Classic Dump Cake Recipe (3 ingredients)
This classic cherry dump cake (or cherry cobbler with cake mix) comes together with just three ingredients: canned pie filling, cake mix, and butter. It's the original dump cake, the one everything else on the blog builds on, and it freezes well.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 42 ounces cherry pie filling 2 cans, 21 ounces each
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix 1 box; white cake mix also works
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted or cold and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Dump 42 ounces cherry pie filling (2 cans) into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Sprinkle 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix over the cherry layer, making sure it covers the cherries completely. Don't stir or mix it with the fruit!
- Option 1: Drizzle melted butter 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 if you see dry spots. This is important; you don't want to bite into dry cake mix!
- Option 2: Cut 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) into very thin slices and place evenly over the cake mix layer. It should cover almost all of the surface, with some space for the filling to bubble and moisten the dry mix.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges. 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.
- Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. Store leftovers covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or frozen for a month. Warm slightly before eating.
Video
Notes
Flavorings: you can add some extracts, ground spices, or citrus zest to the fruit mixture, depending on what pairs with the canned filling you're using. A ½ teaspoon at most, so you don't overpower the flavor of the fruit.
Storing: treat it like you would a crumble or crisp, keeping leftovers in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for a month, sometimes more. Let it thaw at room temperature and warm it slightly in the oven before eating.
