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Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake (Easy & Delicious)

When you need a cake in a hurry and time isn’t on your side, a dump cake is always a great go-to! This Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake takes minutes to prep before it’s baked in the oven. This perfectly sweet dessert is so effortless to make!

cherry pineapple dump cake in bowl with ice cream on top


 

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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the 
recipe card at the bottom of the post. 
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.

This Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is one of my go-to recipes when I have last-minute guests or just fancy whipping up a tasty dessert for the family. My husband grew up eating it, and I was hooked once he made it for me.

Don’t get turned off by the name, it’s actually a really delicious dessert. A dump cake is essentially when you “dump” a few ingredients in a pan and bake it in the oven until it’s golden and set. It has the taste of cake but the texture is more like a cobbler. Serve it with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate dessert.

This dump cake is made with boxed yellow cake mix, crushed pineapples, cherry pie filling, butter, and pecans for a bit of crunch. It really does take minutes to put together and it’s so convenient! It’s easy enough to make that your kids can help you out in the kitchen with it!

Be sure to try my other cakes made with boxed cake mix, like my Cola Cake and Caribbean Rum Cake too!

Ingredients Needed

Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • Wet Ingredients – Crushed Pineapple from a can, Cherry Pie Filling from a can
  • Dry Ingredients – Yellow Cake Mix. Feel free to sub with other flavors if you prefer.
  • Remaining Ingredients – Unsalted butter, Chopped Pecans
  • Optional Toppings – Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving

How to make cherry pineapple dump cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (162.8 °C) and grease a 13×9 baking dish.

Pour the crushed pineapple and cherry pie filling in the pan and spread over the pan. Pour the cake mix over the pan, covering the pineapple and Cherry pie filling.

Add grated or sliced butter over the cake mix, making sure the entire pan is covered. Add the pecan pieces over the cake mix.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

finished baked cherry pineapple dump cake in pan

Serve as is or top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

How long does it keep?

This recipe makes a lot of cake, and the good news is, is that it keep well covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can enjoy it for an easy dessert throughout the week. The cake can be eaten cold right out of the fridge, or you can reheat it in the oven to serve.

Cover the cake with foil and reheat at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (162.8 °C) for 10 to 15 minutes to warm through. You can also reheat it for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Can you freeze it?

Yes! This cherry pineapple dump cake is freezer-friendly and will keep well for up to 3 months. Let it cool fully before wrapping securely or place in an air-tight container. Thaw the cake fully in the fridge overnight before reheating to serve.

What do you serve it with?

This dump cake, of course, can be eaten straight out of the dish with a spoon! It’s delicious served with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for a dessert that everyone will love!

close up of dump cake with spoon taking some out

Tanya’s Top Tips

  • Don’t drain the pineapple, the juices in the can help to keep the cake nice and moist.
  • For best results, use a grater to shred the butter when it’s cold. You can use a knife to cut it into small pieces if you don’t have a grater.
  • Make sure that each layer of the cake is fully covered for an even texture.
  • Bake the cake in a fully preheated oven for the best results.

Avoiding Dump Cake Disasters

  • To avoid a powdery topping, make sure you cover all the cake mix with butter. Grated butter works best for this.

More Cake Recipes

If you have tried this Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

close up of dump cake with spoon taking some out
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5 from 1 vote

Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake

When you need a cake in a hurry and time isn't on your side, a dump cake is always a great go to! This cherry pineapple dump cake takes minutes to prep before it's baked in the oven. This perfectly sweet dessert is so effortless to make!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cherry dump cake, how to make a dump cake, pineapple dump cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 470kcal
Author Tanya

Ingredients

  • 20 oz can crushed pineapple undrained
  • 21 oz can Cherry Pie filling
  • 15.25 oz box Classic Yellow Cake Mix
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter shredded or cut into pieces
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 13×9 pan.
  • Pour the crushed pineapple and Cherry pie filling in the pan and spread over the pan. Pour Cake mix all over the pan, covering the pineapple and Cherry pie filling.
  • Add butter over the cake mix, making sure the entire pan is covered. Add the pecan pieces over the cake mix.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, until the cake is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Don’t drain the pineapple, the juices in the can help to keep the cake nice and moist.
  • For best results, use a grater to shred the butter when it’s cold. You can use a knife to cut it into small pieces if you don’t have a grater.
  • Make sure that each layer of the cake is fully covered for an even texture.
  • Bake the cake in a fully preheated oven for the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 601IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 2mg
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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

I originally published this post on October 18, 2021 and have updated it with new photos and information.

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




Sandra Fusco

Tuesday 5th of December 2023

Hello Tanya, I made homemade dry yellow cake mix and just need to know how many cups of cake mix to use as this is not a box mix. thank you

Tanya

Thursday 7th of December 2023

Hi, you would use about 3 1/3 cups of homemade mix.

TYRONE E PARKER

Saturday 4th of June 2022

I am not a dessert person. However, the dump cake was quite good and will be a mainstay.

Tanya

Tuesday 7th of June 2022

Thanks Tyrone :)

Carol

Monday 7th of February 2022

Hi Tanya, Is it possible to use a chocolate cake mix instead of the yellow cake mix? Thank you, Carol

Tanya

Monday 7th of February 2022

Hi Carol, I haven't tried it with chocolate but I like the way you think! I think it'll be just fine but will take like a delicious chocolate cherry dump cake.

Marian Copus

Saturday 6th of November 2021

Happy Birthday, Tanya!!! Thanks for the recipes. I'm going to make this cherry pineapple dump cake today! Marian

Tanya

Sunday 7th of November 2021

Thank you Marian :)