Cherry Dump Cake is one of our favorite easy desserts because it takes just a few pantry ingredients and barely any prep. Cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, yellow cake mix, walnuts, and butter bake together into a sweet, fruity 9×13 dessert with a golden topping.
We love serving this warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, especially for potlucks, holidays, BBQs, and last-minute family desserts. It’s simple, nostalgic, and always one of those treats everyone scoops up fast.
When you need an easy dessert that feeds a crowd, dump cakes are always a win. If you like this dump cake, be sure to check out our Peach Dump Cake and Blueberry Dump Cake as well.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Effortless. Easy dump cake made with simple pantry ingredients.
- Party ready. Perfect for potlucks, BBQs, holidays, and last-minute desserts.
- Pineapple juice adds moisture. The crushed pineapple and juice help the cake mix bake into a soft, fruity topping.
- Thin butter slices help the top brown. Evenly placed butter melts into the cake mix for a golden finish.
Cherry Dump Cake Ingredients
- Cherry pie filling (1 can, 21 ounces): Adds sweet cherry flavor and creates the fruity base.
- Crushed pineapple, plus juice (1 can, 15 ounces): Adds brightness, sweetness, and moisture to the filling.
- Yellow cake mix (1 package, 15.25 ounces): Creates the easy cake topping.
- Chopped walnuts (6 ounces): Adds crunch, nutty flavor, and texture. Or use sliced almonds, chopped pecans, or add in coconut flakes.
- Butter (¾ cup): Melts into the cake mix and helps the topping bake up golden.
- 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
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.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Don’t over-mix. Just stir the fruit and cake mix together lightly; over-mixing can make the texture dense instead of fluffy.
- Distribute butter evenly. Thin slices of butter spread across the top ensure even baking and a golden, crisp topping.
- Serve warm. This cake is best enjoyed fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
- Try variations. Swap walnuts for pecans, or use chocolate or white cake mix for a fun twist. Replace the cherry filling with an equal amount of apple pie filling, strawberry pie filling, or blueberry pie filling.
Cherry Dump Cake Recipe
Equipment
Video
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!
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.
More Like This
Dump Cake Recipes
Peach Dump Cake
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Apple Dump Cake
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Pumpkin Dump Cake
1 hr 5 mins
Blueberry Dump Cake
1 hr 10 mins
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Jello Poke Cake
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Gooey Butter Cake
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Mississippi Mud Cake
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Collections
This recipe was originally published February 2018.
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!!