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15 Dump Cake Recipes for the Perfect Lazy Dessert

Baking not your thing? These easy dump cake recipes make preparing sweets a piece of cake!
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There's nothing better than capping a home-cooked meal with a delicious, homemade dessert, but sometimes dessert can be a lot of work. Between the prepping, different baking and cooking techniques and making sure that it cooks properly, sometimes the added stress just isn't worth it. Thankfully there's one dessert that's always simple to make: dump cake.

Dump cakes—which are named after the fact that most recipes only need you to dump the ingredients into a pan and pop it in the oven—are among the most simple desserts to make. Many of them only require as little as three or four ingredients. However, don't conflate how these cake recipes are with a lack of flavor. Though hassle-free, these delicious treats pack a decadent  punch.

When in need of a quick treat that's sure to impress, try any of these 15 dump cake recipes. And for more recipes that will satisfy your sweet tooth, be sure to check out 16 Ambitious Dessert Recipes That Are Easier to Make Than You Think.

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Dump Cake

slow cooker caramel apple dump cake
Courtesy of Show Me The Yummy

On its own, dump cake is a great dessert. But this recipe somehow is able to combine three delicious sweet treats into one: caramel apples, dump cake, and of course, the recommended ice cream to top the cake off. This recipe is also made in a slow cooker, so the hassle-free dessert is even more simple to make than usual.

Get the recipe from Show Me the Yummy.

Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dump Cake

gooey caramel chocolate dump cake
Courtesy of Taste & Tell

Normally, dump cakes are made with some sort of fruit. However, this recipe proves that it's absolutely possible to have a gooey, chocolate-filled dump cake too. This recipe is a bit more complex than typical dump cake recipes, as it gives instructions on how to make your own cake mix, but we're sure that a boxed chocolate cake mix would work just as well.

Get the recipe from Taste & Tell.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

strawberry rhubarb cobbler with orange and ginger
Courtesy of Feasting At Home

There are some minor differences between cobblers and dump cakes; dump cakes typically use of cake mix, while a cobbler uses a pie crust or biscuit topping. Yet the main gist is the same—there's a delicious filling on the bottom with a crumbly, cake-like that gets baked on top. This strawberry rhubarb cobbler has a flavor-packed filling, with four cups each of the always-delicious combination of strawberries, rhubarb, orange zest, and fresh orange juice to add some acidity.

Get the recipe from Feasting at Home.

Crock Pot Apple Crisp

crock pot apple crisp
Courtesy of Well Plated by Erin

If you're looking for a delicious variation on the beloved dessert, then this apple crisp recipe—which just replaces the cake mix you'd find in a dump cake with oats and flour—is a healthier version. Because this recipe uses an oat-based crumble topping instead of the traditional cake mix, it saves a lot of calories, and contains less fat than most dump cake recipes.

Get the recipe from Well Plated by Erin.

Four Ingredient Dump Cake

dump cake
Courtesy of Taste & Tell

You can always make a flashy dump cake with a semi-intensive recipe. But at its core, dump cakes are delicious desserts of convenience. This recipe is a celebration of that simplicity. The recipe only contains four ingredients: cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, yellow cake mix, and butter. And despite being so simple, it's extremely delicious.

Get the recipe from Taste and Tell.

Easy Texas Blueberry Cobbler

easy texas blueberry cobbler
Courtesy of Little Spice Jar

While traditional cobbler differs from dump cake in that cobbler has a more biscuit-like topping, the state of Texas does things a bit differently. Rather than the biscuit topping that other cobblers come with this Texas cobbler-esque dump cake recipe, is made with more of a cake topping.

Get the recipe from Little Spice Jar.

Apple Dump Cake

apple dump cake
Courtesy of The Seasoned Mom

This recipe uses a combination of Granny Smith and honeycrisp apples. While this recipe recommends using a spice cake mix, it also yields great results when using yellow cake mix.

Get the recipe from The Seasoned Mom.

Blueberry Crumble

blueberry crumble
Courtesy of Eating Bird Food

Rather than topping this dessert with cake mix, the dump cake is topped with an oatmeal pecan crumble. So although this recipe strays a bit from the traditional definition of a dump cake, it still has all of the basic dump cake  elements while being a bit of a healthier, plant-based option.

Get the recipe from Eating Bird Food.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

pumpkin dump cake
Courtesy of The Seasoned Mom

Just like in a pumpkin pie, this dump cake recipe requires a bit more effort than just opening the canned and boxed ingredients and pouring them into a casserole dish. Once your pumpkin puree is mixed with the spices, it can be poured into the dish, covered with cake mix and butter and placed in the oven.

Get the recipe from The Seasoned Mom.

Small Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix

small peach cobbler with cake mix
Rebecca Clyde MS, RDN, CD / Nourish Nutrition Co

The South has some of the most delicious comfort food in the country, and a staple of the region's dessert options is the peach cobbler. This cobbler recipe is made with cake mix, making it more of a dump cake. However, it also includes some added sweetness from the extra brown sugar and cinnamon.

Get the recipe from Nourish Nutrition.

Aunt Bee's 5 Ingredient Dump Cake

aunt bee's 5-minute 5-ingredient cherry dump cake
Courtesy of The Seasoned Mom

A classic dump cake is simple, and although the fruit in a typical dump cake can include any variety of canned fruits, they also generally feature cherries as its main one. This recipe not only showcases cherries as the primary fruit, but it also uses only five ingredients! Where this recipe deviates from traditional recipes are the pecans on top, a creative touch that adds a little crunch to this delicious dessert.

Get the recipe from The Seasoned Mom.

Strawberry Chocolate Dump Cake

strawberry chocolate dump cake
Courtesy of The Seasoned Mom

Chocolate and strawberries are an unbeatable combination that always goes well together, so it only makes sense that they'd go well in a dump cake together. One of the best parts of this recipe is that it's packed with so much flavor, yet it's only three ingredients, and like most dump cakes, it's extremely simple to make, and for a dump cake, it's relatively low on calories.

Get the recipe from The Seasoned Mom.

Crockpot Pumpkin Dump Cake

crockpot pumpkin dump cake
Courtesy of Show Me the Yummy

While pumpkin pie is the more popular fall dessert, this pumpkin dump cake is an undeniably tasty treat you can enjoy year-round. Although this recipe is a little more intensive than other dump cakes that have just three or four ingredients, these incredible flavor combinations make the extra effort worth it.

Get the recipe from Show Me the Yummy.

S'more Butterscotch Caramel Dump Cake

s'more butterscotch caramel dump cake
Courtesy of What's Gaby Cooking

Who says that dump cakes all have to have fruit in them? This recipe proves that theory wrong, by being just as yummy and easy to make as any other fruit-filled dump cake. Best of all, it only takes 15 minutes of prep time!

Get the recipe from What's Gaby Cooking.

Cherry Dump Cake with Pineapple

cherry dump cake pineapple
Courtesy of Gift of Hospitality

If you grew up loving dump cake, chances are this is the one that stole your heart. With the sweetness of the cherries, and the slight tartiness of the pineapple, it's a perfect combination in a simple, easy-to-make dessert. This recipe is a true classic.

Get the recipe from Gift of Hospitality.

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Erin Yarnall
Erin Yarnall is a freelance reporter from the Chicago area. Read more about Erin
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