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Studded with pops of fruit and crunchy walnuts, this easy cherry dump cake is a perfect last-minute dessert!

Dump cakes like our Peach Dump Cake, Caramel Apple Dump Cake, or this cherry dump cake are some of the best easy cake recipes to have on hand.

A slice of cherry Dump Cake on a white plate.


An Easy fruity dessert

I love a good dessert recipe, especially an easy cake recipe. Dump cakes are exactly that! They’re fun because you can be as simple, or as creative, as you’d like.

I tend to lean towards more chocolatey desserts, but every now and again I like something fruity. This cherry dump cake recipe, similar to a cherry cobbler, is ideal for those fruity cravings.

I love that the walnuts add a little crunch to each bite and the cherry and pineapple are a perfect combination. Even better, it takes only minutes to prep!

Cherry pie filling in a white bowl.

There’s a reason it’s called “dump” cake

Recipes like this cherry pineapple dump cake are perfect because you literally dump everything in the pan, give it a stir, and then stick it in the oven!

PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

ASSEMBLE. Pour the can of cherry pie filling and the entire can of crushed pineapples into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the pineapple and cherry mixture; stir until just combined.

Sprinkle walnuts over the top of the cake mix. Cut up the butter into thin slices and place evenly over the top.

BAKE. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy warm!

Cherry pineapple dump cake in a casserole dish.

Recipe Variations 

Though this recipe for cherry dump cake is delicious as is, sometimes fun to try a little twist of flavor.

  • Flavor combos: Create your own flavor combinations such as using the blueberry filling and a lemon cake mix. Or use chocolate cake mix for a black forest cherry dump cake.
  • Cake mix: The yellow cake mix can be replaced with an equal amount of another flavor such as white cake mix, lemon cake mix, and chocolate cake mix. You can use gluten-free yellow cake mix in this recipe.
  • Pie filling: Replace the cherry filling with an equal amount of apple pie filling, strawberry pie filling, or blueberry pie filling.
  • Nuts: Use sliced almost or pecans instead of walnuts. Or add in coconut flakes.
  • Extract: Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of almond extract or vanilla extract when mixing the pineapple and cherries together.

Recipe Tips

Serving suggestion. Serve it in a bowl with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream on top.

Top crust. 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 together. Simply sprinkle the cake mix on top of the fruit, don’t stir, and pour on melted butter.

Storing and Reheating

STORE. To store the cake whole keep it in the original baking dish, otherwise, put leftovers in an airtight container.

  • 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.

Note: If a metal baking pan was used, do not store it in the pan for longer than a day.

REHEATING

  • 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.
  • 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.
A square slice of cherry dump cake served on a white plate.

Recipe FAQ

Can I use any flavor pie filling?

You can! In fact, we love using apple and blueberry, but you could use any flavor you like.

How do you know when dump cake is done?

Because there aren’t any raw ingredients—like eggs—in the dump cake, there’s not really 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.

For more dump cakes, try:

5 from 4 votes

Cherry Dump Cake Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Studded with pops of fruit and crunchy walnuts, this easy cherry dump cake is a perfect last-minute dessert!
Servings: 16
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 21 oz can cherry pie filling
  • 15 oz can crushed pineapple plus juice
  • 1 pkg yellow cake mix
  • 8 oz chopped walnuts
  • 3/4 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 up 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

The box of cake mix I use is 15.25 oz. Also, note that you will only be using the dry cake mix powder in the recipe. 

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 318mg, Potassium: 152mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 355IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 1.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Making this recipe? Tag us!
Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

Adapted from allrecipes.com



About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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15 Comments

  1. 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!

    1. 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.

    1. 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.

      1. 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.

  2. 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?

  3. I’d like the recipe for the snickerdoodle bread that you showed the video
    for. But can’t find it anywhere.