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 is as accurate as it 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 at 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 of chocolate cake you like. A favorite of mine is devil’s food cake mix because it has a rich chocolate flavor. But any chocolate mix will do. 

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 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 1/2 cup of sugar for the filling. 

Melted butter topping: 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 with the cake mix in a bowl. It will be somewhat crumbly and slightly wet with some dry spots. It's how we make the cherry dump cake recipe. I find that this method makes for a crunchier topping.