Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake

If you thought making boxed cake couldn’t get any easier, you may want to think again. Introducing dump cakes, made by essentially dumping ingredients—hence the clever name—into a pan (without mixing them) and baking them to form a cobbler-like dish. It’s arguably as fuss-free as making a warm, gooey cake will ever get.

This strawberry cheesecake dump cake calls for just five simple ingredients, four of which are dumped in a pan before being sent to the oven to get nice and bubbly. Here, canned strawberry pie filling, yellow cake mix, cubes of cream cheese and a bit of butter come together to form a sweet, vibrantly-colored dessert. Once it’s cool enough to eat, a few dollops of whipped cream help seal the deal. It’s really almost too easy to be true.

Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake

• Strawberry pie filling: This dump cake’s strawberry pie filling gives it its fruity flavor and sweetness. Its tangy notes contrast the rich cream cheese as it melts in the oven.
• Yellow cake mix: When baked the yellow cake mix will clump together in bits and pieces to give the dump cake its cobbler-like texture.
• Cream cheese: Cubing the cream cheese ahead of time helps evenly disperse it throughout the dump cake, creating small pockets of melted cheese throughout the batter.
• Butter: Melted butter helps the ingredients adhere to one another, particularly the cake mix sprinkled throughout the baking pan.
• Whipped cream: Add the whipped cream just before serving the dump cake for a light, refreshing pairing for the warm dump cake.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the dump cake

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pie filling into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with one box of cake mix and then dot with the cream cheese. Cover with the remaining box of the cake mix. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix.

Step 2: Bake the cake

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

Bake until the top is set and the filling is bubbly,  for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes and serve warm with whipped cream.

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake Variations

• Use a different pie filling: If you prefer a different fruit, swap out the strawberry pie filling for another tasty option, like blueberry, cherry or peach.
• Sweeten the cream cheese: Although this slightly deviates from the concept of making a dump cake, add a hint of sweetness by mixing vanilla and powdered sugar into the cream cheese before dolloping it into the pan. Adding these ingredients will help cut some of its natural tanginess.
• Use a different cake mix flavor: Swap the yellow cake mix in this easy strawberry cheesecake dump cake for another flavor you prefer, such as vanilla or chocolate fudge.

How to Store Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake

Store the strawberry cheesecake dump cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to seven days.

Can you make strawberry cheesecake dump cake ahead of time?

It’s best to prepare this strawberry cheesecake dump cake recipe only a few minutes before serving it, as it should be eaten warm. As the cake begins to cool it may start to lose some of its crunchiness due to the natural humidity of the wet ingredients.

Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake Tips

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

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

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid is mixing it. As the name implies, the dessert benefits from not mixing the batter, which helps form crumble-like clumps throughout the dessert as it bakes for a chewier consistency.

Is dump cake supposed to be gooey?

Unlike traditional cake with a firmer, sponge-like consistency, a dump cake should be slightly gooier on the inside. As such, you shouldn’t be concerned if the batter still looks wet once the timer runs out.

How do you know when a dump cake is done?

Examining the top of the dump cake is the best way to tell if it’s done; it should be slightly browned with cakey chunks sprinkled throughout the surface.