If you've never tried this Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake recipe, you need to put it on your to-do list. Immediately. This classic dump cake is one of my all-time favorite easy desserts! It's ridiculously simple to make and tastes crazy good.
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Why you'll love pineapple cherry dump cake
This Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is insanely good. It's one of those things that when you try to explain it to someone they are like, "yeah, none of that sounds amazing."
Cherry pie filling and crushed pineapple create the perfect environment to support a buttery, yellow cake mix crust. These 4 ingredients make a scrumptious dessert for a crowd.
Delicious dump cake recipes are the best thing to serve no matter what the occasion. And these flavors together are like a party in your mouth.
Related: Crockpot Cherry Dump Cake - a cherry dump cake without pineapple!
What is a Dump Cake
Yeah. You read that right. This is called a dump cake. Dump cakes are my favorite because they require hardly any work on your part but taste like pure magic.
It's a classic open-and-pour situation. So quick. So simple. And I think this is the original dump cake recipe. The one that has delighted families for YEARS!
You literally just dump and layer things in a baking dish and pop it in the oven. You don't even need to mix. It's perfect for when you have company over and such a popular potluck idea.
It only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes to make a Pineapple and Cherry Dump Cake. Dump Cake recipes are the best last-minute dessert to make when you're having people over.
Ingredients
You can find a printable recipe card for this yummy dessert further down in the post.
- Crushed Pineapple (not the tiny can and do not drain it)
- Cherry Pie Filling (Comstock is a great brand to use)
- Yellow Cake Mix
- butter (or margarine if you have to use it for food restrictions)
I used salted butter but you can use unsalted if you prefer.
Some dump cake recipes call for just one stick of butter. But I prefer two. I like my cake mix crust to be buttery and delicious. And I think 2 sticks is able to give the dry mix a little more moisture.
How to Make a Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
It's as easy as dumping everything into your cake pan or baking dish. But here are step-by-step instructions if you need them.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grab a 9 x 13 pan. Use a cooking spray to lighting grease it. This cake doesn't stick all that much but using a prepared baking pan will help to make clean up a little easier.
Step 1
Pour a can of crushed pineapple in your baking dish. Make sure that you didn't drain it. You need that pineapple juice liquid to mix with the melting butter to create crust magic.
Spread the pineapple out so it covers most of the pan (seriously there is no wrong way to do this and you should not spend much time on it. Just dump it.)
Step 2
Then pour a can of cherry filling over the top. Seriously, this fruit filling adds SO much flavor.
Step 3
Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix over the fruit. Yes, the DRY cake mix. Do not add any of the other ingredients listed on the back of the cake mix box.
Step 4
Try to cover the fruit fillings as evenly as you can. It will look like this when you are done. And even at this stage, it will smell SO yummy.
Step 5
Pour the melted butter over the top of the cake mix. And your cherry and pineapple dump cake will smell even better than it did a minute ago.
The hardest part of this recipe is melting the butter. Why can't I get it to melt all nice and mellow? It always pops and blows up all over my microwave. Melting butter is super aggressive.
Step 6
Bake the Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake for an hour and it gets evenly golden brown and bubbly. And smells EVEN BETTER than you thought it could.
The edges get all crusty and the butter soaks into the dry cake batter...yum.
This is the perfect dump cake to start with as it's a classic flavor combo and always gets rave reviews. But then get creative and try out some other easy cake recipes.
How to Serve Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
To serve the dump cake, spoon a heaping portion into a bowl. It is mostly made up of fruit after all...
While I prefer to eat my dump cakes plain, many people like to serve them with a topping of whipped cream and maraschino cherries. Or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
While it doesn't immediately look like a dessert you would make when having guests over due to its somewhat sloppy demeanor, the taste of this delicious dessert is a total crowd-pleaser.
And your kids and male guests will get a good laugh when you call it a dump cake. So there's that.
Tips
My son had a whole bunch of food allergies when he was younger so in order to make this pineapple cherry dump cake so he could have it, we had to swap out the butter and use margarine. It's not as delicious but a good option if you need it!
Instead of spreading melted butter before baking, you can lay out slices of butter evenly, over the top of the dry yellow cake mix layer. The butter melts in the oven and it will evenly cover the cake mix so it can create its pretty golden crust.
A reader shared that she grates the butter over the top and that helps it spread a little evenly as it melts once it's in the oven!
If you find you have areas of dry cake mix once you've baked it, you can spritz a little water over it to moisten it. I personally don't mind the powder because it mixes in as you eat it.
Add some chopped pecans or macadamia nuts on top next time for an added crunch.
Variations
- You can make this a cherry dump cake with pecans by sprinkling some chopped nuts (almonds are delicious too) on top of the melted butter before baking.
- Make this a cherry pineapple coconut dump cake by sprinkling on coconut before baking.
- White I used yellow cake mix, you can try it also with pineapple cake mix for even more flavor.
- If you have time, this post has tons of comments and many other variations that you can browse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nothing really needs to cook on this cake, mostly you care heating the dump cake ingredients through. The melted butter mixes with the dry cake mix to create a crust. When there are no pools of butter and the crust looks golden brown, the dump cake is ready.
Dump cakes can come in all kinds of flavor combination. But I love this classic Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake so much! The pineapple adds texture and sweetness but I wouldn't say that the pineapple flavor is very strong. The cherry pie filling is a dominate flavor and when paired with that buttery, cake mix crust, it's like the most amazing fruit cobbler you're ever tasted.
Per this article, dump cakes were first mentioned in 1980. Obviously, the name comes from dumping the ingredients into a dish, no stirring required!
Dump Cakes will keep for several days in the refrigerator. I like to store them in their baking dish, covered in plastic wrap if I'm not ready to serve it.
If it's already been served, I'll transfer the fruity cake to an airtight container, like Tupperware, for storage.
It's a pretty hearty dessert so if you aren't planning to serve this cherry and pineapple dump cake for a few hours, you can leave it out on the counter until it's time.
Is This Really the Best Recipe
I know my desserts. And this one is SO sweet and wonderful. I think this is the best-ever recipe for Cherry Dump Cake with Pineapple specifically. The balance of flavors is spot on.
The tart cherry pie filling mixes perfectly with the sweet, crushed pineapple. Topped with a cake-batter-tasting crust, this buttery treat is everything a dessert should be.
It's so good, in fact, I also made it into Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake Cupcakes and made a Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake in the Microwave.
Full disclosure, I can eat a whole pan in two days. Pretty much by myself. It's awesome warm out of the oven and, in my opinion, even better served cold.
And although it is technically a dessert, it also works well for breakfast. And lunch. And snack time...Don't judge me.
More easy dump cake recipes
I'm kind of a dump cake connoisseur.
- Chocolate Caramel Dump Cake
- Peach Dump Cake, Blueberry Dump Cake
- Strawberry Short Cake Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Dump Cake by Live Love Texas. (I have a more traditional Pumpkin Dump Cake you should check out too!)
- Eggnog Dump Cake
- Sweet Potato Dump Cake
- Strawberry Pineapple Dump Cake
Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 20 ounce can Crushed Pineapple Do not drain
- 21 ounce can Cherry Pie Filling
- 15.25 ounce box Cake Mix Yellow
- 1 cup butter
Instructions
- Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with Pam or other spray oil.
- Pour in the crushed pineapple and juice and spread out on the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the cherry pie filling on top (it will not spread out evenly but you can use a spatula to spread it out).
- Sprinkle dry yellow cake mix over the cherries.
- Melt butter and spoon over mixture, as evenly as possible.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally posted March 20, 2013. I've updated the post to include more tips since dump cakes are my favorite recipes and I've made them more than any other simple dessert recipe over the years.
Sandra W. says
Haven't made this recipe for years. Lost the original one that I had from someone at work.
This recipe is absolutely awesome! Tried it both ways; with and without Cool Whip. Good both ways.
I agree, though with you that this will taste even bettet cold.
Thank You for posting this recipe. Can't wait to try the other flavors. I think
that the next one will be the peach one. Made that one a hundred years ago
and liked that one alot.
Sandra
Rhonda Gould says
I had a friend to tell me to add a sprite over the top of the cake mix after adding the cherries and pineapple but I don’t see a recipe that has all the ingredients plus the sprite…will that work?
Jean says
Could you use 2 cans of pineapple instead of cherry pie mix
Carol C says
I always top with chopped pecans and a heaping handful of shredded coconut. Save just a little of the butter to drizzle over coconut. A delicious crunchy topping and it looks nice.
Heather Settle says
I just read your recipe of a dump cake with sweetened condensed milk. Do you think we could do the dump cake w the cherry filling and the sweetened condensed milk also?
Sharon Garofalow says
Hi Heather! Sorry for the late response! YES! You can add sweetened condensed milk to any of the dump cake recipes!
Rhonda Gould says
Thanks Sharon for getting back to me so quickly…I did not try the sprite after all. I follow your recipe and decided the end results may become too soupy and…it was a pan FULL! But best of all, it was a pan FULL OF DELICIOUS INDULGENCE!!!
Which, btw, family and friends devoured! Made me feel awesomely happy ❣️
Best wishes to you and yours in 2023!
David says
I am from the south and we have always served this dish with Cool Whip on top. Try it...It`s a perfect combination!
Lisa Gillihan says
I made this many times, had so many people to think it’s rhubarb pie always a hit never many complaints always an empty’s dish to go home
Sharon Garofalow says
YES! It's SO good! I always try to bring a little bit home for breakfast. :)
Katie Byrd says
Hi there! I love this idea and will be trying it soon!
Suggestion for your butter, if you put it in a oven safe dish while your oven is pre-heating, it melts perfectly! Just keep an eye on it!
Sharon Garofalow says
That is such a great idea!!! Thank you for sharing!
Helen says
I shred my butter over to top of the cake mix. Makes it a little more even.
Lynn says
I love this dump cake, but I do one thing differently. I mix the melted butter into the dry cake mix with a fork and fingers! It makes buttered crumbles. Then just sprinkle over fruit and bake. It makes a delicious crust and looks a bit nicer.
Sharon Garofalow says
Oh!! I love that idea! Buttered crumbles sound absolutely delish!
Charlene says
I’ve made this recipe many times with many variations, but a whole cup of butter! I use 1 stick, cook halfway, and sprinkle sliced almonds on top to finish cooking. Gotta have that crunch!
Sharon Garofalow says
Oh! The almonds sound delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
Christine says
OMG! First time making this. Why have I not made this before, it’s so good and do easy. Thanks for sharing.
Sharon Garofalow says
SO good! I literally can't make it because I end up eating the whole thing! It makes a great breakfast. :)
missy says
My dad taught me to put a separate cup or dish of water in the microwave with butter, melts perfectly every time.
Sharon Garofalow says
That's such a great tip! I'll have to give that a try!! Thank you for sharing!
Joyce says
All you have to do is melt the real butter on defrost and you will have not splatters or explosions.
Sharon Garofalow says
Thank you! I will try that next time!!!
Juanita says
I have made this with pineapple cake mix. I have made that way and everyone loved it.
Lori says
Hi! I only have pineapple in syrup on hand, do you think that could be used?
Sharon Garofalow says
Hi Lori,
I don't think pineapple syrup would work. You want the little bits of pineapple to mix with the cherry filling since it's the only crunch in this dessert!
Helen Ledgerwood says
I think you misread Lori's comment. She did not say she has " pineapple syrup". I believe she has a can of pineapple that is packed in sugary syrup rather than its own pineapple juice, and yes, the cake should be just fine with pineapple packed in syrup.
Kathy says
I made this alot and I also use blueberry pie filling. Yummy
Dawn Moothedan says
you don't need to melt the butter just cut a whole stick into pats and lay them across the top as even as you can.. can even add nuts on top of that if you like them pecans or walnuts.
Sharon Garofalow says
Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing. I'm always looking for ways to make things even easier!! Plus that saves dirtying a dish!
phyllis says
to avoid splatters from butter, wet a coffee filter and place on top of small dish you have butter in. no splatter; also when warming up dinners, use the filters the same way; no splatters at all. been doing this for years. works.
Sharon Garofalow says
That's a great tip, Phyllis! Thank you for sharing!