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Best Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake

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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 fruity comfort food dessert that is great for a crowd!

A white slow cooker in the background with a yellow and white bowl holding cherry dump cake on a table.
This Cherry Dump Cake made in the slow cooker is the ultimate make-ahead dessert!

This post was originally published on March 3, 2021, and has now been updated with updated links, and more information and instructions!

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!

If you’re looking to make a traditional dump cake, this Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is baked in the oven and has been one of my most popular posts for almost 8 years!

Ingredients

Labeled ingredients to make a crock pot cherry dump cake.
What you need to make this slow cooker dump cake.

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.

Directions

Cherry pie filling in the bottom of a white crock pot.

Making this Cherry Dump Cake in the Crock Pot is so easy.

Step 1

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.

A white crock pot with dry cake mix in it.

Step 2

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.

Melted butter on top of dry cake mix in a white crock pot.

Step 3

Finally, top with melted butter.

The way the butter and dry cake mix mingle together creates this delightful crust that I totally crave.

HINT: 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.

A white slow cooker on a counter.

Cook

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!

Tools needed

Click each image to learn more about each product.

6 Quart programmable crockpot and food warmer.
slow cooker
Kitchen Aid can manual can opener against a white background.
can opener
2 wood handled blue spatulas on a white background.
spatulas

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you serve Cherry Dump Cake?

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.

How should I store leftover Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake?

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.

Can this Slow Cooker Cherry Dump Cake recipe be made ahead?

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 – it’s not fussy and and may even crisp up that crust even more!) 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.

Why do I need to use paper towels?

The double layer of paper towels is essential for getting a good texture with the cake mix crust.

Do I have to use yellow cake mix?

No! To turn this into a Crock Pot Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake by using chocolate cake mix instead of yellow!

Help! My cherry filling has stuck to the Crock Pot bowl. This is going to be really hard to clean!

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.

Would you recommend any add-ins to make this dump cake extra special?

To add extra crunch you can sprinkle on pecans, walnuts, almonds or other nuts before cooking.

A few more easy dump cake recipes you might also enjoy!

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Close up of a yellow and white serving dish with cherry dump cake in it.

Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake

Yellow cake mix and cherry pie filling makes this Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake ridiculously easy and totally delicious. It's a simple dessert recipe that is great for a crowd and can be served right from the slow cooker bowl.
4.64 from 11 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 376kcal

Ingredients

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.

Notes

-I prefer to use salted butter, but you can swap unsalted if you prefer.
-You can cut the amount of butter to 1/2 cup if you prefer. 
-Look for canned pie filling which calls out “has more fruit”.
-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.
-To serve this Slow Cooker Cherry Dump Cake, you can top with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or serve plain.
-To store, let the dump cake cool completely then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 269mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 695IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg
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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is the first time I’ve tried a cake – or a dump cake – in a crockpot and it came out just right!

  2. One Crazy House says:

    5 stars
    Do you think that this crockpot cherry dump cake would come out good as a gluten-free cake? I can’t wait to try it!

    1. I have tried a dump cake with a gluten free cake mix in the past and it doesn’t have that great cake mix crust but products have come a long way since then! I’m sure it can be done!

  3. 5 stars
    Wait–you can make cakes in a Crockpot?! Game. Changer. I want to make this crockpot cherry dump cake for Thanksgiving!

  4. I’m already a huge fan of dump cakes, but I’ve never heard of a crockpot dump cake! I can’t wait to try this!

  5. Thank you! I didn’t actually realize I could use my crock pot to make cake. This Crockpot dump cake looks so amazing and I can’t wait to surprise my family with it!

  6. The best thing about making dump cakes, is that you don’t have to worry, “what if the cake falls apart” when you remove it from the pan! {Giggle} I can’t wait to try this crockpot cherry dump cake! It looks so tasty!

  7. MARYE AUDET-WHITE says:

    This crockpot cherry dump cake looks SO good! I love the idea of being able to have something sweet at dinner time without all the work! Adding the ingredients to this week’s grocery list.

    1. And I love that it doesn’t heat up the kitchen because my oven/kitchen combo is the worst. Crockpot Cherry Dump Cake saves the day!

  8. 5 stars
    The thing I love most about a crockpot dump cake is that it makes the house smell so good while it’s cooking. The cherry smell of this one is divine!

    1. All that buttery goodness, right?! There is nothing better than a cherry crockpot dump cake!

  9. I just tried it with 2 boxes of yellow cake mix. How long do I need to cook it?

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