How to make a super easy cherry dump cake with pie filling, pecans, and a gluten-free cake mix. Best recipe for a simple dessert everyone will love!
If you love an easy recipe, you're going to love this dump cake recipe. It is probably the easiest dessert I've ever made.
My friend Linda, from Life on Summerhill, shared this cherry dump cake recipe with me while we were on a retreat in Florida together. In fact, she made it for our whole group so we could try it.
It was delicious, and I knew I had to share the recipe with y'all. And since then, I've enjoyed switching it up, making peach dump cake, caramel apple dump cake, Crock Pot apple dump cake, and more.
The possibilities for dump cake are endless, y'all. But there is something pretty special about this particular cherry pineapple dump cake.
Did I say pineapple? Yes, I did, because not only does it have cherry in it, it also has crushed pineapple.
And you can make this cake gluten-free or chock full of gluten, whichever is your preference… I'll explain below.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my baking tips, important baking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card and how to video.
WHAT IS A DUMP CAKE?
Don't worry, I wondered the same thing.
But a dump cake is essentially just that. It's a cake you basically dump into a baking dish and bake.
There's no mixing, no stirring, no work to it at all really, besides layering your ingredients in a baking dish.
HOW TO MAKE CHERRY DUMP CAKE
Making this dump cake with pie filling involves 4 basic steps. But first be sure to give your baking pan a light coat of cooking spray.
- In the bottom of a greased baking dish, layer a full undrained can of crushed pineapple with juice (juice, not syrup).
- Next add a layer of cherry pie filling on top of the pineapple, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Note: Make sure you use a gluten-free pie filling.
- Dump a box of yellow cake mix (just the dry cake mix) all over the pie filling, spreading it out evenly with your fingers if need be.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans over the cake mix; then thinly slice the butter over every inch of the top of the cake.
Then you just bake it for about an hour, per the instructions in the recipe card below. Easy peasy!
And when you go to serve it, it pairs deliciously well with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream. Of course, a nice dollop of whipped cream will top it off almost as well as ice cream.
This is the perfect dessert to serve at a potluck or get together.
Speaking of get togethers, Linda (my friend who shared her recipe with me) has the most beautiful 4th of July tablescape that will fill your holiday with gorgeous shades of red, white, and blue.
DON'T NEED “GLUTEN-FREE” CHERRY DUMP CAKE?
You don't have to make a gluten-free dump cake if you don't want or need it. You can still make a dump cake with yellow cake mix.
Just switch out the gluten-free cake mix for a regular cake mix, and you're good to go.
DOES CHERRY DUMP CAKE NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED?
While it's best served warm, I do recommend you place any remaining leftovers in the fridge.
CAN CHERRY DUMP CAKE BE FROZEN?
Yes, you can freeze this dessert.
It should keep in the freezer for at least 3 months; just be sure to store it in an airtight container so it doesn't get freezer burn.
CAN I MAKE THIS A CROCK POT DUMP CAKE?
Yes, you can!
In fact, you'd follow the same instructions for layering.
As for cooking, it will need to cook longer in a slow cooker or Crock Pot. It will likely need to cook around 3 to 4 hours on low, or just a couple of hours on high.
ALTERNATIVE DUMP CAKE INGREDIENTS
There are a few things you can do to switch this recipe up.
- Ditch the pineapple and just use 2 cans of cherry pie filling instead.
- Use a different flavor pie filling, like peach or apple or blueberry.
- Use walnuts or almonds instead of pecans.
- Use a chocolate cake mix and make a chocolate cherry dump cake. Yum!
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Easy Gluten-Free Cherry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 1 can crushed pineapple*
- 1 can cherry pie filling**
- 1 gluten-free yellow cake mix
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 16 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9"x13" pan.
- Dump the crushed pineapple (with juice) and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan.
- Dump the pie filling, spreading it evenly over the pineapple.
- Dump the dry cake mix over the pie filling, making sure it's spread evenly all around the pan.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans over the cake mix.
- Thinly slice 2 sticks of butter over the entire top of the cake.
- Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour, or until the cake turns a golden brown and the fruit filling is bubbly all around the edges.
- Serve while warm or at room temperature. Pairs deliciously well with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I’ve made 2dump cakes now with this recipe. My topping gets hard!! What can I do to keep it just crunchy?
Debra, how long are you cooking it for? It almost sounds like my dump cake will do if it’s overcooked.
My gluten free cake mix only makes one layer in a 9” pan. Will that still work, or do I need two gluten free cake mixes?
That’ll probably be fine, Diane. Thanks for trying my recipe!
I was a wonderful baker until the gluten free problem came up. I have a pan of the blueberry/pineapple in the oven now. I sure hope it turns out well. I haven’t made a decent baked item that was gluten free for at least 4 years. I used to love to bake, now don’t even try, until now.
Oh Donna, I’m so sorry! I’ll tell ya, I felt this way at first. But then I started trying different flours and working with different ingredients, and I started to find ones that worked better than others. I’m really fond of Authentic Foods flours. They have the most wonderful classical blend flour that makes anything I want to make, whether it’s molasses cookies or chocolate chip. And their bread flour has given me the ability to make cinnamon rolls again. And bread! I hope you enjoyed this recipe, though it might depend on the cake mix you used, since not all cake mixes are created equal.