Peach Dump Cake is one of those easy desserts that everyone should have in their back pocket. With just three simple ingredients and almost no prep, this classic dump cake recipe turns canned peaches and cake mix into a warm, buttery dessert that tastes homemade.
What makes this 3 ingredient peach dump cake such a family favorite is how easy and reliable it is. We’ve made this recipe more times than I can count for family dinners, potlucks, and summer get-togethers, and it never lasts long. The peaches bake into a sweet, syrupy layer while the cake mix and butter create a golden, buttery topping that is so good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you’re looking for more easy desserts like this one, try our Peach Cobbler, Cherry Dump Cake, Apple Crisp, or Peaches and Cream Cake. These are all simple recipes we keep in rotation and make again and again.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- So simple! Super easy dump-and-go dessert with three simple ingredients.
- Party perfect. Great for potlucks, BBQs, and busy nights.
- Peach syrup creates the sauce. The undrained peaches keep the bottom layer sweet and bubbly.
- Butter melts into the cake mix. Evenly spaced butter pieces help the topping bake up golden, not powdery.
Peach Dump Cake Ingredients
- Sliced Peaches in Heavy Syrup (1 (29-ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup, undrained): Creates the sweet, juicy base of the dessert and provides the moisture that helps the cake mix bake into a soft, cobbler-like topping. The syrup also helps the cake mix absorb flavor while baking. You can also use canned peaches in light syrup if you want it slightly less sweet.
- Yellow Cake Mix (1 box yellow cake mix, 15.25 ounce size): Forms the golden, buttery topping once baked with the melted butter and peach juices. Yellow cake mix adds a classic cake flavor, but white cake mix or butter cake mix can also work well.
- Butter (¾ cup butter, sliced into 24 cuts): Melts into the cake mix as it bakes, helping create a crisp, golden topping while adding rich flavor. We prefer using real unsalted butter for the best taste.
Using Fresh Peaches
Replace the canned peaches with fresh or frozen peaches. If using fresh peaches, be cautious about using overly ripe fruit. They might produce too much liquid, resulting in a runny dessert. Peel the skins off and slice them.
To replace the 29-ounce can of peaches with fresh peaches, do the following:
- Pour the peach mixture over the bottom of the dish and proceed with the recipe as instructed.
- Prepare 3½ – 4 cups of peeled, sliced peaches, 1¼ cups of white sugar, and a ¼ teaspoon of salt. (For an even thicker peach sauce, toss the peaches in a light layer of cornstarch.) Add the ingredients to a saucepan and cook until the sugar dissolves and juices appear and begin to boil.
How to Make Peach Dump Cake
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread peaches, with the liquid into a greased 9×13 dish.
LAYER + BAKE. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the peaches. Cut the butter and place the butter slices evenly over the cake mix. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
ENJOY! Serve warm on its own or with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or a dollop of Whipped Cream. However you serve it, we think you’ll love it!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Melt the butter: To save time, melt the butter in the microwave and then drizzle the melted butter on top of the cake mix before you bake it.
- Do not stir the layers: Dump cakes work best when the ingredients stay layered so the topping forms correctly.
- Use a glass or ceramic baking dish: These help the peaches cook evenly and prevent the bottom from over-baking.
- Make it in a crock pot: Dump the peaches and syrup in the bottom of a greased slow cooker. Melt your butter and mix it with your cake mix. Sprinkle over the peaches, making sure to break up any large pieces. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
- Make it a crisp: If you want more of a “peach crisp” dump cake, add quick or old-fashioned oats to the cake mix before baking.
- Fruit alternatives: Blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and apples would all be delicious. If using other canned fruit in syrup, the instructions will be the same, or you can follow the “using fresh peaches” instructions, but replace the 2 cups of peaches with 2 cups of the fruit of your choice.
Peach Dump Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (29-ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup, undrained
- 1 box yellow cake mix, 15.25 ounce size
- ¾ cup butter, sliced into 24 cuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread peaches, with liquid, into a 9×13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle cake mix evenly over peaches.
- Place butter evenly over the cake mix.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Spread the butter evenly: Cut the butter into small pieces and distribute it across the cake mix so the topping bakes evenly and doesn’t leave dry spots. To save time, melt the butter in the microwave and then drizzle the melted butter on top of the cake mix before you bake it.
- Do not stir the layers: Dump cakes work best when the ingredients stay layered so the topping forms correctly.
- Use a glass or ceramic baking dish: These help the peaches cook evenly and prevent the bottom from overbaking.
- Fruit alternatives: Blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and apples would all be delicious. If using other canned fruit in syrup, the instructions will be the same, or you can follow the “using fresh peaches” instructions, but replace the 2 cups of peaches with 2 cups of the fruit of your choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
If you are lucky enough to have fresh peaches you can absolutely use them. Frozen peaches work too. To replace the 29-ounce can of peaches, you will need about 3½ -4 cups of sliced peaches along with some sugar and salt. (see above for directions)
Place leftover peach dump cake in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave if you prefer to enjoy it warm.
Yes, allow the dump cake to cool before wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw before reheating it in the oven.
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This recipe was originally published April 2018.
We have done something similar to this for years in our Dutch ovens. If we use pie filling we add a can of 7-Up or Sprite.
Sounds yummy!
Greetings!
Could frozen peaches that have been thawed out(prior to making this recipe) be used and could non-sugar sweeteners be used or even no sweetener at all? Also instead of boxed cake mixes could this be made with Almond flour or Coconut flour to keep it as low carb as possible? Thank you in advance for your valuable time and assistance with this recipe. I truly appreciate all you do to help us on our journey.
Hi! Yes, you could use frozen (thawed) peaches. I would refer to the using fresh peach section if using the thawed peaches, because you will still want to create some kind of juice/syrup to help the cake. I haven’t used it with just almond flour or coconut flour. The cake mix has a leavening agent in it which helps the cake rise, so I don’t know if just using the flour would yield a successful result.
You could try our easy peach cobbler recipe and try swapping the flour for those flours instead. You might have a better chance of that being successful using that recipe with your substitutions. https://lilluna.com/peach-cobbler/ Either way, you’ll have to let us know what you do and use and how it turns out!
Absolutely delicious. I added, rolled oats on top of the cake. Mix with some nutmeg and cinnamon, and then topped it with brown sugar. Then the melted butter it came out wonderful.
Oh my goodness! Like some others mentioned, I used peaches in juice, not the heavy syrup and added a little brown sugar and cinnamon to them. Then spread out a yellow cake mix on top….also with a little brown sugar and cinnamon added. Topped off with 1 and a half sticks of melted butter. This was SO DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing!
Yummy!! Sounds tasty! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I always hate it when people say they used a recipe and then list all of the changes. And yet here I am. Fabulously easy. I did use fresh peaches as we just picked 5 bushels from our tree. But the big thing I wanted to share with you all was I decided to pick up a lemon cake mix. Absolutely fantastic. And love how easy it is
Easy and delicious! I added 1 cup of brown sugar over cake mix and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans then the butter. Like a crumb topping new favorite
I made this yesterday, (Memorial Day). I looked good, it tasted alright, but the texture left us a somewhat disappointed. I melted the butter as suggested and poured it over the dry cake mix. I left it in the over about 10 minutes longer than was given, because the knife didn’t come out, quite clean. It was more gooey than anything else. I’m just glad that I only served it to a couple family members and NOT to friends and neighbors! Sorry.
It’s not supposed to be clean. It’s supposed to be gooey.
Nancy,
I found that adding 2 boxes of cake mix does better. It has a more cake like consistency with that syrup gooey texture. The cake does not come out watery or too under done. It’s perfect with 2 boxes of cake mix and a 29oz can of peaches. I also used the peaches in 100% fruit juice, not the heavy syrup ones. Especially if you are using 2 cake box mixes. It prevents over sweetness.
Made it and loved it! Making again today for a pot luck lunch tomorrow !
This was so delicious. Used peaches with juice not syrup. Used about a cup of butter and I had to cook about 15 min more, maybe my oven is a little cooler than it should be. Loved it. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Will peaches is light syrup make a lot of difference?
The biggest difference will probably be the sweetness. Heavy syrup has more sugar so it will be sweeter. I imagine it will still taste delicious with the light syrup… you’ll have to let us know how it turns out.
Lil Luna team,
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was super delicious. It was wiped out soon after baking. I did alter the recipe though. 1 box cake mix came out too underdone. 2 cake boxes gives it that soft moist cake consistency and springiness….added to lots of syrupy goodness 🥰 Thank you again so much. My husband loves your peach dump cake.