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What is Dump Cake?

Tricia Christensen
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Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 60,355
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Dump cake may not have the most flattering name but it is a dessert that many people rave about. The name cake is a little bit deceptive and some people prefer to call a dump cake a version of cobbler instead. When people are not praising its delicious taste, they’re often celebrating how quick and easy this dessert is to make.

A dump cake is usually a combination of canned fruit, with cherries and pineapples being some of the most preferred. Fruit is usually drained and combined on the bottom of a baking dish. Next, people add yellow or white cake mix, simply pouring the mix right over the fruit. Recipes vary but most then direct people to add slices of butter on top of the cake mix. When the cake is baked it has a lovely top crust that is buttery over a layer of sweet fruit.

It’s difficult to find dessert recipes that are easier to make than the dump cake. With the exception of stirring the fruit, you really need to do very little to assemble this cake. It’s a great recipe for beginning cooks, especially young ones. Even little kids can make these because they usually don’t have to measure ingredients.

You can change the way this dessert tastes by changing fruits you use. Though canned fruits are frequently recommended, you can also use fresh fruit. Some people have suggested combinations that will make these cakes special and unusual. You can find recipes for this dessert made with cooked rhubarb and strawberry gelatin. If you want fruit to be slightly sweeter, you can coat the fruit with sugar and allow it to macerate (soak in its juices for a couple of hours), or if you’re in a hurry, you can use canned pie filling for just about any type of fruit pie.

For those of you who must have chocolate with dessert, there are chocolate recipes for dump cake. These are similar to those using white or yellow cake mix, but instead substitute chocolate cake mix. One popular recipe is a take on the black forest cake, where you place chocolate cake mix over canned cherries or cherry pie filling.

Sometimes the term doesn’t refer to the cobbler like the dessert just described. Instead, some people may call any cake a dump cake if you can mix all its ingredients in one bowl. Usually cakes require several bowls that separate dry and wet ingredients, which can get complicated. Quick cakes are often of the “dump” type and many cake mixes can also be made in one bowl.

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Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
By BambooForest — On Dec 16, 2010

@accordion, that can definitely be the case. I know people who make dump cake differently every time, aside from the type of cake mix they prefer. At the same time, I do know people who usually make it the same every time, but it definitely can be a nice, dessert-like way of using up leftovers- ripe or nearly-overripe fruit, such as browning bananas or old apples, can also be really tasty in this, as long as you remove any large blemishes.

By accordion — On Dec 14, 2010

The name dump cake also makes me think that this could be a good recipe for using up whatever fruits or other sugary ingredients you might have left around your hiuse, such as coconut, nuts, or even candies. It seems in a way like the casserole of desserts.

By anon44394 — On Sep 07, 2009

An easier method is to melt the butter in a measuring cup and pour it over the dry mix. Pie filling is also a good alternative to canned fruit, and I always mix in a can of crushed pineapple, drained, regardless of the flavor. Also, the cook can use one flavor of pie filling on one half of the dish and a second flavor on the other half of the dish, to create two flavors. The other great ingredient is nuts, if no one is allergic. Just add toasted nuts of choice on top of the cake mix and melted butter. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit, for about 30-40 minutes, or until the mix and butter have formed a golden brown, crunchy streusel-type topping.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia...
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