Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake Recipe

Few ingredients and minimal work make this cake a delicious and easy dessert for any occasion. You can make it more or less from scratch, with only store-bought components or with a quick homemade filling. The combination of flavors is wonderful and it can be ready in an hour.

I was introduced to dump cakes a couple of years ago at a summer barbecue and I didn't make it for years. The idea of using boxed cake (the ones found at the grocery stores) for some of us bakers is a strong no-no most of the time.
But I'm so glad I tried it. It's one of those simple recipes, very customizable, and a total crowd-pleaser! A bite of this chocolate cherry dump cake recipe and you'll understand what I mean.

The word cake is loosely used in the title. It's not what you envision when you think of one, it's more of a cobbler in its appearance (don't know what is a cobbler?), but since it uses the boxed stuff it's a little bit of both.

We have several easy dump cake recipes in this blog, in case you're interested. It's one of the best desserts for hot weather months.

Ingredients

It's interesting that, if using canned filling, this is a 3 ingredients dessert.

• Cake mix: there are different types of chocolate boxed cakes mixes, and any one you like works well.
• Cherry filling: I make my own filling because I can't usually get the canned stuff. But if you use 2 cans of cherry pie filling this cake is a breeze; simply open the cans and dump them onto the baking dish.

How to make it

Three steps is all you need to make this dump cake.

The filling

For this layer you can use store-bought cherry pie filling, and make this a 3-ingredient easy chocolate cherry dump cake. Or mix a few ingredients in a bowl: pitted cherries, orange juice, and zest sugar, and cornstarch. it's still a super easy recipe, but several ingredients are involved. Images 1 and 2

Cake mix layer

• Choose your oven dish, and dump the cherry mixture in it. Remember you will serve it directly from the pan, so a ceramic or glass one are the best imo.
• Put the cake mix on top of the cherry pie filling, straight from the box, but measuring the amount given in the recipe. Don't mix it with the cherries. Images 3 and 4

Butter layer

There are two ways to do this, and both work:

• Butter slices: cut the butter into thin slices to cover the cake mix. Or most of it, there will be spaces left without it. First, level the cake dry mix a bit (but don't mix it with the filling!) so the butter is easier to add.
• Melted butter: simply melt the butter and mix it with the cake mix, similar to what we do in the Peach Dump Cake recipe.

Top tips

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes are as accurate as I they can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• What type of cake can you use? Any type you like. A favorite of mine is devil’s food cake mix because it's a rich chocolate cake with an intense flavor. But any chocolate cake will do. And you can also use yellow cake mix and make it a cherry dump cake only, no chocolate. Or mix chocolate chips with it and make it sort of a chocolate cherry dump cake. Maybe you'll end up finding a new family favorite dessert.
• Serving it: warm and a la mode (that means with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top) might makes this the easiest chocolate dessert that you won't forget easily. But warm and plain is still amazing. Or serve it with whipped cream for a black forest dump cake, which for me is a perfect combination of flavors.
• Variations: use some pure almond extract in the filling, or mix in some maraschino cherries for a different touch. A brownie mix can also work and can render something with an extra fudgy feeling to it.

Frequently asked questions

Other recipes you might like:

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Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 60
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Few ingredients and minimal work make this cake a delicious dessert for any occasion. You can make it more or less from scratch (with only store-bought components for an easier recipe).

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the cherry layer:

• 2 cans (21 ounces each) cherry pie filling

OR make it from scratch

• 2 pounds pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup sugar
• Zest of 1 orange
• ⅓ cup orange juice

For the cake layer:

• 3 cups (about ¾ of an 18 oz box) chocolate cake mix
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cold (or melted, see Variation in the Notes, below)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Have ready an 8x11 inch oven dish (ceramic or glass).
3. If using store-bought cherry pie filling you only have to open the cans and dump them in the dish, spreading to cover the whole dish. 

Filling from scratch:

1. Mix cherries with sugar, orange zest, and cornstarch in a bowl. 
2. Add orange juice, mix and dump in the prepared dish. 

To assemble:

1. Add chocolate cake mix with a spoon, making sure it covers all the cherries. 
2. Smooth slightly but don't mix. 
3. Cut the butter into thin slices and top the cake. You should cover most of it so that when it melts all the cake mix is moistened. 
4. Bake in the middle rack for 45 minutes and check by lifting here and there the chocolate top and, if there are very dry spots, mix it a bit with the juices in the bottom. Otherwise, they might never moisten. 
5. Bake for 15 minutes more (1 hour in total) until the top is dry and the filling bubbles around the edges. 
6. Serve warm plain or with whipped cream. 

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Notes

Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!

Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes are as accurate as I they can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 

What type of cake can you use? Any type you like. A favorite of mine is devil’s food cake mix because it's a rich chocolate cake with an intense flavor. But any chocolate cake will do. And you can also use yellow cake mix and make it a cherry dump cake only, no chocolate. Or mix chocolate chips with it and make it sort of a chocolate cherry dump cake. Maybe you'll end up finding a new family favorite dessert.

Serving it: warm and a la mode (that means with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top) might makes this the easiest chocolate dessert that you won't forget easily. But warm and plain is still amazing. Or serve it with whipped cream for a black forest dump cake, which for me is a perfect combination of flavors.

Variations: use some pure almond extract in the filling, or mix in some maraschino cherries for a different touch. A brownie mix can also work and can render something with an extra fudgy feeling to it.

Sweetness: the cake mix has sugar, but if you're into very sweet desserts, you can use up to ½ cup of sugar for the filling. 

Melted butter: there is another way to make the topping for this dump cake, and I think it's even easier. Simply melt the butter and mix it first with the cake mix in a bowl. It will be somewhat crumbly and lightly wet. You can watch the step by step in the Blueberry dump Cake recipe post. I find that this method makes for a crunchier topping. 

Keywords: chocolate cherry dump cake

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.