This cherry dump cake is the easiest dessert recipe ever! Grab a few bags of frozen cherries, then top them off with cake mix and butter and you’ve got a delicious, crave-able dessert with minimal effort.
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Last month we published our pumpkin dump cake and it has been so popular that we wanted to bring you another seasonally-appropriate spin on it. This cherry dump cake is the perfect thing to bring to your holiday gatherings – especially when you’re short on time (this one brings all of the cherry pie flavor with none of the fuss!). It has a sweet cherry filling and a crisp, rich, buttery cake topping.
Why is it called a dump cake?
You may be wondering why this is called a dump cake. Whereas most cake recipes involve mixing a bunch of ingredients together to form a batter, for this cake you simply dump all of the ingredients into the pan, then bake. We love this minimal approach!
Cherry Dump Cake Ingredients
You’ll only need 3 simple ingredients to make this dump cake! Here’s what to add to your next grocery list:
- Frozen Cherries – to start, you’ll need 3 pounds of frozen cherries. Many cherry dump cake recipes opt for using a can of cherry pie filling, but we found that between the sweetness of the cherries and the cake mix, using just plain frozen cherries works fine! In the summer months, you can also make this with fresh cherries, but using frozen saves you the step of pitting them.
- Dry Cake Mix – you’ll also need 1 box of yellow cake mix. We use King Arthur’s gluten-free yellow cake mix, but any yellow cake mix will do just fine! If you want to put a chocolate cherry dump cake spin on this recipe, simply swap the yellow cake mix for a box of chocolate cake mix!
- Butter – finally, you’ll need 3/4 cup butter (or 1.5 sticks of butter), because butter makes EVERYTHING (especially dump cake!) better! Another reason this recipe is totally fuss-free? No need to use melted butter, you’ll just slice your cold butter and top with that instead!
How to Make
In addition to those 3 super simple ingredients, you’ll also need to follow these EASY instructions to make (and then enjoy) this cherry dump cake!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the Frozen Cherries – dump the cherries into the bottom of a 4-quart baking dish or cake pan.
- Top with Cake Mix and Butter – sprinkle the yellow cake mix over top of the cherries, then slice the butter and place the butter slices on top of the cake mix (making sure to distribute the butter evenly).
- Bake – bake the dump cake in a 350°F oven for one hour and 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cherries are cooked down!
- Top with Ice Cream + Enjoy!
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Variations
While we chose to keep this recipe super simple, here are a few ways you can make it your own!
- Add Sweetener – While we think cherries are sweet enough on their own, if you like yours a bit sweeter about 1/4-1/2 cup of white sugar, brown sugar, or even maple syrup adds a perfectly sweet touch here.
- Add Extract – about a teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract adds another layer of flavor to this yummy dessert.
- Make it Dairy-Free – You can make this cake dairy-free by using vegan butter or coconut oil in place of the butter.
- Add Nuts – sprinkle 1/2 cup of sliced almonds or chopped pecans over the cake in the last 15 or so minutes of baking for extra crunch.
- Add Crushed Pineapple – Mix about 1 cup of crushed pineapple in with the cherries for a slightly tropical treat.
- Mix in Other Berries – Any berry will work well here, just make sure you wind up with 3 pounds of fruit total!
Frequently Asked Questions
While you can serve this either hot or cold, we recommend serving it hot – preferably in a bowl with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped pecans!
Cherry dump cake keeps for about 5 days. We recommend covering it and storing it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh for longer.
More Favorite Easy Dessert Recipes
Cherry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 3 pounds frozen cherries
- 1 box dry yellow cake mix – we used King Arthur gluten free yellow cake mix
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Place the cherries in the bottom of a 4 quart casserole dish.
- Sprinkle yellow cake mix over top of the cherries.
- Slice the butter and place on top of the cake mix, distributing evenly.
- Bake at 350 F for one hour and ten minutes*, until the top is golden brown and the cherries are cooked down.
- Serve warm with ice cream!
Recipe Notes
- If using fresh cherries instead of frozen, you’ll only need to bake for a total of one hour.
Nutrition
Did you use sour cherries? And do you think it will work in a slow cooker?