish and gently spread or shake to make it an even layer.
Dump the second layer. Evenly spread the cake mix on top of the pie filling and shake to make sure it is an even layer.
Dump the final layer. Finally, pour the butter all over the cake mix ensuring to saturate as much of the cake mix as possible.
Bake! Bake uncovered for 45 minutes then let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
- Fruit swaps. You may swap in other pie fillings for the cherry if you aren’t a fan of cherry. Peach, blueberry, pineapple, strawberry, apple – you name it! You can even do a mix! One can of one fruit, one can of another.
- Toppings and add-ins. If you like nuts in your desserts (I am not one of those people), chopped pecans or walnuts would be lovely. Shredded coconut mixed in would be a nice tropical twist or even mini chocolate chips. I prefer my fruit desserts to be just fruit and buttery goodness so I left all these out, but of course you do you!
- Fresh vs. frozen fruit. If you don’t want to use pie filling, go the fresh route. Frozen won’t work in this case. It’s either pie filling or fresh. If you’re using fresh fruit, about 3 1/2 cups sliced fruit is what you want.
- Even layers ensure even baking. Make sure everything is in an even layer so you don’t get uncooked areas, especially with the baking mix.
- DO NOT MIX. I cannot emphasize this enough. I know it is so tempting to want to mix everything together and it’s so confusing as to how it all comes together if you don’t mix it but trust the process! I promise you it works and you don’t have to mix the cake mix with the liquid for it to work. It’s magic, I know, really sus.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, you can either tightly wrap the baking dish with foil or plastic wrap and keep on the countertop for up to 3 days. Alternatively, if you want to keep it for longer, you can put it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You may also store it in a glass container with a lid.
What to Serve with Cherry Dump Cake
Of course you’re going to want to serve this dump cake alongside some more sweets, more specifically, ice cream! Here are my favorite ice cream flavors to serve with this cherry dump cake:
- No Churn Oreo Fudge Ice Cream
- Pistachio Ice Cream
- Espresso Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Good Ole Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
Cherry Dump Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 42 ounces (1191 g) cherry pie filling, they come in 21 ounce cans so you will need 2 cans
- 1 teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 15.25 ounce (432 g) box of white cake mix
- 1 cup (227 g) butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and lightly spray 9×13" pan with cooking spray.
- If using, add ½ teaspoon of almond extract to each cherry pie filling can then with a spoon, stir to mix.
- Dump the cherry pie filling into the bottom of the baking pan and shake or use a spatula to make sure it is in an even layer.
- Next, dump the white cake mix on top and make sure it is in an even layer with no huge lumps visible.
- Finally, pour the butter all over the top of the white cake mix ensuring most of the cake mix is saturated. DO NOT MIX.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes. The cherry pie filling should be bubbling around the edges and the cake mix should be a golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
