If you are a sweet potato fan, I think you’re going to like this easy Sweet Potato Dump Cake!
I took one of my favorite side dishes that my mom makes for holiday meals and made it into dessert. And it’s so tasty! It’s a great Thanksgiving dessert idea! If you like dump cakes, you’re going to flip for this one!
This post was originally published on November 26, 2019 and has now been updated with tips and tricks to make this perfectly every time.
This is not the same thing as a sweet potato casserole! Using the boxed cake mix really makes this into a dessert.
I’m not saying you can’t serve it as a side dish. But I am saying you should absolutely serve it at some point during the meal.
Why This Recipe Works
Like I mentioned above, I took a recipe my mom makes as a side dish and turned it into a dump cake. This is the type of thing I do. I like to make things, differently.
The orange juice and brown sugar in the recipe sweeten up the sweet potatoes and make them the perfect filling for a cake.
Pecans give this Sweet Potato Dump Cake a touch of crunch and keep the texture from feeling too mushy.
And, oh man. The butter. And cake mix. I can’t get enough. The way they work together to create a crust-like topping is perfection. (I’m a big fan of cake mix desserts, btw).
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If you can’t wrap your head around this dessert idea try a Pumpkin Dump Cake instead or an Old-Fashioned Brown Sugar Pie.
Ingredient Notes
Look for canned sweet potatoes in light syrup. These are cut potatoes and not mashed. You can cook your own, but this keeps things super simple which is what you want when you are making a dump cake.
Make sure to drain the liquid from the canned sweet potatoes. This will keep it from getting too sweet potato-y.
We’ll add the moisture back in with orange juice, which along with the orange zest, will add in tons of flavor. You can use store-bought juice if you don’t have fresh on hand.
The crushed pineapple is a classic dump cake ingredient. It adds sweetness, texture and not a lot of pineapple flavor.
Adding the brown sugar (not pictured above) will help to sweeten the dish up to dessert status.
Yellow cake mix and butter create a tasty topping for the cake. I like the flavor the yellow cake gives this recipe but you could try spice or white if you prefer. It will slightly change the overall flavors.
The pecans add a nice crunch but can be left out if you don’t have them. Or you can use walnuts or another nut instead.
A drizzle of caramel when serving the sweet potato cake with cake mix really brings this over into dessert territory. But you can leave it off if you want.
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pour the canned sweet potatoes into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Evenly pour crushed pineapple over the sweet potatoes.
Spread out the orange juice and orange zest and brown sugar.
I always try to keep dump cakes as simple as possible, but if you give the orange juice, zest, and brown sugar a quick stir with the sweet potatoes it will help to distribute everything evenly-ish.
Pour dry cake mix evenly over the top.
Melt butter and pour it over the cake mix.
Top with pecans.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for about an hour until golden brown.
I think you’ll be surprised by how delicious this Canned Sweet Potato Dump Cake is!
The chunks of sweet potato give it a lot of flavor. And I love that they don’t turn totally mushy as they cook.
There is still a savory component to the dish which keeps it from getting too sweet.
But you could cook pretty much anything under the cake mix and butter and it would taste amazing.
How to Serve
Most of my dump cake recipes are equally as delicious warm, at room temperature and cold. But I like this one hot to warm.
Adding the caramel is the perfect way to add another layer of flavor and sweetness and make this really decadent.
I decided it would be a good idea to let each person add their own caramel. I like a lot of sauce on things. My hubby, on the other hand, likes his sauces more subtle.
Topping it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream would be another great way (and still super easy) to add creaminess.
Tips
- If you are worried that this will not be desserty enough, you can use one can of sweet potatoes and one can of apple pie filling.
- While I like to leave the potatoes on the chunky side, you can mush them up as much as you want!
- Add even more texture to this yummy treat by adding coconut to the melted butter on top before baking.
- You can add a drizzle of caramel to the potatoes before baking if you prefer. It will melt in and add overall sweetness. It would be delicious!
- Add cinnamon or other spices to give this dish even more flavor. I kept the recipe similar to my mom’s side dish but warm spices would add another terrific touch.
Or check out my post: Everything You Need to Know About Dump Cakes
Frequently Asked Questions
Since none of the ingredients are raw, the dish really just needs to heat through. The butter needs to melt to turn the dry cake mix into a crust. The crust should be a golden brown and the center should be heated through.
This yummy dump cake can be made ahead of time so it doesn’t compete for oven space during that delicate dance that is cooking at Thanksgiving meal. Like my Pumpkin Dump Cake, this one does not require eggs, or real stirring or anything like that. Just reheat immediately before serving.
I like to store my dump cakes in the refrigerator, tightly covered. If I cook it earlier in the day and plan to serve it a few hours later, I let it sit out. But if it to be served the next day, I will put it in the fridge overnight.
Sweet Potato Dump Cake is unique and delicious! Serve it for Thanksgiving!
Related Recipes
Sweet Potato Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 58 oz cans sweet potatoes in light syrup drained
- 1 can crushed pineapple
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 sticks butter
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- caramel sauce
Instructions
- Pour the canned sweet potatoes into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Evenly pour crushed pineapple over the sweet potatoes.
- Spread out the orange juice and orange zest and brown sugar.
- Use a spoon to give it a quick stir (just to try to evenly distribute the flavors).
- Pour dry cake mix evenly over the top.
- Melt butter and pour it over the cake mix.
- Top with pecans.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for about an hour until golden brown.
- Serve with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Notes
- If you are worried that this will not be desserty enough, you can use one can of sweet potatoes and one can of apple pie filling.
- While I like to leave the potatoes on the chunky side, you can mush them up as much as you want!
- Add even more texture to this yummy treat by adding coconut to the melted butter on top before baking.
- You can add a drizzle of caramel to the potatoes before baking if you prefer. It will melt in and add overall sweetness. It would be delicious!
- Add cinnamon or other spices to give this dish even more flavor. I kept the recipe similar to my mom’s side dish but warm spices would add another terrific touch.
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