Blackberry Dump Cake Recipe (Without Pie Filling) (2024)

FAQs

What is the biggest mistake to avoid when making a dump cake? ›

What Is the Biggest Mistake to Avoid When Making Dump Cake? If this is your first time making a dump cake, it may appear that we've forgotten an important instruction — stirring. But stirring is exactly what you do not want to do for this style of dessert.

Once baked, a dump cake comes out like a cross between fluffy cake and melty cobbler. Soft ooey-gooey bars come to mind, except more scoopable. Many people choose to use store-bought pie filling or canned fruit as the base, but you can really customize it to fit your taste.

If you've baked your dump cake and there's still cake mix powder on the top, it's likely because the butter wasn't evenly distributed on top of the cake. When assembling your dump cake recipe, be sure to spread the cake mix in a thin even layer and space the pats of butter evenly across the top.

Bake until the tops are brown and bubbly, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream.

For some reason, nearly every dump cake recipe insists that the ingredients are not to be stirred. (In fact, most recipes add extra emphasis to this instruction by writing it in all-caps: DO NOT STIR!!!) The result of this laissez-faire approach is a half-baked cake.

It's important to pay attention to the specifics called for in a recipe, but in general, most cakes are best removed from the pan after cooling for 10 to 20 minutes. Try it too soon, and it may fall apart. Wait too long, and it may stick.

Troubleshooting: Dump cake still powdery on top

All you need to do is to add a little bit of butter to the top and bake it for a few more minutes. Just be sure to check it after a minute to be sure that the butter has melted into all of the areas where you saw the cake mix.

Most common reason is when the oven door is opened too soon and the cake hasn't set up and baked properly. The mixture could be too soft due to not enough ingredients or if there is too much liquid added.

If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

How do you store leftover dump cake? ›

Leftover cake can be covered and refrigerated for a few days.

A dump cake is an American dessert similar to a cobbler but with a cake-like topping. It is so named because it is prepared by "dumping" ingredients (typically canned fruit or pie filling, followed by a boxed cake mix) into a cake pan without mixing.

If using fresh peaches make sure they are not overly ripe – they'll produce way too much liquid, resulting in a runny dessert. Peel the skins off and slice them.

After removing from the oven, place the pound cake, right side up, in the pan on a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes away from drafts. This allows the cake to become firm enough to remove from the pan without breaking apart. Cooling too long in the pan will cause the cake to be damp and stick to the pan.

Again, do NOT mix.

It might look silly and feel counter-productive, but it's the trick to ensuring a crusty, crumbly, buttery top, and a gooey interior. Alternatively, some recipes will call for melting the stick of butter and drizzling it evenly over the entire portion of dry cake mix instead of using cold butter.