Cherry Dump Cake

Cherry dump cake is one of the easiest desserts to make! Whip up this crowd pleaser with cherry pie filling, yellow cake mix, and just a few extra simple ingredients.

You know I love baking from scratch. I have hundreds of recipes on this site for cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, brownies, and more, all made from scratch.

But I also love having some quick and easy recipes up my sleeve. They’re the recipes I make when I need to take a dessert to a get-together and don’t have a lot of time. Or when I’m tired but still craving something sweet. Or when my kiddo wants to bake something easy by herself.

I know some people don’t think that using a cake mix or canned pie filling counts as baking, but I say it totally does! 

And I bet your friends and family won’t even know the difference most of the time. Make this cherry dump cake, let the compliments roll in, and never admit how easy it was to throw together.

What is cherry dump cake?

I know, I know. The name “dump cake” is weird. What does that even mean?

A dump cake is simply a cake where you dump the ingredients into the pan and then bake it. For a lot of dump cake recipes (including this one), you don’t even have to pull out any mixing bowls.

Even though we’re calling it a cake, the final dessert isn’t a true cake like when we think of chocolate cake. It’s a little bit more like a cobbler or a crumble, with the fruit filling on the bottom and a buttery, crumbly cake topping.

For this cherry dump cake, we get the sweet and slightly tart flavor of cherries, a little bit of almond flavor, and the buttery yellow cake on top. Serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and you’ve got an easy dessert everyone will love! 

How to make cherry dump cake

I promised you that this cherry dump cake recipe is super easy and I’m ready to prove it to you. In fact, you might already have everything you need in your pantry! 

Ingredients you’ll need

For this cherry dump cake, you’ll need:

• 2 (21-ounce) cans cherry pie filling 
• ½ cup tart cherry juice 
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 (15.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 10 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

If you don’t want to use canned cherry pie filling, you can use 1 batch of my homemade cherry pie filling instead. 

When I am buying the store-bought stuff, I look for the “more fruit” or “extra fruit” varieties when I can.

A little bit of tart cherry juice adds extra flavor and provides the bit of extra liquid we need in the filling. Use leftover juice to make my friend Susannah’s cherry mocktail! 

If you can’t get your hands on tart cherry juice, you can swap it for maraschino cherry juice, cranberry juice, or even water.

I love pairing almond and cherries (like when I make my cherry cheesecake), so some almond extract and sliced almonds are a great addition to this cake. If you don’t like almonds or are allergic to nuts, feel free to omit both ingredients.

Making this cherry dump cake

Grab your favorite 9×13-inch pan and grease it with nonstick cooking spray.

Pour in the cherry pie filling, cherry juice, and almond extract. Give this a stir just to combine everything.

Now sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the fruit filling and slowly drizzle the melted butter on top. If you’re using the almonds, sprinkle them on last.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hour. The top should be golden and the cherry filling should be bubbly. 

Let the cherry dump cake cool for 10-15 minutes before enjoying.

Recipe variations

This cherry dump cake is such a simple recipe, but there are still ways you can change it up based on your family’s tastes and preferences!

• Don’t like almonds? Omit the almond extract and swap the sliced almonds for chopped pecans instead.
• If you don’t have tart cherry juice, use maraschino cherry juice, cranberry juice, or even water.
• Substitute chocolate cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix for a chocolate cherry dump cake.
• Swap one can of the cherry pie filling for a (21-ounce) can of peach pie filling for cherry-peach dump cake.
• If you don’t like peaches, try using your own favorite fruit pie filling, such as blueberry, peach, or strawberry.

More easy dump cake recipes

If you love cherry dump cake, you will love some of these other easy dump cake recipes, too!

Apple dump cake is a great option any time of year, but is extra special during the fall. Serve it with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Cherry pineapple dump cake takes everything you love about this cherry dump cake recipe and adds pineapple and coconut for even more flavor.

Blueberry dump cake uses fresh blueberries and a white cake mix for a summery dessert that’s super easy to make.

Easy peach cobbler may not be called a dump cake, but it comes together in the same way with canned peaches and a box of cake mix.

Pumpkin crunch cake requires a couple of extra steps, but still has all of the vibes of an easy dump cake. It’s one of my favorite fall recipes!