This 3-ingredient cherry dump cake is one of the easiest desserts, made with cherry pie filling, a box of yellow cake mix, and unsalted butter.
Cherry dump cake is more like a cherry cobbler than a cake. The butter melts into the cake mix as it bakes, making a sweet cookie-like crumble. Make this recipe your own by choosing your favorite pie filling and cake mix flavors.
If you like dump cake, try my chocolate cherry dump cake next.
Shortcut Notes
- Simple ingredients: Cherry pie filling, a box of yellow cake mix, and unsalted butter.
- Easy to make: Easy dump cake recipes take no time at all to throw together. It's a perfect dessert when you need a dish with little-to-no prep time.
- Family favorite: This easy recipe is one of my favorite desserts.
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Ingredients
- boxed yellow cake mix
- cherry pie filling
- unsalted butter
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Pour both cans of cherry pie filling into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the cherry pie filling. Gently smooth the surface with clean, dry hands or the back of a spatula without pressing down too hard.
If slicing the butter: Evenly distribute the thin butter slices over the top of the cake mix.
If melting the butter: Slowly pour the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mix. Do not mix.
Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling actively around the edges and the top is deep golden-brown and crisp.
Cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.
Substitutions
Even though this recipe only calls for three simple ingredients, you can still customize this dessert to your liking.
- Cherry pie filling - Make this recipe your own by choosing your favorite pie filling. This recipe is great with apple pie filling, strawberry pie filling, peach pie filling, and blueberry pie filling. Try my blueberry dump cake and my cake mix peach cobbler.
- Yellow cake mix - Use any box of cake mix. Try this with chocolate cake mix (chocolate cherry dump cake? yum!), devil's food cake mix, lemon cake mix, or white cake mix. Use your favorite type of cake.
- Salted butter - A stick of salted butter is preferred, but this can be made with butter from a tub or an unsalted stick of butter as well. Alternatively, you could use melted butter.
FAQ
Cherry dump cake can be made ahead of time. Assemble, bake, cool, and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Serve this delicious dessert chilled, allow the dish to come to room temperature, or reheat it in the oven.
Dump cake with fruit filling is gooey similar to a fruit cobbler.
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📖 Recipe
3-Ingredient Cherry Dump Cake
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (21-ounce) cans cherry pie filling
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cut into 24 slices OR melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Pour both cans of cherry pie filling into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the cherry pie filling. Gently smooth the surface with clean, dry hands or the back of a spatula without pressing down too hard.
- If slicing the butter: Evenly distribute the thin butter slices over the top of the cake mix. If melting the butter: Slowly pour the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mix. Do not mix.
- Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling actively around the edges and the top is deep golden-brown and crisp. Cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
Food can sit out for up to two hours at room temperature. If the temperature is above 90°F, food should not be left out for more than 1 hour. Read more at USDA.gov.
Karen Lines says
How is this cherry dump cake after being frozen?
Kelsey Smith says
The cherry filling holds up well. The cake topping layer softens slightly in the freezer, but reheating it in the oven helps.
Deby Fletcher says
Kelsey, Could I 1/2 this recipe and use an 8x8 pan?
Thank you, Deby
Kelsey Smith says
Yes, definitely!
Denise says
I have made this in past but slightly different. When I was given the original recipe it also included a can of pineapple (and only 1 can pie filling). Dump a can of crushed pineapple, juice included. Gently plop/spread the cherry pie filling on top of the pineapple (do not "mix" it ) . In a seperate bowl, mix a yellow or white cake mix with 6** to 8 TBLSP melted butter with a fork. It will be wet like sand. Sprinkle/plop on top of the pie filling. Bake at 350F til lightly browned. ** I didn't have a full stick of butter and only had 5 or 6 TBSP. It worked just fine. [Mixing the cake mix with melted butter won't leave dry spots] This also tastes great with blueberry pie filling.
Kelsey Smith says
Pineapple sounds great!
Jennie says
Can you freeze the dump cake for later use?
Kelsey Smith says
Hey Jennie, I replied earlier today and I realized this isn't the cake I thought you were asking about. Yes, you can freeze this, you can lay down a layer of plastic wrap on top and then a layer of foil for extra protection.
Veronica says
I tried this recipe. It only partially baked. What went wrong!
Kelsey Smith says
My guess would be related to butter placement, any issues there?
Lisa Smith says
Great recipe for a superbowl dessert!!!