Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

This Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake is the easiest 3-ingredient dessert you will make this summer! Cherry pie filling is topped with devil’s food cake mix and butter for a sweet treat: one part cake, one part cobbler, and two parts irresistible.

Everyone will ask for the recipe, and no one will believe how darn simple it is to make!

What Is a Dump Cake?

All Things Mamma readers can’t get enough of my easy dump cake recipes! Aside from how tasty they are, the best thing about dump cakes is that you don’t need to dirty bowls or get out your electric mixer—the ingredients are dumped directly into the baking dish. With this Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake, you’ll pour the cherry pie filling at the bottom of the dish, then top it with the dry cake mix and butter.

Is it magic? It might just be! Somehow, it turns out amazing even without adding eggs or milk or anything else. Here’s everything you need to know on How To Make Dump Cakes!

(Do you love chocolate cakes? Then you must try my famous Copycat Portillo’s Chocolate Cake and my Chocolate Dump Cake, too!)

Easy Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake Recipe

There aren’t very many fruits that pair better with chocolate than cherries, so if you have a weakness for this duo, this is going to become your go-to dump cake recipe. I love making Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake for a summer barbecue because it’s so good topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but what’s great about a dump cake is that it’s easy enough to make on a weeknight so you can surprise your family with an unexpected dessert after dinner.

Really, the hardest part about making Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake is waiting for it to finish baking. It needs about 45 minutes in the oven, so be sure to plan accordingly!

(For more cherry goodness, make my Cherry Fluff Salad!)

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake:

• Cherry pie filling – The whole point of a dump cake is that it’s a super easy dessert, so we use canned cherry pie filling here—two cans, to be exact. Just open ‘em up and dump ’em out.
• Devil’s food cake mix – Fun fact: devil’s food cake got its name because it used to be made with shredded beets, giving it a deep red color. (Of course, the richness of the chocolate probably played a role too!)
• Butter – You’ll need to melt a stick and a half of butter.
• Whipped topping or vanilla ice cream – Technically, this is optional, but I say go big or go home.

How to Make Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

1. Prepare

Preheat your oven to 350ºF, then spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Dump

Empty the cans of pie filling into the baking dish, then use a spatula to distribute the filling evenly. Top this with the dry cake mix.

3. Add Butter

Pour the melted butter over the top of the cake mix. Tilt the dish to make sure as much of the cake mix is saturated with the butter as possible.

4. Bake

Pop the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until it’s bubbly around the edges.

5. Serve

Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then serve your Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake with the whipped topping or a scoop of ice cream.

How to Store Dump Cakes

After baking, let it cool to room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight container to prevent moisture buildup. Refrigeration is optional but can extend freshness, so ensure the container is airtight to preserve flavor. For longer storage, freeze the cake, wrapping it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing it in a freezer-safe container.

How to Reheat

To reheat a dump cake, preheat your oven to 350°F, then place the desired portion in an oven-safe dish. Cover it with aluminum foil to prevent drying, and heat for about 15-20 minutes until warmed through. Alternatively, you can use a microwave to reheat individual servings in 30-second increments until heated to your liking.

FAQ

How do dump cakes work?

Dump cakes are really best thought of as a cobbler-like dessert rather than a cake. They don’t bake up like a fluffy cake, but the liquid from the butter and pie filling adds enough moisture for the cake mix to take on crisp-y, cobbler-y texture when all is said and done.

How do you know when Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake is done?

As mentioned above, this is not a cake-y cake, so you’ll know when your Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake is done not by inserting a toothpick in the center, but by looking for the pie filling to be bubbling up around the edges.

Do you stir a dump cake?

Heavens no! Stirring is not needed. Just dump the ingredients in. It will work out, I promise.

Favorite Dump Cake Recipes

If you’re looking for more easy dump cake recipes, give these a try!

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Blueberry Dump Cake

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Peach Dump Cake

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Apple Dump Cake

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Strawberry Dump Cake

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Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake – Just 4 Simple Ingredients!

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The BEST Pumpkin Dump Cake