This easy dump cake recipe is one of the simplest desserts you can make with cake mix, fruit filling and butter. Just layer everything in a baking dish and bake until the top is golden and the filling is warm and bubbly.

A serving of dump cake on a plate topped with melting vanilla ice cream.

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4-Ingredient Dump Cake Recipe

Dump cake is of the easiest dessert recipes I make all year. You need just four simple pantry ingredients: cake mix, two cans of fruit filling and butter. There’s no mixing bowl and no mixer. You truly dump, dot with butter and bake.

It comes out a lot like cobbler, with a warm, gooey fruit layer on the bottom and a buttery, golden cake-mix top that crisps at the edges. In the fall I switch to apple dump cake and pumpkin dump cake, but this cherry pineapple dump cake is the version we make year round.

It’s about 5 minutes of prep, and we always eat it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a little whipped cream. If you love these old-school cake mix recipes, my poke cake and gooey butter cake are the same kind of easy.

XO - Jamielyn

Recipe Ingredients

Cake mix, crushed pineapple, cherry pie filling and butter on counter.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Cake mix: Any dry boxed cake mix works. I use yellow cake mix most often, but white, vanilla cake mix, chocolate all work depending on the fruit you pair it with.
  • Pie filling: This is the bottom fruit layer. One can of cherry pie filling is our go-to, but apple, peach, blueberry or strawberry are all great. Use one large can.
  • Crushed pineapple: This is the other fruit filling, it adds moisture and a little tang that keeps the cake from being too sweet. Use it undrained, the juice helps the cake mix bake up soft underneath. You can also substitute another can of pie filling instead.
    Butter: Cold, Sliced thin and laid over the top, it melts down into the cake mix to make that golden, crisp topping. I use unsalted, but salted works if that’s what you have.

How to Make a Dump Cake

The process of how to make dump cake in a four step photo collage.
  1. Dump 2 cans of fruit into the bottom of a greased 9×13″ baking dish. Make sure to spread the fruit out evenly in the pan.
  2. Add dry cake mix on top of the fruit. Ensure cake mix covers most of the fruit.
  3. Thinly slice butter and place on top of cake mix. It will melt and bake into the cake mix, creating a rich and delicious topping.
  4. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until the top layer is golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy this cobbler with cake mix warm!

Crockpot method: You can make this dump cake in the slow cooker, which is handy when the oven’s full or you want it ready to serve warm at a party.

Add the fruit to the bottom of the crockpot, dump the cake mix over the top, and lay the sliced butter across it. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours, until the top is set and the fruit is bubbling at the edges. Serve straight from the crockpot.

Dump cake served on a serving spoon.

Recipe Variations

Tips for the Best Dump Cake Recipe

  • Let it rest before serving. Five to ten minutes lets the fruit set up a bit so it’s not soupy. It’s best warm, not straight-out-of-the-oven hot.
  • Cover the butter edge to edge. This is the one that matters most. Slice the butter thin and lay it across the whole top so it melts over all the cake mix. Those dry, powdery spots people end up with almost always come from butter that didn’t reach the corners.
  • Don’t stir the cake mix into the fruit. Dump cake bakes in layers. Keep the dry mix sitting on top of the fruit so it crisps up golden while the fruit bubbles underneath. Stirring it together gives you a gummy, cakey middle instead.
  • Use the pineapple undrained. The juice is what keeps the cake mix from staying dry and powdery on top. If your fruit layer looks light on liquid, that moisture helps the mix bake through.
  • Bake until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges. That bubbling is your real doneness cue, not just the time. If the center still looks dry or powdery, give it a few more minutes.
Close up photo of dump cake on a plate with ice cream.

More fruit desserts we love include peach cobbler and apple cobbler, too!

More Easy Cake Mix Recipes

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A serving of dump cake on a plate topped with melting vanilla ice cream.

Dump Cake Recipe

5 from 142 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12
Easy dump cake made with cake mix, fruit filling and butter. Layer everything in a baking dish and bake until golden and bubbly. A quick, classic dessert.
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Ingredients 

  • 28 ounces cherry pie filling , 1 large can
  • 15 ounces crushed pineapple , 1 can
  • 18 ounce box yellow cake mix
  • 12 Tablespoons butter , cold

Optional: Chopped nuts, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease the bottom of a 9×13" pan. Pour the crushed pineapple into the bottom of the pan. Then top with the cherry pie filling. 
  • Dump the cake mix over the fruit. Then slice the butter into thin pieces (about 24 pieces) over the top. I place 6 rows of butter across the top and 4 down, so it melts evenly. Top with nuts if desired.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
  • Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Cake mix size: We recommend a 15.25 oz box (most brands). Skip Betty Crocker here, at 13.25 oz it’s a bit too small to fully cover the fruit. Pillsbury’s Classic line also comes in an 18.25 oz box, which works great. You don’t need to hit an exact weight, the mix just needs to blanket the fruit so it bakes up evenly on top.
Crockpot: Add the fruit to the crockpot, top with cake mix and sliced butter. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours or high 2 to 3 hours.
Dutch oven (camping): Line with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Add fruit, then cake mix, then sliced butter. Cover and cook on hot coals about 30 minutes.
Store: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave to enjoy warm.
Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a 350°F oven until warm.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 421mg, Potassium: 136mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 505IU, Vitamin C: 5.7mg, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 1.1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.