Name: Cherry Dump Cake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cans cherry pie filling; 1 package yellow cake mix; ½ cup butter (melted); Vanilla ice cream for serving

Cherry dump cakeis a simple and satisfying dessert perfect for a crowd and comes together quickly! This delicious last-minute sweet treat takes just about no time or effort to throw together.

cherry dump cake in a cast iron pan with red filling peaking through a crumbly baked crust and two plate servings.

This was my friend’s and myfavorite easy dessertto make in college, and we always seemed to make it in the fall. Something about those sweet cherries and a warm, crumbly cake went perfectlywith the cooling weather. It was a family favorite of hers, and we just called it “Uncle Grant Cake” after her relative.

We made it and loved snacking on it on Friday nights in my apartment. I’d cook dinner, she’d bring over the ingredients for Uncle Grant Cake, and we’d let it bake after dinner while we watched a movie.Memories like that can make food and certain recipes all the more special,don’t you think?

Overhead shot of a cooked cherry dump cake in a blue and white speckled rectangular pan.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cherry dump cake is theperfect tasty last-minutesweet treatthat takes no time or effort to throw together.
You just dump a few ingredients into a baking dish, mix them up a bit, and let it bake away into asweet, buttery, satisfying dessertthat takes almost zero effort.
It’s a fun one forfeeding a crowd or getting kids involvedin the prep work. Just make sure you have some vanilla ice cream on hand to enjoy with it!

Recipe Ingredients

Cherry pie filling
Cake mix –yellow
Butter

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

top view of cherry dump cake in a white and blue baking dish.

How to Make Cherry Dump Cake

Add pie filling to the bottom of the pan.
Spread the dry cake mix evenly over the top.
Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mix.
Swirl the butter into the cake mix and bake until lightly browned

Recipe FAQs

Can dump cake be frozen?

Yes! Store dump cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight when you want to serve it, and reheat in the oven at 350-degrees for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Does dump cake have to be refrigerated?

You can serve cherry dump cake hot out of the oven. Keep the “dump it” theme going and scoop a big pile into a bowl with your favorite vanilla ice cream! Once the cake’s cooled, you can store it in the fridge covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 5 days.

What’s in cherry dump cake?

Cherry dump cake could NOT be easier. It has three simple ingredients: two cans of cherry pie filling, one box of yellow cake mix, and a half-cup of melted butter. Voila! Easy as pie.

Overhead shot with a scoop of the cake removed and a silver spoon in the empty spot. In the lower right, is the piece of cake and some vanilla ice cream on a dessert plate next to silver forks.

Expert Tips

Cake texture is all about the right storage. Make sure youlet the cake cool completely before covering and storing it,and be sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or an airtight lid.
This is not really a moist cake, but thefilling is moist and the topping ends up more like a crumble or a crisp.
Use a butter knife togently swirl and poke the butter into the cake mix.You can’t really mix it in—you are just working them together a bit.