A dump cake is a cobbler-cake hybrid where you literally dump the ingredients into a baking dish in layers - fruit on the bottom, dry cake mix on top, then butter - with no bowl and no mixing. As it bakes, the bottom stays saucy like a cobbler while the top crisps into a buttery, crumbly cake layer.

Why is my dump cake powdery or dry on top?

Dry, powdery spots mean the butter didn't reach all of the cake mix. The fix is to cover the surface evenly: drizzle melted butter slowly across the whole top, or lay thin slices of cold butter in a grid. You can also patch dry spots partway through baking with a little extra melted butter.

Can I use fresh fruit instead of pie filling?

Yes - use about 5 to 6 cups of fresh or frozen fruit tossed with 1/2 cup sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the juices. Pie filling is the easiest because it's already sweetened and thickened, but fresh fruit gives a brighter flavor.

Easy Dump Cake (3 Ingredients, No Bowl)

Name: Easy Cherry Dump Cake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cans (21 oz each) cherry pie filling (or 2 cans fruit); 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or white cake mix; 3/4 cup (170 g) butter, melted (or sliced cold); Optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts

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A cherry dump cake with a golden buttery top over bubbling cherry filling and ice cream.

Jump to Recipe

A dump cake is the easiest cake there is — you dump fruit, dry cake mix and butter into a pan in layers and bake, with no bowl and no mixing. It bakes into a cobbler-cake hybrid: saucy fruit underneath, buttery crumb on top. Three ingredients, five minutes of work, and it’s genuinely impossible to mess up.

The Quick Version

Three ingredients: fruit, cake mix, butter — no bowl.

Don’t stir — layer fruit, then dry mix, then butter.

Cover the top with butter evenly so there are no dry powdery spots.

Serve warm with ice cream — it’s part cobbler, part cake.

How to make it

Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread 2 cans pie filling in a 9×13 dish.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the fruit — don’t stir.
Drizzle ¾ cup melted butter evenly over the top (or dot with cold slices); add nuts if using.
Bake 45–55 minutes until golden and bubbling. Cool 15 minutes.

Foolproof tip: the #1 dump-cake fix is even butter coverage — drizzle slowly in a back-and-forth pattern so every bit of cake mix gets moistened.

Frequently asked questions

What is a dump cake?

A cobbler-cake hybrid: dump fruit, dry cake mix and butter in layers, no mixing. The bottom stays saucy; the top crisps into buttery cake.

Why is my dump cake powdery on top?

The butter didn’t reach all the cake mix. Drizzle melted butter evenly, or lay thin cold slices in a grid, and patch dry spots midway.

Can I use fresh fruit?

Yes — about 5–6 cups tossed with ½ cup sugar and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Pie filling is easiest since it’s already sweetened and thick.

Easy Cherry Dump Cake

Prep 5 minCook 50 minTotal 55 min12 servings

Ingredients

2 cans (21 oz each) cherry pie filling (or 2 cans fruit)
1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or white cake mix
3/4 cup (170 g) butter, melted (or sliced cold)
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

Heat oven to 350F (175C). Spread the pie filling evenly in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the fruit – do not stir. Break up any large clumps with your fingers.
Drizzle the melted butter as evenly as possible over the cake mix (or dot with thin slices of cold butter), and scatter nuts if using.
Bake 45-55 minutes, until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges. Cool 15 minutes before serving with ice cream.

More easy cakes

Part of our easy cake recipes. Like the cobbler vibe? Try easy peach cobbler or apple crisp.

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Easy Dump Cake (3 Ingredients, No Bowl)

The Quick Version

How to make it