This vibrant cherry dump cake is delicious and as easy as it gets! All you have to do is dump, whisk, and bake! The perfect festive party dessert for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion!
Easy Cherry Cake
When I first heard the term “dump cake” I thought it sounded…well…kind of gross. To be totally honest!
I mean, “dump” isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind when describing a delicious dessert, right?!
But one taste of a dump cake might just change your mind, if not your life! Consider me corrected! I’ve gone from skeptic to full-on fanatic of dump cakes! Especially since I’m not a master baker or anything here, easy is always a winner for me!
This cherry dump cake is bright, fluffy, incredibly flavorful, and SO SO SO easy to make! You literally just dump, stir, and bake!
We’ve included an easy sweet almond frosting recipe here, which takes this simple cherry cake to next-level status. However, you can keep it easy-peasy with Cool Whip or pre-made frosting and no one will be the wiser.
It will look like you spent all day in the kitchen! And there might not be any leftovers either!
Related: Try our Chocolate Cherry Cake Mix Cookies too!
What is a Dump Cake?
A dump cake is the easiest type of cake to make because you literally just dump the ingredients into your baking pan and go!
Some recipes don’t require stirring, and result in an ooey-gooey cobbler like dessert. Our cherry dump cake is stirred, so it bakes up into a light and fluffy sheet cake.
Even though our dump cake recipe requires a little bit of stirring, I promise that it is still one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make…and one of the yummiest you’ll ever taste!
What You Need to Make Cherry Dump Cake
I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience in re-creating our simple cherry cake recipe; disclosure policy here.
For the Cake:
- White box cake mix — You could use cherry cake mix too for extra cherry flavor!
- Water
- Canola oil — Or vegetable oil if that’s what you have on hand.
- Egg whites — The whites make a fluffy cake.
- Maraschino cherry juice — Adds a delicious cherry flavor! You can use the juice from the jar of cherries that you’ll garnish the cake with.
- Red food coloring — We love gel food coloring because you only need a drop for amazingly bright colors!
For the Frosting:
- Butter — Be sure to use unsalted butter, as we add a pinch of salt to our frosting already.
- Whole milk — You can substitute any other type of milk if you like.
- Powdered sugar
- Almond extract
- Salt
- Maraschino cherries — for garnishing the cake
Kitchen Tools Used:
How to Make our Easy Cherry Cake
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and coat a 13 x 9″ baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Add cake ingredients to baking dish and whisk until combined and the cake batter turns a bright pink color.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow cake to cool a bit while you make the frosting.
To Make the Sweet Almond Frosting:
- Add butter and milk to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Remove pan from heat and gradually stir in the powdered sugar, almond extract, and salt.
- Spread the glaze over the warm (but not hot) cake and top with cherries and/or sprinkles.
TIP: If you want to go the super duper easy route, you can always use cool whip as the frosting or a pre-made vanilla frosting.
Cherry Dump Cake Recipe (Printable Copy)
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Very Cherry Dump Cake
Equipment
- 9x13" baking dish
- Large saucepan
- whisk
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 1/4 cupWater
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3 egg whites
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1 drop red food coloring
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 5 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and coat a 13 x 9" baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Add cake ingredients to baking dish and whisk until combined and cake batter in a bright pink color.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow cake to cool while you make the frosting.
To Make the Frosting:
- Add butter and milk to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar, almond extract, and salt.
- Spread the glaze over the warm (but not hot) cake and top with sprinkles and cherries.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin Our Cherry Dump Cake on Pinterest
You might also like these cherry recipes:
No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
Gluten Free Cherry Jelly Donut Cupcakes
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