If you're into easy desserts with maximum payoff, this strawberry pineapple cobbler with cake mix is one you'll want to keep on repeat. It's the kind of recipe you throw together when you want something fruity, buttery, and bubbling without spending hours in the kitchen.
Quick and easy
Also called dump cobbler, this strawberry dump cake with pineapple might be the perfect dessert when short on time. It's quick to assemble, and you can have it on the table in under 1 hour, and the result is crowd-pleasing good.
The combo of sweet strawberries and tangy pineapple makes this brighter than most dump cakes. The cake mix soaks up the juices and turns golden and slightly crisp at the edges while staying soft underneath. And the butter, well, that's the magic that ties it all together.
Dump cake recipes 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.
If you've made dump cakes before, you'll know they're more like cobblers than traditional cakes. They're best served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, but they're also surprisingly good cold the next day when the flavors have settled; I especially like the fresh cherry dump cake, pineapple dump cobbler, and the newly added cream cheese strawberry dump cake this way.
It's a great way to plan a dessert for a gathering, especially for a large crowd. 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.
Testing Notes
- Fresh strawberry tip for unripe berries: Toss the chunks in a teaspoon of sugar to help them release a little juice while baking.
- Cake mix distribution: Sprinkle the mix evenly over the fruit so it absorbs juices in all areas. Clumps of dry cake mix are usually from uneven coverage.
- Pour melted butter slowly and evenly over the surface. If spots of dry mix remain after baking, brush with a little extra melted butter while still hot.
- Ratio: I find that a lower topping ratio to filling is ideal because it's crisper and tastes amazing without being over-buttery or sweet. But, as with most desserts, find your ideal combination of filling, topping, and sweetness.
- 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.
- 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.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- 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.
- Canned pineapple: I like to cut pineapple rings into bite-sized chunks, but you can use crushed pineapple, well drained before measuring.
- Store-bought canned strawberry pie filling: in my opinion they tend to have less strawberries than what I like, so I add fresh berries.
How to assemble a dump cake
This version uses the melted butter over the cake mix, the old-fashioned way.
I also stir the melted butter into the cake mix (see the blueberry pineapple dump cake) because the result is crunchier and bakes faster. But you'll have an extra bowl to wash.
- The filling ingredients are dumped into the baking dish. I make a thin layer of pineapple pieces on the bottom, cover them with the strawberry pie filling and fresh berries, and then scatter a few more pineapple bits over it before lightly stirring to mix.
- Cake mix: scatter it and cover the whole fruit layer, but don't press it.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the dry ingredients. It will have a few dry patches, and that is fine. Don't stir!
- Bake until golden brown and bubbly around the edges.
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Easy Strawberry Pineapple Dump Cake (5 ingredients)
Ingredients
- 21 ounces (1 can) strawberry pie filling, 21 ounces strawberry pie filling
- 1 cup fresh sliced strawberry chunks
- 20 ounces (1 can) pineapple, 20 ounces pineapple, chunks or crushed, drained in part
- 15.25 ounces (1 box) yellow cake mix, or white cake mix
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Dump 21 ounces (1 can) strawberry pie filling into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. Top with 1 cup fresh sliced strawberry chunks.
- Drain 20 ounces (1 can) pineapple and cut into bite-sized pieces. Scatter over the strawberries.
- Drizzle over ½ cup pineapple juice and stir lightly to mix.
- Sprinkle 15.25 ounces (1 box) yellow cake mix evenly over the fruit layer. Drizzle 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, trying to cover most of it. Don't stir! It might have a few dry patches.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
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