Dump Cake with Fruit Layers (Printable format)

A quick layered dessert with fruit filling, cake mix, and butter baked golden and bubbly.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Fruit Layer

01 - 2 cans (21 oz each) fruit pie filling (cherry, apple, or blueberry)

→ Cake Layer

02 - 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or white cake mix

→ Topping

03 - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and sliced into thin pats

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
02 - Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
03 - Spread fruit pie filling evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
04 - Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the fruit layer without stirring.
05 - Distribute butter slices evenly atop the cake mix, covering as much as possible.
06 - Bake 40-45 minutes, until top is golden brown and fruit filling bubbles at edges.
07 - Allow to cool slightly before serving warm, optionally with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It requires almost no mixing or technique, so you can't really mess it up even if you try.
  • The fruit stays juicy while the cake layer becomes wonderfully golden and tender without you having to do a thing.
  • It feeds a crowd, tastes homemade, and takes less time than most people expect.
02 -
  • The dry cake mix must stay dry—don't add water, milk, or eggs, even if your instinct says to. It's the absence of moisture that creates that tender, almost cobbler-like texture.
  • Cold butter makes all the difference in getting that golden, crispy-edged topping; warm or melted butter won't give you the same result.
03 -
  • Room-temperature fruit filling spreads more evenly than cold, so take it out of the cupboard a few minutes before you start assembling.
  • If your cake topping seems to be browning too fast but the fruit isn't bubbling yet, tent the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
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