With just 5 ingredients, this super easy cherry pineapple dump cake recipe is sure to become your go-to dessert for cookouts, potlucks, and every other occasion... Just dump, spread, sprinkle, dot, and bake!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury™. The opinions and text are all mine.
Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
Right now you might be wondering, "What is a dump cake"? Well, hold on to your butts (as my 10-year-old would say), because I'm about to rock your world with what is genuinely one of the simplest desserts on the planet.
Okay, so I'll admit dump cake is not the most appetizing name, and it's true (most) dumps cakes are probably not going to win any awards for beauty.
But what they're lacking in name and appearance, they totally make up for in ease of preparation and FLAVOR! How easy? Let's just say I've been making this cherry pineapple dump cake since I was about ten years old...
Jump to:
Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake Ingredients
At their most basic, dump cakes are nothing more than a box of cake mix with some fruit filling. This cherry pineapple dump cake recipe only calls for 5 ingredients:
- 🍰 Boxed yellow cake mix
- 🍒 Canned cherry pie filling
- 🍍 Canned crushed pineapple
- 🧈 Butter
- 🥜 Chopped pecans
In fact, you may even have all of these ingredients in your pantry right now!
Really, the most thought you'll have to put into this recipe is in choosing which cake mix to use. My recommendation? Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme Yellow Premium Cake Mix -- you can find it easily in the baking aisle of just about every grocery store (picked mine up at Kroger!), and I know I can count on it for consistent results in all of my dump cake recipes.
Beyond that, you just dump the ingredients into a pan, spread, and bake. Can it get any easier than that?! I mean, the oven does all of the work for you. Still don't believe me? Just watch the cherry pineapple dump cake video and prepare to be amazed...
How Do You Make A Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake?
This pineapple dump cake with cherries just might be the very first cake I ever made on my own. My grandma brought the recipe home from her "club" and walked me through it once. From then on, I made it pretty much weekly when we stayed at her house on Friday nights. And don't ask me what her club was all about, because I have absolutely no idea what they did there, LOL. Played cards maybe?
Anyhow, because it's SO simple, this dump cake with cherry pie filling and pineapple is perfect for making with your kids...
- Step 1: Start by buttering your cake pan or baking dish. Then dump the crushed pineapple in and spread.
- Step 2: Dump the cherry pie filling on top of the crushed pineapple layer and spread it out.
- Step 3: Dump the dry yellow boxed cake mix over top of the pineapple and cherry layers and spread it evenly to the edges.
- Step 4: Dot cold sliced squares of butter all over the top.
- Step 5: Sprinkle chopped pecans over the butter from edge to edge.
- Step 6: Bake at 350 degrees for 48-53 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown around the edges.
Are you sensing a theme here? DUMP cake!
Expect your house to smell AMAZING and that, one by one (if they didn't help), your kids will come out of hibernation in their rooms to ask what you're making. At least that's what went down here yesterday!
Cherry And Pineapple Dump Cake For The Win!
So what do you think? TOTAL crowd pleaser -- am I right?! This pineapple cherry dump cake has everything going for it: it's easy-peasy, delicious, and it travels well, which makes it ideal for summer cookouts and potlucks. Serve it hot, warm, cold, or with a scoop of ice cream even.
The one constant? The dish will most definitely be scraped clean... So don't plan on leftovers!
Featured Review
Made this for a large gathering for a charity event. There were many desserts available, and I was pleased to see this one was gone quickly!
- Stephanie
Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
With just 5 ingredients, this super easy cherry pineapple dump cake recipe is sure to become your go-to dessert for cookouts, potlucks, and every other occasion... Just dump, spread, sprinkle, dot, and bake!
Ingredients
- 1 pkg. Pillsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Premium Cake Mix
- 1 (20-oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1 (21-oz.) can cherry pie filling
- ¾ cup salted butter, cut into thin slices (1 ½ sticks)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9-inch cake pan or baking dish with butter.
- Dump the undrained crushed pineapple into the pan, and spread evenly across the bottom. Dump in the cherry pie filling and spread evenly over the pineapple. Dump the dry cake mix on top of the pineapple and cherry layers, and spread evenly.
- Dot the squares of butter all over the cake mix layer. Then sprinkle with chopped pecans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 48-53 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown around the edges. Serve hot, warm, or cold, with or without a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: ¾ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 148Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
More Boxed Cake Mix Recipes
If you like this cherry pineapple dump cake recipe, you might also enjoy these other recipes made with boxed cake mixes:
- Box Brownie Recipe For Cookies
- Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe
- Layered Boston Cream Cake (made w/ angel food cake mix!)
- Funfetti Birthday Cake Cookie Recipe (made w/ yellow cake mix!)
- DIY Easy Bake Oven Recipes (your choice of cake mix!)
- Ice Cream Cupcake Cones (skip Olympic torch instructions and frost!)
Did you make this recipe?
I'd love to see how your cherry dump cake turns out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
Linda
Can I use chocolate cake mix and blueberry pie filling?
Tara Kuczykowski
Hi Linda - I've never tried this combination, but as long as you're using the same amounts, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Kim
Can I substitute chopped pretzels for the pecans? We have a nut allergy.
Tara Kuczykowski
Hi Kim - haven't tried this, but it sounds like it would be a tasty substitute!
Karen Moss
My cake stayed gooey even after cooking it 15 more minutes. It tasted like dough. What went wrong ?
Tara Kuczykowski
Hmm, I've never had that happen... What kind of cake mix did you use? Also, just to verify -- you didn't mix everything together, right? The cake mix just gets sprinkled over the cherry and pineapple layer, then topped with the slices of butter.
Wendy Morowitz
I needed to make this sugar free. I didn’t have any pineapple, so I used two cans of cherry pie filling and sugar-free cake mix. I can’t wait to get eat this for Thanksgiving looks yummy. I added a little extra butter.
Mary Laird
The butter recipe cake mix is also better.
Mary Laird
Spoon the pie filling over the pineapples and spoon 2 sticks of melted butter over the pecans and dry cake mix. Makes the dump cake perfect.
Tammi
Can I use white cake mix? I don’t have yellow?
Tara Kuczykowski
Hi Tammi -- sure, I don't see why not. The flavor will be very slightly different, but it should still be delicious!!
Tracy
I'm making this for the first time for Thanksgiving. I looked through a million recipes and kept coming back to this! Easy peasy and sounds absolutely yummy!
Tara Kuczykowski
Hope you loved it, Tracy!! It’s definitely very easy to make.
Mary
Very easy and very, very tasty! This is definitely going in my save file! When figuring calories my count was 392 per serving (12 total servings).
Tara Kuczykowski
Thanks, Mary — so glad you enjoyed it!!
Angel Wilson
I make the cherry pineapple dump cake but use the sour tart cherries either canned or frozen due to the fact I'm allergic to the high sulfite content in the maraschino cherries. It is very good and I top mine with homemade cinnamon whipped cream. I use the sour tart cherries in anything I would have used the maraschino cherries in. Except my moms fruitcake cookies which is a beloved Christmas gift to her many friends every year. I use the dried sour cherries for these. I actually use some of the canned tart cherries in my cranberry salad along with the usual list of ingredients that mirror yours. And the sour tart cherries are very healthy for you. Especially if you have a tendency towards gout like some men in my family. They actually sell an organic tart cherry juice just for that.
Tara Kuczykowski
Thanks so much for this info, Angel -- it might help another reader down the line! The cinnamon whipped cream sounds lovely. I'll have to try that!
J21353
@Angel Wilson, the recipe calls for cherry pie filling, not maraschino cherries. Are you allergic to the pie filling?
Mellissa
Do you refrigerate this after not
Tara Kuczykowski
Hi Melissa! I never have — it has plenty of sugar in it, which is a natural preservative.
J21353
@Tara Kuczykowski, I made mine with sugar free cake mix, sugar free cherry pie filling, and crushed pineapple in its own juice. It is delicious. Do I need to refrigerate it?
Tara Kuczykowski
I've never refrigerated it, but you can if you want to.
Beth
Yummmm I absolutely can't wait to make this!
Allyson Zea
Pineapple is my favorite during the summer! this looks fantastic!
Sandi
The bright color from the cherries make this look amazing and flavorful!
Kim- TodaysCreativeLife
Dump cakes are my love language!
Jaide
This looks so easy! Yes please!
Carissa Nelson | Spoonful of Easy
This is so my kind of recipe - easy and delicious! Plus I love that there aren't any fussy steps, just dump and go! Can't wait to try it!
Sabrina
Doesn't get any easier than this! Love it!
Jamielyn
This looks so easy and delicious!!
Marie
Oh, dump cakes are my favourite, and there's so much you can do with them. I don't think I've ever seen one with nuts before, but cherry and pineapple is a perfect combination.
Amanda
I've never tried a dump cake before, but it does sound really good. I love how easy it is - great when everyone wants dessert, but I'm feeling a little lazy. hehe
Neli Howard
I LOVE how easy and delicious this is! Good idea! Looks very tasty! I am going to make this! This recipe really impresses! I really like! Thank you!!!
Lisa Huff
Love how easy dump cakes are to make! This looks heavenly and hard to believe only 5 ingredients!
Marisa
This takes me back. Love the simple, delicious recipe!
sue | the view from great island
These cakes have always fascinated me, but I've never had the guts to try one. I love cake mixes, they have the best texture...I think I'm finally going to take the plunge and try this, love the flavors!
rebecca
what a great idea! love how simple this recipe is