This dump cake recipe is one of my all-time favorite easy desserts! It’s ridiculously easy to make and tastes crazy good. If you’ve never tried this Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake recipe, you need to put it on your to-do list. Immediately.
You literally just dump things in a baking dish and pop it in the oven. It’s perfect for when you have company over and such a great potluck idea. There’s really no wrong time for this dump cake. And these flavors together are like a party in your mouth.
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This is called a dump cake.
Yeah. You read that right. Dump recipes 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 simple.
This Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake recipe 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.” But I know my desserts. And this one is SO GOOD.
Full disclosure, I ate this whole batch in two days. Pretty much by myself. It’s awesome warm and, in my opinion, even better cold. And although it is technically a dessert, it also works well for breakfast. And lunch. And snack time…
It only takes a few ingredients to make a Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake.
Ingredients
- 1 can Crushed Pineapple (not the tiny can, and do not drain it)
- 1 can Cherry Pie Filling (Comstock is a great brand to use)
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 cup butter (or margarine if you have to use it for food restrictions)
My son had a whole bunch of food allergies when he was younger so in order to make this so he could have it, we had to swap out the butter and use margarine. But it is NOT as good. Like, not even close. But it can be done.
I choose to use salted butter because I love salty and sweet together. And I don’t add salt to anything else I eat (aside from normal seasoning in the pan like real chefs) except for avocados and cherry tomatoes. So I figure my sodium levels can take it.
Are you ready for the amazing dump cake recipe? Hold on to your hats and glasses…
How to make a Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
Pour a can of crushed pineapple in your baking dish. Spread it 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.) Then pour a can of cherry pie filling over the top.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the whole thing. Yes, the DRY cake mix. 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.
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. But I still love it.
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!
Once melted, all you do is pour it over the top of the dry cake mix. And that will smell even better than it did a minute ago.
You bake it for an hour and it gets all goldeny brown and bubbly. And smells EVEN BETTER! The edges get all crusty and the butter soaks into the dry cake batter…yum.
To serve, spoon a heaping portion into a bowl. It is mostly made up of fruit after all…While it doesn’t immediately look like something you would make when having guests over due to it’s somewhat sloppy demeanor, the taste 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.
More easy desserts to try:
- Best Ever Caramel Corn Recipe
- Strawberry Jello and Angel Food Cake Dessert
- Easy Peanut Butter Pie Recipe
- Pumpkin Dump Cake by Live Love Texas. (I’ve been dying to try a Pumpkin Dump Cake. I can’t wait until fall!)
Printable Dump Cake Recipe with Cherry and Pineapple
Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
This is a great recipe for a potluck! It's so easy to make and always a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- 1 can Crushed Pineapple normal sized can, not a small one - do not drain
- 1 can Cherry Pie Filling Comstock brand is always a good choice. I went with an alternative last time and was disappointed
- 1 box Cake Mix Yellow or White
- 1 cup butter margarine only if you have to for allergy reasons - otherwise only use butter!
Instructions
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Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with Pam or other spray oil.
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Pour in the crushed pineapple and juice and spread out on the bottom of the pan.
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Pour the cherry pie filling on top (it will not spread out evenly).
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Sprinkle cake mix over the cherries.
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Melt butter and spoon over mixture.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Pin This Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Recipe for Later
Are you a fan of dump cakes? I love how easy this is to make and eat at home or take with you to a party you’ve been invited to. A Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is a great dessert idea for just about any occasion! Do you make dump cake? Leave a comment and let me know how you make yours!
Lisa Gillihan says
March 16, 2019 at 4:27 pmI 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
March 20, 2019 at 11:08 amYES! It’s SO good! I always try to bring a little bit home for breakfast. :)
Katie Byrd says
May 29, 2018 at 1:47 pmHi 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
June 1, 2018 at 7:38 amThat is such a great idea!!! Thank you for sharing!
Helen says
June 18, 2018 at 11:51 amI shred my butter over to top of the cake mix. Makes it a little more even.
Lynn says
May 9, 2018 at 5:51 pmI 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
May 10, 2018 at 7:34 amOh!! I love that idea! Buttered crumbles sound absolutely delish!
Charlene says
May 31, 2018 at 9:29 amI’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
June 1, 2018 at 7:38 amOh! The almonds sound delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
Christine says
March 17, 2018 at 6:26 pmOMG! First time making this. Why have I not made this before, it’s so good and do easy. Thanks for sharing.
Sharon Garofalow says
March 28, 2018 at 12:48 pmSO good! I literally can’t make it because I end up eating the whole thing! It makes a great breakfast. :)
missy says
December 29, 2017 at 9:05 amMy dad taught me to put a separate cup or dish of water in the microwave with butter, melts perfectly every time.
Sharon Garofalow says
January 2, 2018 at 8:30 amThat’s such a great tip! I’ll have to give that a try!! Thank you for sharing!
Joyce says
May 10, 2018 at 6:54 amAll you have to do is melt the real butter on defrost and you will have not splatters or explosions.
Sharon Garofalow says
May 10, 2018 at 7:31 amThank you! I will try that next time!!!
Juanita says
November 26, 2017 at 6:10 pmI have made this with pineapple cake mix. I have made that way and everyone loved it.
Lori says
October 30, 2017 at 8:24 amHi! I only have pineapple in syrup on hand, do you think that could be used?
Sharon Garofalow says
October 31, 2017 at 12:27 pmHi 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
March 30, 2018 at 3:50 pmI 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
July 29, 2018 at 2:17 pmI made this alot and I also use blueberry pie filling. Yummy
Dawn Moothedan says
October 10, 2017 at 3:59 pmyou 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
October 11, 2017 at 7:22 amSuch 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
August 17, 2017 at 5:08 pmto 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
August 24, 2017 at 6:55 amThat’s a great tip, Phyllis! Thank you for sharing!
Becky says
July 29, 2017 at 12:48 pmI LOVE this cake & easy to make! I have made this several times & even COMBINED two fruits & pecans on top! I tried apple & cherry & I used the slivered BUTTER placed right on top of cake mix! I takes a/b 16 pieces of butter placed all over & around sides- but who counts- right? Served with ice cream & the group LOVED it & came back for seconds!!! Oh, if you want nuts just put them on top b/f baking- enjoy!
Sharon Garofalow says
August 5, 2017 at 11:23 amSounds delicious!!! I’ve never had it with ice cream but I think I will next time for sure!
April Stehle says
February 28, 2017 at 9:15 amI want to try this recipe but I am gluten free, did anyone try it with a gluten free cake mix??
Sharon Garofalow says
February 28, 2017 at 9:22 amHi! I’ve never tried it gluten free but I think it can be done. I found this post that has a link to a gluten free vanilla cake mix recipe. Hope that helps! https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-blueberry-dump-cake/
Emily says
March 31, 2018 at 2:01 pmYes, I’ve used a regular store-bought gluten free cake mix and it turned out great!
Sharon Garofalow says
April 3, 2018 at 4:16 pmThat’s great to hear!!! I love that you can make that change and still enjoy this delicious dessert!
Roger Kvistad says
July 20, 2015 at 11:14 amI found placing a paper towel over a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup to melt the butter keeps it from splattering the microwave.
Linda Fairchild says
November 12, 2016 at 11:37 amI use the butter wrapper placed over the cubes in my 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup. No splatters at all.
Sharon Garofalow says
November 13, 2016 at 2:47 pmGENIUS! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Terry says
April 16, 2015 at 10:01 pmI can’t believe someone else knows about this recipe!! It is amazing. Absolutely for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks! Two things: I thinly slice the butter (use a paring knife) and lay it all over the “dumped” cake mix instead of melting. And it tastes even better with a scoop of ice cream when warm. But cold is great too!!!
Sharon Garofalow says
April 22, 2015 at 7:19 amI’ve never tried it with ice cream but that sounds fantastic! I’ll have to try your butter technique next time too! Thanks for sharing!
Cheryl Searcy says
June 13, 2015 at 1:07 pmI made the cherry, pineapple with some peaches Dump Cake last week for our Mah Jongg group. We served vanilla ice cream on top. They ate it up like there was no tomorrow. LOL…It was beyond delicious.
I have to thank the Pastor’s wife of Grace Church in Maryland Heights, Mo, Mrs Debbie Tucker, she gave me the recipe the week before at a Repass at church.
Sharon Garofalow says
June 15, 2015 at 3:55 pmYum! With vanilla ice cream on top?! I’m certainly going to have to try that!
Darien says
July 20, 2015 at 8:26 amI have been making this since the 1970’s when my moms friend shared the recipe. This is the first cake I could make on my own. Everyone use to love it and we still do. I use the sliced butter technique also. Everyone just loves it!!!
shelly says
March 14, 2015 at 4:59 pmi make this almost every week for our church potluck lunch- people actually sneak back to get theirs and set aside (hide it somewhere) before lunch to be sure they get some of it!!
btw its not necessary to spray or oil the pan since your bottom layer is very juicy.
For mine, I use Butter Recipe cake mix (better than yellow), 1 1/2 sticks margarine (I prefer the flavor/texture! lol), & sprinkle chopped pecans all over the top before baking. :)
also, put a paper plate over the butter to melt it in the microwave in 30 sec increments and you won’t have a disaster. ;)
Julie says
February 22, 2015 at 1:39 pmi love this! I add chopped walnuts or pecans to the top and slice the butter.
Sharon Garofalow says
February 23, 2015 at 1:34 pmSounds delicious, Julie!
Cindy says
February 15, 2015 at 9:51 amThis is so easy and you can keep everything on hand for a quick dessert. I put coconut on top of the cake mix before the melted butter. I’ve made it several different ways and it’s always good. GREAT warm with vanilla icecream.
Sharon Garofalow says
February 16, 2015 at 1:50 pmOMG! The coconut sounds amazing! I’m going to have to give that a try!
cindi says
February 14, 2015 at 4:32 pmI do it all in crockpot on high for 2hours,yummy
Sharon Garofalow says
February 16, 2015 at 1:51 pmSuch a great idea! I’ve never thought to try it in a crockpot!
Lauran says
December 15, 2014 at 1:35 amWe had this served at church the other night and it was AMAZING! Definitely a keeper!
Sharon Garofalow says
January 8, 2015 at 1:10 pmAnd so easy!!!
Carole Shumpert says
November 23, 2014 at 12:56 pmYou don’t have to melt the butter….. Just slice it into little slivers and place all over the top- works just fine & I use less butter… 1 1/2 sticks
Samantha says
September 4, 2014 at 7:45 pmGrew up eating this cake, always a favorite. We always just sliced the butter and placed it around the top. Came out great every time.
Sharon Garofalow says
September 5, 2014 at 1:42 pmLove to hear that! That is even one step easier!
Rose Martinez says
March 18, 2014 at 1:13 pmI added coconut then chopped pecans on top of the butter then baked the cake.
Sharon Garofalow says
March 18, 2014 at 1:50 pmSounds delicious!!!!
Robin says
November 28, 2013 at 10:05 amMy step grandmother shared this recipe with me years ago. I love it. The yellow Jiffy cake mix is much better though.
Sharon Garofalow says
November 29, 2013 at 11:06 amThank you for the tip! Jiffy, like the brand that makes the blueberry muffin mixes? I don’t think I’ve ever seen cake mix by them! I’ll be on the lookout!
pattie says
July 3, 2013 at 11:46 pmlooks super duper delish! Totally making it this weekend.
Kyla @ Funky PolkaDot Giraffe says
July 3, 2013 at 11:07 pmLove a good dump cake! This looks yummy.