Cherry Dump Cake Recipe
Layering wet pie filling under dry cake mix and melted butter, without stirring, lets the bottom stay saucy while the top bakes into a crumbly, cobbler-like crust, so you get two textures from three ingredients and almost no prep.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 48 min
- Total
- 58 min
- Servings
- 12
Ingredients
- 21 oz can cherry pie filling
- 20 oz can crushed pineapple, with juice
- 15 1/4 oz box yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 3056
- Protein
- 28g
- Carbs
- 599g
- Fat
- 56g
Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.
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Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- 2Spread the cherry pie filling in an even layer across the bottom of the dish.
- 3Spoon the crushed pineapple, including the juice, evenly over the cherry layer.
- 4Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the fruit in a single layer, straight from the box, and do not stir it into the fruit.
- 5Drizzle the melted butter over the top, working to cover as much of the dry cake mix as you can so no large dry patches remain.
- 6Scatter the sliced almonds evenly over the top.
- 7Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling visibly at the edges of the dish.
- 8Let the cake cool for 15-20 minutes before serving; the filling firms up slightly as it cools.
Tips & variations
- Swap the cherry pie filling for blueberry, apple, or peach pie filling for a completely different flavor using the same method.
- A spice cake mix or French vanilla cake mix works in place of yellow cake mix if that's what's on hand.
- Leave out the pineapple for a more concentrated cherry flavor with a slightly less moist crumb; the pineapple juice is mainly there to soften the cake mix layer.
- Pecans or walnuts can replace the sliced almonds, or leave the nuts out entirely for a nut-free version.
Storage & reheating
Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, or warm the whole dish, loosely covered with foil, in a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 15 minutes. This does not freeze well; the fruit layer turns watery once thawed.
Tips from the Tulo kitchen
- A metal or glass 9x13 dish both work, but glass shows the fruit bubbling at the edges more clearly, which is the easiest visual cue that it's done.
- If the top looks pale after 45 minutes but the edges are bubbling, it's likely just under-buttered in spots rather than underbaked; a few more minutes usually browns it through.
FAQ
Why is my dump cake still powdery on top after baking?
Some of the dry cake mix wasn't reached by the melted butter. Drizzle the butter in a slow, even zigzag across the entire surface next time, and use a fork to gently pat any dry spots into contact with the fruit juice underneath before baking.
Can I use fresh or frozen cherries instead of pie filling?
Fresh or frozen cherries lack the thickened, sweetened syrup that pie filling provides, so the result will be much less saucy and more tart. If substituting, toss 4 cups of pitted cherries with 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch before layering them in the dish.
Do I need to grease the baking dish?
Yes. Even though the bottom layer is fruit, the sugars in the filling can stick and scorch slightly at the edges without a greased dish, making cleanup and serving harder.
Can I make cherry dump cake without a cake mix?
Not easily; the dry, unmixed layer relies on the leavening and fine crumb of a boxed cake mix to bake up correctly with no liquid stirred in. A homemade flour-and-sugar crumble topping is a better substitute than plain flour if avoiding boxed mix.