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Studded with pops of fruit and crunchy walnuts, this cherry dump cake recipe is a perfect last-minute dessert!
An Easy fruity dessert
When you need an easy dessert that feeds a crowd, cakes are always a win. If you’re looking for a cake that feeds a crowd and you have little to no time to make it – DUMP CAKES are the answer.
Dump cakes like our Peach Dump Cake, Blueberry Dump Cake, or this cherry dump cake recipe are some of the best easy cake recipes to have on hand. They’re always delicious, so simple and always loved.
Today’s cherry dump cake is similar to a cherry cobbler and is ideal for those summer fruit cravings. The walnuts add a little crunch to each bite and the cherry and pineapple are a perfect combination. Even better, one of our favorite easy dessert recipes takes only minutes to prep!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Effortless. This simple cake only requires 5 ingredients!
- Summer cherries. The sweet and tangy combination of cherries and cake creates a classic American dessert.
- Family-friendly. Everyone will enjoy this cherry-filled dessert making this cake that feeds a crowd a perfect choice for potlucks and parties.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
BAKE TIME: 35 minutes
- 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling – Replace the cherry filling with an equal amount of apple pie filling, strawberry pie filling, or blueberry pie filling.
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed pineapple, plus juice
- 1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix – The yellow cake mix can be replaced with an equal amount of another flavor such as white cake mix, lemon cake mix, or chocolate cake mix. You can use gluten-free yellow cake mix in this recipe.
- 6 ounces chopped walnuts – Use sliced almonds, chopped pecans, or add in coconut flakes.
- ¾ cup butter – unsalted butter.
- optional – add ½ to 1 teaspoon of almond extract or vanilla extract when mixing the pineapple and cherries.
- optional topping – Serve it in a bowl with a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream on top.
How to Make Cherry Dump Cake Recipe
- PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- ASSEMBLE. Mix 1 can cherry pie filling and 1 can crushed pineapple and juice in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle 1 package dry cake mix over pineapple and cherry mixture; stir until just combined.
- TOPPING. Sprinkle 6 ounces of chopped walnuts over the top.
- Cut up the ¾ cup butter into thin slices and place it all over the top.
- BAKE. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm!
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Cherry Dump Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed pineapple, plus juice
- 1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
- 6 ounces chopped walnuts
- ¾ cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Mix cherries and pineapple in a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pineapple and cherry mixture; stir until just combined.
- Sprinkle walnuts over the top.
- Cut the butter into thin slices and place it all over the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm!
Video
Notes
- Countertop: Cover and keep at room temperature for up to two days.
- Refrigerator: Cover and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezer: Wrap in freezer-safe plastic wrap then wrap again with tin foil. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
This recipe instructs you to stir the cake mix into the fruity filling so that the cake portion is marbled throughout the dessert. To create more of a top cake crust, don’t mix it. Simply sprinkle the cake mix on top of the fruit, don’t stir, add nuts and butter.
Because there are no raw ingredients, like eggs, in the dump cake, there’s not a certain “doneness” the cake needs to get to. But, when the top of the cake is golden brown and bubbly, it’s ready to take out of the oven.
Countertop. Cover cherry pineapple dump cake and keep at room temperature for up to two days.
Refrigerator. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezer. Wrap in freezer-safe plastic wrap then wrap again with aluminum foil. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Oven. Remove any plastic wrap. If your cherry and pineapple dump cake is already in a baking pan cover it with foil and place it in the oven, otherwise place the cake in a baking dish and cover it with foil. Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until warm throughout.
Microwave. Place an individual portion in the microwave and heat for 20 seconds. Check, then cook in 10-second intervals until the desired temperature is reached.
Where do you find 15 oz cans of crushed pineapple? My big-box store doesn’t even carry 8-oz size cans of pineapple, just the 20 oz size. Do I pour the whole can in the pan, or do I have to measure out most of it, and hope to get enough juice? And thank you for clarifying the size cake mix you use; the older recipes for these dump cakes had 18.25 oz. Thanks for any assistance; it looks good!
You could probably make a 20 oz can work. To be more accurate to the recipe, I’d recommend using about 3/4 of the 20 oz can. But honestly, either way should work fine. You’ll have to let us know what you end up doing and how the cake turns out.
Is there something I can use instead of butter? Thank you in advance.
Bethany, that depends on what you want. If you want the same crumbly topping/texture of the pictures, then the answer is probably not. However, if you will settle for a cherry layer topped by a cake layer, then you could use a 12 ounce can of coke or any other flavor of carbonated beverage. I found a recipe in a book that did this and do a version with two cans of pie filling topped by chocolate cake mix and pour a can of generic black cherry pop over it. This bakes at 350 degrees for 50 minutes in my oven. I’ve also used apple with spice and ginger ale, or peach with yellow cake and lemon-lime pop. Since I have to stick to a very low-fat diet due to health issues, this has been a real blessing for me. It goes over well at church dinners, chocolate and cherries are always a popular combo in my experience. But, you can vary it as you will in my experience. Hope this helps you out.
Thanks for the response and the info, Alice. I have heard applesauce could work too, but I have only ever tried this with butter, so I’m not sure how it would actually turn out.
Why is it that you stir to blend in the cake mix with the cherry / pineapple dump cake and not the others such as the blueberry dump cake?
Wow! love the pineapple with the cherry
hey girl- this cake looks so good!
Thanks Shawna! It was so delicious!
I’d like the recipe for the snickerdoodle bread that you showed the video
for. But can’t find it anywhere.
Was it this one….https://lilluna.com/snickerdoodle-bread/? I hope so! It’s a good one!
Thanks so much I can’t wait to try this at an event in my park.
Hope it’s a hit!!
Do you drain the pineapple? Sounds delicious!
No, it adds the liquid you need 🙂 Hope you like it!!