What Is Dump Cake
Typically, a dump cake is a layer of fruit , topped with dry boxed cake mix and topped with melted butter. No stirring is needed.
The magic that happens in the oven as the dump cake ingredients bake is unexplainable. The juices and cake mix, mixed with all that buttery goodness, is what life is all about.
And because of all the flavor combinations, this dessert idea is perfect for all types of parties and holidays. The dump cake variations listed above show just how creative you can be with this simple dessert idea.
No matter which way you make them, they are full of decadent flavor and fun to share with the people you love.
Have I mentioned how easy dump cakes are to make? You can get even more information in my Everything You Need to Know About Dump Cakes post.
How To Store Your Cherry Dump Cake
This easy dessert recipe is delicious, but it can also be enjoyed from the fridge. For best results, cover this tasty dessert with plastic wrap and store for up to 4 days.
Can You Make a Dump Cake in the Crock Pot?
You can totally make this dessert in the slow cooker! Cook on low for 4 hours or high 2.
Tips For Air Fryer Peach Dump Cake
What could be better than a warm, delicious peach dump cake? Here are some pro tips for making the best dump cake in your air fryer!
- Timing: Since all air fryers are slightly different, watching your dump cake as it cooks up is essential.
- Casserole Dish or Ramekin: Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may be able to make a full-sized dump cake or need to divide the ingredients. I made this recipe by dividing it by 4.
- Crispy: If you want to add some old-fashioned oats to the cake mix, this will make this more of a crisp dump cake. Add about 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats on top of the cake mix.
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Related Dump Dessert Recipes
This cherry cream cheese dump cake recipe has rave reviews from readers! With cherry chessman cookies as the bottom layer, each bite is homemade and delicious.
With the holiday season upon us, pumpkins seasonal flavors appear in many desserts. Try out our favorite pumpkin pie dump cake recipe and this brand new two ingredient pumpkin cinnamon roll casserole for dessert OR breakfast.
Love a simple recipe but want to skip the cake? Try out easy cherry cobbler that uses canned cherries for ease. Highly Rated! We have a blueberry cobbler recipe version too!
If you want to stick to slow cooker dump cake ideas, we have those traditional and classic ones as well. Try Crockpot Blueberry Dump Cake, Crockpot Apple Dump Cake, and Peach Cobbler Dump Cake.
How To Store Freeze And Reheat
- Storing leftovers. Leftover cherry dump cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container.
- Reheat. To reheat, pop a serving in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, until warm.
- Freeze. You can also freeze your dump cake for up to 3 months. Wrap in plastic wrap and again in foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
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Dump Cake Recipe Substitutions And Additions
PEACHES: While our recipe calls for canned peaches, some people prefer to use fresh peaches during peach season or frozen peaches at other times of the year. Just keep in mind that you need the syrup as well, or the recipe will turn out dry instead of warm and bubbly after baking.
PIE FILLING: In place of canned peaches, you could also substitute peach pie filling in this recipe.
SPICES: You might also want to add a dash of brown sugar or nutmeg in this easy peach dump cake recipe.
NUTS: You could also make this great recipe with almonds, pecans, or with coconut in the crust.
FRUIT: If you like to experiment with different flavors for this easy dessert recipe, you could also add in blueberry or other canned, frozen, or fresh fruit as well.
CAKE MIX: In place of the vanilla cake, white cake mix also works fine in this simple recipe.
The Problem With Dump Cakes
As much as I loved dump cakes back then, I have a few issues with them now.
Besides the cringe-worthy name, most dump cakes are way too sweet and can be kind of a one-note experience. Using canned pie filling and cake mix also means loads of preservatives and who knows what else going into your cake.
Also, sometimes when you just “dump” things into a pan, they don’t always bake evenly. It’s important to spread the mixture in an even layer, which is what I suggest here.
And rather than top the cake with pats of butter, this recipe calls for melted butter, which is easier to rake across the top of any dry spots on the cake.
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Ingredients For This Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake
As I mentioned above, this recipe only requires five ingredients. You might already have some of these in your pantry! Youll find a full printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but for now, heres a quick glance at what youll need:
- crushed canned pineapple, drained
- cherry pie filling
- yellow cake mix
Thats it! Just five simple ingredients.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- If you want more crunch to the cake, you can add nuts such as chopped pecans or walnuts on top of the cake mix.
- You can add more spices to the dump cake, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or apple pie spice.
- A delicious way to serve this cake is with some whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream with a drizzle of caramel.
- The cake is gooey and moist, so it can be difficult to tell if it has finished baking. The standard practice of sticking a toothpick into the cake to check for doneness wont work. Instead, make sure the cake is bubbly around the edges of the pan with crispy spots on top.
- Add a handful of shredded coconut to the cake mix before baking for more tropical flavors to go with the crushed pineapple.
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How To Make This Luscious Dessert
This is going to come together so easily youll wonder why you didnt think to make it before!
First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Open your can of pineapple. Strain well, removing excess juice. Place pineapple into the bottom of the dish. Spread evenly.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the pineapple.
Now its time to add the cherry pie filling. Take care to spread it as evenly as you can over the brown sugar/pineapple concoction.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the cherry pie filling. In retrospect, I wish I hadnt smoothed mine down. Rougher would made for a crunchier topping, I think.
You can add the half cup butter one of two ways: either grate it or slice it into thin slices and spread around.
Place your pan into a preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Youll want to leave it for a few minutes so that the fruit has time to gel.
Scoop out a large spoonful and place in your favorite bowl.
Top with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you choose.
How To Make Chocolate Dump Cake
Wait till you see how easy this is! First, pour the cherry pie filling into the bottom of the crock.
Sprinkle the cake mix over the pie filling.
Add the butter to a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, until melted.
Pour evenly over the cake mix.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on High for 2 hours. It won’t be pretty, but it will taste fantastic.
Serve hot with whipped cream or ice cream.
Ready to try this delicious recipe for chocolate cherry dump cake? Its easy to make and will be a big hit with your friends and family. All you need is a few simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now. So what are you waiting for? Get baking!
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Tips For Making Chocolate Dump Cake
TMB Studio
- You can make chocolate dump cake your own by using your favorite chocolate cake mix . The recipe also calls for semisweet chocolate chips, but you can change that based on preference too. Try milk chocolate chips for a sweeter taste, or 72% cacao dark chocolate chips for a richer taste.
- We love a good mash-up of dump cakes and candy, like this Oreo dump cake. If you want to take this chocolate dump cake into Reeses Peanut Butter Cup territory, top it with creamy peanut butter instead of ice cream.
- While this cake is best served fresh, leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you dont want to enjoy it chilled, warm it up in the microwave for that fresh baked effect. If youd like to freeze your chocolate dump cake, cut it into serving sized portions before freezing.
Slow Cooker S’more Cake
No need to gather around your campfire for a taste of s’mores. Instead, gather around your slow cooker to snag a slice of this chocolate dump cake recipe. It gets a double dose of chocolate from the chocolate cake mix and chocolate chips sprinkled on top. Marshmallow crème and crushed graham crackers added before serving make each bite taste like a treat hot from a campfire.
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What If I Dont Have A 9
You can bake this in either an 8-x-8-inch pan but may have to bake it longer if you do.
Or you can bake it in a 9-x-13-inch pan but you will have a more shallow dump cake.
And have less fruit per scoop.
Dump cake can be served warm or at room temperature.
I prefer room temperature.
And I have been known to eat it cold out of the fridge.
You can serve it with either ice cream or whipped cream.
And I suggest also serving it with a little gingerbread man cookie for each person.
P.S. Its a great day to buy my cookbook Holy Sweet!
How To Store Peach Dump Cake
To Store
Before storing, be sure the cake has first cooled completely.
Cover the leftover peach dump cake with plastic wrap or place it in an air-tight container. Refrigerate it for up to 3 to 4 days.
To Freeze
Place the peach dump cake in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
To Reheat
Microwave the refrigerated cake for several seconds and enjoy it warm, as if it were freshly baked!
To reheat a frozen cake, thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Transfer it to an oven-safe dish, if not in one. Reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until warmed through.
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Can I Use Different Fruit For The Cake
Yes! You can use any canned fruit such as canned peaches, pears, oranges, and more. Just make sure you do not drain any of the liquid or syrup. You can also use canned apple pie filling, raspberry pie filling, blueberry pie filling, and strawberry pie filling instead of cherry pie filling. The variations of this cake are endless!
Variations On This Recipe
This is one of those great desserts youre going to come back to, time and time again. You probably wont want to change a thing about this delicious dump cake.
Me, though? Im so adventurous! Im already thinking of ways to change up this quick dessert for next time. Here are some of the ideas floating around in my brain:
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How To Customize Your Dump Cake Recipe
One of our other things about this cake, aside from the simplicity, is how easy it is to customize it to your preferences. Not only that, this one recipe will allow you to make a variety of different flavored desserts so you never get bored!
The main requirements for a dump cake recipe are 1) boxed cake mix, 2) canned fruit pie filling, and 3) a baking dish.
You may find you have a favorite combination, like yellow cake mix and peach pie filling, for example. But you could also try:
- white cake mix and apple pie filling
- chocolate or white cake mix and cherry pie filling
- yellow cake mix and canned crushed pineapple plus cherry pie filling
- white cake mix and blueberry pie filling
- chocolate cake mix and raspberry pie filling
And the list goes on! What would your favorite combination be?
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Cherry pie filling this dump cake is meant to be convenient. Instead of making homemade pie filling for this cake, use canned cherry pie filling.
Crushed pineapple make sure not to drain the crushed pineapple. You get moisture for the cake mix and flavor from the canned crushed pineapple.
Cake mix use any yellow cake mix you like. You can also use white cake mix or another cake mix if you prefer.
Butter placing the butter on top of the cake mix will give you crispy golden tops.
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Store Peach Dump Cake
To refrigerate, store leftovers in an airtight container or place the casserole dish with dump cake in the fridge covered well with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This should be done promptly after the peach dump cake has cooled .
To Freeze, stick to slices of the peach dump cake. It really doesn’t make much sense to make a full dump cake to freeze. Package in an airtight container and the pieces will last up to 3 months in freezer.
Can I use Fresh Peaches?
Yes, you can make the peach dump cake recipe with fresh peaches, but with changes of course. I highly recommend trying it during peach season.You will need 5-6 peaches, peeled, de-pitted and sliced. The sliced peaches are then tossed with ¼ cup of brown sugar .Frozen peach slices can also be used in the same manner. Simply toss the frozen peaches with the brown sugar.Top with cake mix and butter as above.This is also how you can make a nectarine dump cakeNOTE: You may need to adjust bake time, as these options will take a little longer to bake.
Can I use peaches in light syrup?
Yes, though the thicker syrup is recommended. Light syrup will work fine.
Dump Cake Recipes Using Cake Mixes
I love these because theyre so easy using fresh fruit, frozen like our peach dump cake, or pie filling you can make them year round. Let your kids help you as you just layer and many times dont even mix ingredients together. It is a little like a science experiment in the kitchen you can then eat.
I have made them in my Instant Pot, crockpot, and in the oven as well. I dont care how theyre done, theyre an easy throw together dessert thats perfect when I want something sweet.
Let us know which easy dump cake is your favorite, or maybe theres one youve made recently thats not on the list.Id love to give your idea a whirl too!!
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History Of Dump Cakes
How long have dump cakes been around? It would seem they became popular in the 1960s. According to an article titled The History of Dump Cake this recipe really took off in 1968 and 1969. An article about the recipe joked, You may not like the name but youll certainly like the results.
Honestly? I love the name. I think its adorable. It kind of reminds me of that cowboy stew the Boy Scouts used to make, the one where they dumped in a can of this and a can of that until it formed the perfect meal.
Hey, anything thats easy makes me happy. Im a busy gal, after all.
So, dumping a can or two of fruit in a dish and covering it with dry cake mix? Yes, please!
What A Dump Cake Is Not
I am a dump cake purist. And by that, I mean that this recipe is intended to be literally the most simple dessert possible that tastes amazing.
Of course, there are ways to elevate it and make it more legit, but I if Im looking for something super easy to make, Im not about to start adding in more steps.
You can make a more fancy, gourmet-adjacent dump cake like this version. But if youre going to go to that much trouble, might as well make a legit cake.
Have more questions, ready Everything You Need to Know About Dump Cakes. This includes how to serve and store.
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The Quick And Easy Way To Make A Peach Dump Cake
The air fryer is a quick and easy way to make a peach dump cake. This recipe requires just a few minutes of preparation time, and then the cake will cook quickly in the air fryer. This dessert is also a quick and easy way to make a delicious air fryer dessert. So whether youâre looking for a leisurely breakfast, or want to add some sweetness to your day, this Peach Dump Cake recipe is perfect for you!
This Peach Dump Cake recipe is a simple dessert that can be prepared quickly and easily in an air fryer! If you love all things peach, try my recipe forAir Fryer Peach Cobbler oh so good!