Just three ingredients is all it takes to make the best chocolate cherry dump cake! You’re going to love this quick, easy dessert and I’m sure your family and friends will love it too!
Cherry pie filling, boxed chocolate cake mix, and melted butter come together in under an hour for a decadent mashup of chocolate and cherries.
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The summertime is the best time of year to enjoy cherries though you can easily make this chocolate cherry dessert any time of year!
You’re just minutes away from a tasty treat. Simply dump the ingredients, bake, and enjoy!
Cherry desserts are full of bright flavors, tartness, and just the right amount of sweetness! If you don’t believe me, try these chocolate cherry cookies and cherry cobbler with cake mix.
Dump cakes make an easy dessert that are perfect to feed a crowd. We love them so much we've got them in lots of flavors! Try this chocolate dump cake, strawberry dump cake, or lemon dump cake.
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Ingredients
Use a clear shot of the ingredients for this recipe, prepped, and labeled if necessary. Insert the ingredients into the list below, omitting quantities.
- Canned Cherry Pie Filling: This is the base of the recipe, so make sure you pick a brand you LOVE!
- Boxed Cake Mix: You can use any type of chocolate cake mix. Experiment with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate fudge, triple chocolate and devil's food.
- Butter: Use melted unsalted butter when making dump cakes. I have tested many dump cake recipes and prefer the results of melting butter before topping the cake mix.
- Optional Serving Garnishes: Vanilla ice cream and whipped topping will take this easy chocolate cherry dump cake recipe up a notch!
See the recipe card for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Substitutions and Variations
Need to switch things up a bit? The following substitutions and variations work for this recipe.
- Cherry Pie Filling: We prefer the outcome using canned cherry pie filling. However, you can use canned cherries in syrup or homemade cherry pie filling instead.
- Butter: Butter is best but you can use oil but it will definitely taste a bit different.
- Add-ins: Sprinkle some shredded coconut, chocolate chips, or nuts over the cherries before adding the cake mix.
See this spicy version of this recipe on my website! (placeholder for in-content link)
Equipment
You don't need much to make this easy chocolate cherry cake. All you need for making it are these kitchen tools:
- Cooking Spray: To prevent the dump cake from sticking.
- 9x13 pan: This is the best size pan for this recipe.
- Liquid Measuring Cup: For melting and pouring butter
How to Make Cherry Chocolate Dump Cake
Dump cakes are great because they go together so quickly. Here's the main steps!
- Get the oven heating to 350 degrees F and prepare your 9x13 baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray.
- Spread the cherry pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan making sure to get it into the corners.
- Sprinkle the chocolate cake mix over the cherries in an even layer.
PRO TIP: I find it works great to shake the pan after spreading out the cake mix to make sure it's evenly dispersed over the entire baking dish.
- Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and use a spoon to gently swirl the cake mix and butter together.
- Bake the cherry and chocolate cake in your preheated oven until cooked through. This will take about 50-55 minutes.
- Remove the chocolate cherry cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
How to Serve Chocolate and Cherry Cake
- Enjoy chocolate cherry dump cake while it's still warm for the best flavor. It also takes great at room temperature!
- It works great to carry with you to parties and potlucks! And it's perfect for serving a crowd.
- Serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, cherry ice cream or your favorite flavor!
- Skip the ice cream and add some whipped cream instead!
- You can also add a sprinkle of chopped nuts or shredded coconut over the top for a little bit of variation.
Storage
Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 24 hours. However, since it contains fruit, it's a good idea to store it in the fridge after that. Keep it covered and it will last for up to four days.
If you want to heat up the leftovers when serving it again, pop it in the oven at 325° F for a short bit to warm or place individual pieces in the microwave for a few seconds.
Expert Tips and FAQS
- Spray the 9x13-inch dish before baking. Don't forget to get the corners so your cake doesn't stick.
- Distribute the cherry pie filling evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
- Shake the dish after adding the cake mix. This helps the chocolate cake mix fall more evenly over the top of the cake.
- Use a liquid measuring cup to easily and evenly pour the butter over the top of the cake.
Sure thing! Bake it up to 24 hours in advance and store it at room temperature. You can serve the next day at room temperature or warm it up in a low oven just a bit.
It's an easy dessert recipe that use simple ingredients and no mixing. The ingredients are simply dumped into the pan and then it's ready to bake.
No, it shouldn't and if you follow my instructions for adding the melted butter is shouldn't be. However, if you see some dry spots as it's cooking you can spoon over some of the juices from the fruit over the top.
More Easy Cake Recipes
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card right below! You can also write a review in the comment section further down the page I always appreciate your feedback. And don’t forget to tag me @freshcoasteats in your photos on social media, I'd love to see your results!
Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 2 21 ounce cans cherry pie filling
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 pan with a light coating of cooking spray.
- Spread the cherry pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Carefully distribute the cake mix over the cherries in an even layer.
- Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and use a spoon to gently swirl the cake mix and butter together.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Arianna says
Yum! I made this tonight and it was so good and soooo easy to make! The whole family loved this chocolate cherry dump cake! Thanks for a great recipe!