This effortless fruit dessert is ready in under an hour and can be made ahead. It has a layer of pineapple chunks, cherry pie filling (homemade or store-bought), and a cobbler-like topping made with boxed cake mix. The mix of flavors is surprisingly good, and it freezes very well.
Dump cakes are family favorites around here and a growing category on this blog, and with good reason: they're a delicious easy dessert recipe option that uses simple ingredients.
They're like sweet casseroles that are even better when served with a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice cream on top.
- Quick and easy. I can't emphasize enough how simple it is to make a cherry dump cake with pineapple, even if you make the cherry filling from scratch. It comes together fast and can be on the table in under an hour.
- Make-ahead. You can make it up to 2 days before and have it in the refrigerator. Or freeze it for several weeks.
- It's a crowd-pleaser. It's especially good for picnics, potlucks, and other outdoor gatherings where you have to feed many. In the summer, the fresh peach dump cake and cherry dump cake are huge hits wherever I take them.
Why is it called a dump cake?
The original recipe uses cans of fruit filling, a box of cake mix, and thinly sliced cold butter pieces.
The first two are literally opened and dumped into the baking dish, hence the name, and the butter slices are arranged on top of the cake mix in an even layer, covering it. A simple dessert recipe that became very popular among busy moms decades ago.
Ingredient list
A dump cake in its original form uses store-bought pie filling. I like to make it from scratch so I give you both options below.
- Dry cake mix: the type you find in the supermarket or grocery store, whatever brand you want. I like yellow cake mix, but white cake works well too.
- Unsalted butter.
- Pineapple: canned is the best option, but you can use fresh if it's sweet.
- Store-bought cherry pie filling.
OR
Homemade cherry pie filling:
Cherries. Fresh fruit is always my first choice, but this filling can be made with frozen pitted cherries, a great alternative for the winter months.
Sugar. This recipe uses light brown sugar, but white works just as well.
Cornstarch. It's used to thicken the filling and create that wonderful syrupy juice.
Lemon juice. Adding citrus enhances the flavors and adds some acidity needed to balance out the sugar and butter.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
Pitting cherries
If you often bake with fresh cherries you do need a cherry pitter. It's a little gadget that will make your life easier.
It's the only part of this recipe that takes a little patience and an apron (if making the homemade filling). Ensure your clothes are covered, as pitting cherries means drops of cherry juice flying around.
Steps to make a dump cake
As the name implies, this is a dump-and-bake recipe.
I changed how I make the topping using melted butter because the result is crunchier and bakes better.
During recipe testing, I had some issues with the topping being too floury because the cake didn't mix well with the butter during baking. Eating dry parts of cake mix is not part of the deal.
Melted butter immediately solved that, and I never looked back. There are more mixing bowls to wash afterward, but I think it's worth it.
The filling ingredients are simply mixed together in a bowl and dumped into the baking dish. If using canned cherry pie filling, simply dump it in the pan and scatter the pineapple pieces over it.
Add the melted butter to the cake mix in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon or fork until crumbly and floury.
Assembly and baking
The topping will not cover the fruit completely and that is fine, as the juices need space to bubble as the dessert bakes.
Top Tip
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.
You can leave it at room temperature for a day. After that, it's best to refrigerate it. Fruit desserts are best kept chilled to prevent them from fermenting too quickly and going bad.
Yes, you can! And it's a great way to plan a dessert for a gathering. The baked dump cake will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, well covered in plastic wrap. Simply let it come to room temperature before serving, or slightly warm it in a medium oven and serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Absolutely! And it keeps for a month. Cover it well, first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil, and label it. Thaw at room temperature and warm slightly in a medium oven before serving.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Topping: after making many dump cakes, I tried several ways of mixing the cake mix with butter, and my favorite is by far the one explained here using melted butter. You can also do it the old-fashioned way, or the original one, as I do with the chocolate cherry dump cake. If using vanilla cake instead of lemon, add some lemon zest to the cake mix before adding the melted butter.
- Filling: I like making the cherry filling from scratch, but store-bought works like a charm if you usually use it. Just open a can! Doesn't get much simpler than that.
- Ratio: I find that a lower topping ratio to filling is ideal because it's crisper and tastes amazing without being over-buttery. But, as with most desserts, find your own ideal combination of filling, topping, and sweetness.
- Storing: treat it as you would a crumble or crisp, keeping leftovers in the refrigerator. You can freeze it for a month, sometimes more. Let it thaw at room temperature and warm it slightly in the oven before eating.
Related recipes you might like:
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Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
Ingredients
For the fruit layer:
- 1 pound of whole cherries
- 12 ounces ¾ pound canned pineapple chunks
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons pineapple juice, from the can
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Flavorings, optional, see Notes below
For the topping:
- 2 cups yellow or white cake mix
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready an 8x11-inch ceramic or glass dish, rectangular or oval. Or a 9-inch square or round baking dish.
For the filling:
- Wash and pit the cherries. Cut them in half.
- Cut the pineapple rings into small chunks and add them to the cherries.
- Add the sugar, lemon, and pineapple juice and mix.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in a small bowl with water and add it to the fruit.
- Mix everything and dump it into the prepared dish.
For the topping:
- Mix the dry cake mix with the melted butter in a medium bowl until you have a crumbly mixture. It should be slightly floury.
- Sprinkle over the fruit layer. It will not cover it completely and that is fine. Don't stir it or mix it with the filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and dry and the filling bubbles around the edges, checking close to the end of the baking time by lifting the topping here and there and making sure it's completely baked inside. Bake a little longer if necessary.
- Serve warm plain, with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Top with the juices from the pan and extra fresh cherries and pineapple if you want to.
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