This chocolate cherry dump cake is one of the easiest dessert recipes I make when I need something quick, warm, and crowd-friendly. With just three ingredients and less than 10 minutes of prep, it bakes into a rich chocolate, cherry-filled dessert that tastes like a cross between a cobbler and a fudgy cake.
Devil’s food cake mix creates a crisp topping. It’s perfect for holidays, potlucks, or any night when you want an easy dessert without a long ingredient list. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
What is dump cake?
Dump cakes are exactly what they sound like. You “dump” the ingredients into a baking dish, layer them, and bake, typically without mixing. Most dump cake recipes use canned fruit or pie filling, a dry cake mix, and butter on top. It's more like a cobbler than anything else.
If you enjoy this chocolate cherry version, you might also like my cherry dump cake with yellow cake mix, peach dump cake, or blueberry dump cake.
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Shortcut Notes
- Only 3 ingredients: This recipe uses cherry pie filling, cake mix, and butter for a simple, no-fuss dessert.
- No mixing required: Layer everything right in the baking dish and bake.
- Minimal prep time: You only need about five to ten minutes to get this into the oven.
Ingredient Breakdown
- Cherry pie filling: A sweet and slightly tart canned filling that creates a gooey fruit base.
- Devil’s food cake mix: A rich chocolate cake mix that forms a fudgy topping with crisp edges.
- Unsalted butter: Melted and poured over the dry mix to help create a crisp, golden topping.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175°C). Lightly grease the sides of 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.
Slowly pour the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mix. Do not mix.
Tip: If there are dry patches, you can use the back of a spoon to nudge the butter into place.
Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling actively around the edges and the top is crisp.
Cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Substitutions
- Cherry pie filling: Use blueberry, strawberry, or apple pie filling for a different flavor.
- Devil’s food cake mix: Swap with chocolate or chocolate fudge cake mix.
Behind the Recipe
Dump cake is something I fell in love with because it's an easy dessert recipe, and it serves a crowd. I love how the filling bubbles up around the edges and creates an easy cobbler.
My top tip is to cover the dry spots with butter. Also, level the cake mix gently so it forms an even layer over the cherry filling.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear what you think! Please take a moment to leave a rating and review—it helps me create high-quality recipes and lets others know what to expect.
FAQ
Fresh cherries won’t provide enough liquid on their own. You would need to wash and pit the cherries, cut them in half, and cook them with sugar, water, and corn starch.
This usually means the butter wasn’t evenly spread. Try to cover all dry spots before baking.
You can assemble this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. Wait to add the butter until just before it goes in the oven so the topping bakes up evenly. If you’re baking it straight from the fridge, add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
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📖 Recipe
3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (21-ounce) cans cherry pie filling
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat to 350ºF (175°C). Lightly grease the sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Add cherries: Pour both cans of cherry pie filling into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom.
- Add cake mix: 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.
- Add butter: Pour the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mix. Use the back of a spoon to spread the butter over any dry spots. Do not mix.
- Bake: Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling actively around the edges and the top is crisp. Cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
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Kelsey Smith says
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