Cherry Dump Cake
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This cherry dump cake comes together with just four ingredients, easy things to keep on hand once you fall in love with the recipe. It’s buttery, fruity, and always a hit, especially served warm with a scoop of ice cream!
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Cherry Dump Cake Recipe
- Only 4 Ingredients – This is a quick dump and go style recipe that gives you the taste of a good cherry pie or cherry cobbler. The ingredients are simple to have on hand for a quick treat.
- Warm And Gooey – This dessert is cozy and delicious, it’s best enjoyed warm with a scoop of ice cream or cool whipped cream. It’s a great any day kind of recipe, with plenty of sweet cherries and a buttery cobbler style top. Expect to have a scoop, not a slice!
- Great For Sharing – You do make a whole pan with this cherry dump cake recipe, so it’s easy to surprise everyone with a warm scoop of deliciousness.
Ingredients For Cherry Dump Cake
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- cherry pie filling – canned cherry filling for pies, see notes in the recipe card
- lemon juice – can be fresh lemon juice or from a bottle.
- yellow cake mix – dry mix only, you don’t need the ingredients listed on the box to make cake.
- butter – melted
How To Make Easy Cherry Dump Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray oil.
- Dump cherry pie filling into the pan. Drizzle the pie filling with lemon juice and gently mix into the pie filling.
- Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the cherry mixture in the pan. Gently break apart any large chunks of cake mix that may have clumped in the box. Pour the melted butter over the top evenly.
- Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly on the sides.
- Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes and serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Cherry Dump Cake Variation Ideas
Swap in Peaches– Replace one can of cherry pie filling with canned peaches for a cherry-peach twist.
Try Half Pineapple -Swap in a drained can of pineapple tidbits for one of the cherry cans to make a cherry-pineapple combo.
Mix in Berries – Fresh berries like blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries can replace all or part of the cherry pie filling. Toss them with 1½ teaspoons of cornstarch to help them thicken while baking, just like I do in my fresh strawberry cobbler!
Experiment with Cake Mix Flavors – Yellow cake mix is classic, but feel free to try chocolate or cherry chip. I haven’t tested all of them yet, but I bet chocolate and cherry would be amazing together.
Add a Nutty Crunch – Sprinkle chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, or cashews over the top just before serving for added crunch and flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions For Cherry Dump Cake
Yes! You’ll need about 5–6 cups of ripe cherries, with stems and pits removed. Mix them with ½ cup of sugar to help create that gooey cherry syrup we love.
Yep, frozen cherries work too. Use 5–6 cups of pitted cherries and mix in ½ cup of sugar. Add them frozen, not thawed. They may just need a little extra baking time.
You can! Bake it up to 24 hours ahead for the best flavor. It’s best served warm, so reheat before serving for that gooey texture. If made too far ahead, the topping may get a little soft.
Nope, don’t stir! Layer everything right in the baking dish: cherry pie filling first, then dry cake mix, then melted butter. Stirring can make the topping gluey instead of crisp and buttery.
Yes, but the final dessert will be less sweet. You can always stir in a little sugar or sweetener to taste before baking if you want to bump up the sweetness.
How Long Will Cherry Dump Cake Last?
Expect this cherry dump cake will last for about 4 days if stored in an airtight covered container in the fridge, or with tightly wrapped plastic wrap over the pan. I find it’s easier to store in the pan, but if you don’t wrap the plastic wrap tightly it won’t last as long in the fridge.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Easy Lemon Dump Cake Recipe
Easy Peach Dump Cake
Caramel Apple Dump Cake
Easy Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake (With Cake Mix)
Cherry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 42 ounces cherry pie filling canned, see notes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix dry mix only
- ½ cup butter – melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9×13 pan with oil.
- Dump cherry pie filling into the pan. Drizzle the pie filling with lemon juice and gently mix into the pie filling.42 ounces cherry pie filling, 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the cherry mixture in the pan. Gently break apart any large chunks of cake mix that may have clumped in the box. Pour the melted butter over the top evenly.15.25 ounces yellow cake mix, ½ cup butter – melted
- Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly on the sides.
- Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes and serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
looks good; simple. Under instructions in 3rd paragraph ” sprinkle cake over cream cheese mixture?”
Hey thanks for the note George, it is appreciated. I went ahead and fixed it, you sprinkle the cake mix over the cherry mixture not cream cheese. Sorry about that!