This is one of the easiest desserts with two shortcuts: canned peaches and cake mix. A layer of juicy fruit with a cobbler-like topping that bakes to a golden brown and is fantastic! It's effortless to put together, is out of the oven in under an hour, and I give you different options for the topping.
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Pantry staple dessert
This vintage recipe uses pantry ingredients (canned fruit, a box of cake mix and butter) to make a delicious dessert that can feed many and is a crowd-pleaser. You might also know it as a cobbler cake, peach cobbler with cake mix, and peach cobbler dump cake.
Why the name dump cake? The cans and the box are opened, dumped and sprinkled into the baking dish, literally (hence the name), and the butter (cold slices or melted) is arranged or drizzled on top of the cake mix, covering it.
Then the oven does its magic, and you have a baked cobbler-like topping with a bubbly filling. I give you different options for the topping so you can find your favorite one.
Following the popularity of this dump cake recipe, I started trying dozens of flavor combinations several years ago. You can find all of them in this dump cake recipe roundup. One of my favorites is still the chocolate cherry dump cake.
Serving it: as with most fruit desserts, it's fantastic slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. But it's also really good plain at room temperature. Adding fresh raspberries, blueberries, or a berry sauce works wonderfully with the peach.
- Caroline ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have to say I didn't know what to expect, and it was amazing, one of our favorite summer desserts! The topping is so crunchy, I wasn't expecting that, being cake mix and all. Very happy with this recipe.
Testing notes
If you've been using this recipe for a while: I adjusted the recipe to use a whole box of cake mix. Before it used about half of it, but most readers wrote that they didn't want to be left with an open package, so I retested it and now has a different ratio of filling and topping, more like the classic dump cakes. If you already made it as originally posted, use 2 cups of cake mix and ⅔ cup of melted butter, and use topping option 2.
Canned peaches: I like to use the ones in heavy syrup, but that's up to you. All of them work, as long as you like them. The cake mix has more than enough sugar (in my opinion), but it you feel the peaches are too light, you can always sprinkle a tablespoon or two of white or brown sugar on top before adding the topping.
Cake mix distribution: Sprinkle the boxed mix evenly over the fruit so it absorbs juices in all areas. Clumps of dry cake mix are usually from uneven coverage.
Butter coverage is key, and melted butter gives the most even distribution. Pour it slowly and evenly over the surface. A few small dry spots are fine. Large dry patches are not. If needed, drizzle a little extra butter halfway through baking.
Make sure the topping is fully baked. It may be golden brown and the juices bubbling, but lift some of the dough here and there to check that it's not still wet inside.
To reheat it, I like to use the oven, not the microwave. The oven will bring the topping back to its crunchy state, but the microwave won't always achieve that.
To make ahead: bake and then freeze the entire peach dump cake for several weeks. Cover it well with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. To serve, you can thaw it the night or day before in the fridge or warm it in a low oven until the juices bubble up.
FAQ
They are similar, but a dump cake uses cake mix, the type you find in the supermarket. Both have a layer of fruit filling, but a cobbler uses a biscuit or pie crust topping.
It tastes like a cross between a sweet fruit crumble and a buttery cobbler. It's a dessert that combines fresh fruit that creates its own syrup as it bakes with a starchy topping made with cake mix and butter.
A day or two at a cool room temperature should be fine, but I don't recommend it longer than that. Fruit desserts can ferment quickly, especially in a hot environment. Cover leftovers with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate them. They keep well for several days, or a week. I like to warm it up slightly before eating it.
Ingredients
Variations & substitutions
- Nuts: add coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling for a crunchy, nutty flavor.
- Spices: besides the cinnamon suggested in the recipe card, use others like ginger, nutmeg, allspice or a mix.
- Fresh fruit variation: use fresh peaches to make a homemade peach pie filling; the flavors will be fresher, and you know what ingredients go into making it.
How to make a peach dump cake
Fruit layer
Whether using canned peaches with juice or homemade peach pie filling, simply pour the fruit into the baking dish. If using canned halves, slice them first so they're easier to eat.
Topping option 1
The video in the recipe card below shows this method.
Cake mix
Sprinkle the dry mix over the peaches and carefully smooth the top
Melted butter
Drizzle melted butter over it, covering as much as possible. Don't stir!
Topping option 2
Cobbler-style topping
Mix the cake mix and the melted butter together in a small bowl. It might be more or less floury, depending on the dry mix.
Mound the mixture on top of the fruit, covering most of the surface. Flatten it slightly. It will be irregular, and that is fine.
Baking
The top bakes to a golden brown, and the fruit bubbles and creates its own syrupy sauce.
The key is to make sure the topping is not only golden but also fully baked inside, so check by lifting it slightly with a fork here and there. You should not find any wet dough inside. Bake it a little longer if that is not the case.
Family-style desserts
Dump cakes and cobblers are baked in ceramic or glass dishes and then taken to the table and spooned directly into bowls from it. So choosing a baking pan you like to showcase on the table is a good idea. Here are some baking dishes I use.
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Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix (dump cake)
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 30 ounces canned peaches, or peach pie filling
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional but nice
For the topping:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix, about 3 cups. White cake also works
Instructions
- I adjusted the recipe to use a whole box of cake mix. It used about half of it, but most readers wrote that they didn't want to be left with an open package. If you already made it as originally posted, use 2 cups of cake mix and ⅔ cup of melted butter. It will have a larger ratio of peaches to topping.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready an 8x11-inch or a 9x13 ceramic or glass baking dish.
- Dump 30 ounces canned peaches into the dish, spreading to cover the whole surface.
- Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and drizzle with about ½ to ¾ cup of juice from the can.
For the topping:
- Option 1: Combine 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix with 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, in a medium bowl until you have a crumbly mixture with some dry spots. Top the peaches with this mixture, smoothing it slightly but leaving the edges uncovered. It will not cover them completely, and that is fine. Don't stir or mix it with the peach filling; simply smooth it out a little. Option 2: Sprinkle 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix on top of the peaches, covering them completely and even it out carefully without stirring or mixing. Pour 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, on top, covering as much as possible. Alternatively, place thin slices of cold butter over the dry mix (see the 3-ingredient dump cake for reference).
- Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until golden and dry and the filling bubbles around the edges, checking close to the end of the baking time by carefully lifting the topping to ensure it's fully baked inside. Bake it more if necessary.
- Serve warm and plain, with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Store leftovers covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Warm slightly before serving in a medium-low oven.
Ken says
I see these recipes on YouTube where they dump the juice of the peaches into the mix and do not understand the purpose. Some of them look like you could drink the cobbler rather than use a fork to eat it. I personally am going to build a peach cobbler today with canned peaches with gluten free Bisquick and omit the juice except for maybe a half can out of the three cans I will use. Another thing that bothers me about your recipes are the lack of gluten free recipes otherwise I am impressed with the various recipes presented.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Ken, I post about what I have experience with and that is not gluten-free baking. That's the reason I don't have GF recipes in this blog (except for a few old posts), but traditional ones. Have a great weekend!
Cindy Costa says
Hi I want to make this but using home made cake mix. The box ones in the store have palm oil in the ingredient list and I don’t eat palm oil. So if I use my dry ingredients cake mix I’m hoping the dump cake will work. What do you think?
Thanks cindy
Paula Montenegro says
It should work Cindy!
Sheri lynn speis I says
Paula as a brain cancer survivor so far I am looking for quick easy good foods to eat can't wait to try it will let you know, glad I ran across your recipes Sheri lynn speis thanks
Nancy Mackenzie says
This recipe is worth keeping. I will use the homemade filling for this and other recipes. Made my own cake mix (recipes are on line including Make-A-Mix Cookery). The only problem I had with the recipe (and the only reason I didn’t give this five stars) is that when I used all the butter called for, the batter required quite a bit more cake mix to have the right consistency. Turned out great with the adjusted amounts. The next time I made it, I used half the butter called for. It turned out delicious.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Nancy! I found out that less mix makes for a crunchier topping, but ratios can be easily adjusted if you want a more cakey one. Have a great week.
Caroline says
I have to say I didn’t know what to expect and it was amazing, one of our favorite summer desserts! The topping is so crunchy, I wasn’t expecting that being cake mix and all. Very happy with this recipe.
angiesrecipes says
The topping batter looks like biscuit, which I love dearly. A wonderfully delicious and fuss free dessert!