This 3 ingredient Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake recipe is made in a slow cooker to keep things extra easy! With less than 5 minutes of preparation, this is a comfort food dessert that is great for a crowd!
Why this recipe works
If you have checked out my easy desserts before, you already know I’m kind of lazy.
And I embrace it. I love to look for time-saving tricks to get myself out of the kitchen and back to doing something I love.
And this quick Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake means I spend very little time making it and can enjoy some “me time” while it cooks in the slow cooker.
It has your favorite cherry pie and vanilla cake flavors rolled into one dessert and is one of my favorite dump cake recipes to make!
I especially love making this Slow Cooker Cherry Dump Cake when I need to feed a crowd. It stays at the perfect temperature for quite a while and you can serve it right from the counter.
It’s a great dump cake to serve as a holiday dessert since you can make it without using any of that super valuable oven space. And in summer, since you don’t need the oven, it won’t heat up your kitchen.
It’s virtually foolproof and requires no special skills to make it.
While my crock pot is usually reserved for Crock Pot Chicken Fajita Soup, it can also be used for desserts. YEAH!
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Ingredient notes
Just like the classic Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake, this easy dessert is layered into the slow cooker. No stirring required!
I like to look for the cherry pie filling cans that says it has more fruit. Whichever brand you can find that looks like it has a lot of fruit, go with that one!
Otherwise, the cans can be heavy on the gel and very light on the actual fruit pieces.
I like to use a yellow cake mix since it adds to extra butter flavor in the finished dessert.
And you may have your own preference but I usually love to use salted butter in my desserts (I know, not what the experts would say).
Also I’m in the camp that more butter is always better. But you could easily cut this to 1/2 cup of butter and it would still work and be delicious.
If cherries aren’t your favorite you can make a Crock Pot Apple Dump Cake.
How to make Cherry Dump Cake in the Crock Pot
Making this Cherry Dump Cake in the Crock Pot is so easy.
To the bowl of your crock pot add the 2 cans of cherry pie filling.
You can see a spatula in the image above. That is simply to get all of the delicious cherry goodness from the cans. Because remember, a dump cake doesn’t need stirring.
Sprinkle on the dry boxed cake mix.
Do not make the cake mix per the directions on the box, you simply use the powdered mix.
I’m a big fan of desserts with cake mix.
Finally, top with melted butter.
The way the butter and dry cake mix mingle together creates this delightful crust that I totally crave.
Before putting the lid on the crock pot, add a double layer of paper towels. This will help catch any condensation that collects under the lid. The edges will hang out past the side of the lid and that is fine.
This Cherry Dump Cake takes 2 hours (on high, or 4 hours on low) to cook in the slow cooker. And while the crust doesn’t get as crispy as it does when baked in the oven, the buttery cake mix flavor is still there! So YUM!
The best part is, this slow cooker Cherry Dump Cake can continue to cook for up to an hour longer and won’t dry out. It’s not fussy and and may even crisp up that crust even more.
Tips and tricks
- The double layer of paper towels is essential for getting a good texture with the cake mix crust.
- To add extra crunch you can sprinkle on pecans, walnuts, almonds or other nuts before cooking.
- Easy turn this into a Crock Pot Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake by using chocolate cake mix instead of yellow!
- If you feel like your crock pot runs hot, you can spray the bowl with a little bit of cooking spray to ensure that the cherry filling doesn’t get burnt on and hard to clean.
- This Dump Cake is delicious served warm but is also great cold!
- Don’t have 2 hours to wait? Try this Microwave Dump Cake Recipe.
Frequently Asked questions
Scoop a hearty portion of the cherry dump cake into a serving bowl. Because the crockpot will keep it warm, you could add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it would melt deliciously on top. Or simply top with whipped cream.
Move the dump cake to an air-tight container and let it cool completely before putting the lid on. Store it in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Because it takes a few hours to cook in the slow cooker, this is a great dessert to make ahead. You can cook it for 2-3 hours, then turn to warm to keep it warm until ready to serve (up to an hour). Because it is so easy to make, for best results I would make it no more than 4 hours ahead.
It would actually be more work to make it a day ahead of time due to having to let it cool before storing then fully reheating to serve.
Related recipes
Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 15 ounces yellow cake mix (1 box)
- 42 ounces cans cherry pie filling (2 – 21 ounce cans)
- 1 cup butter melted
Instructions
- In the bowl of a crock pot, add 2 cans of cherry pie filling.
- Evenly sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix over the top of the cherries.
- Pour on melted butter.
- Do not stir.
- Place a double layer of paper towels under the lid of the crock pot and place on the bowl.
- Cook on high for 2 hours.
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