Dump cakes are one of the easiest desserts you can make. They’re simple, require minimal ingredients, and are practically foolproof. This Red Velvet Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake is no exception. It’s loaded with juicy pineapple chunks and sweet cherries, and it’s topped with a layer of shredded coconut. Serve this cake warm out of the oven for a delicious dessert that everyone will love. Enjoy!
If you love sweet desserts, this cake recipe is for you! Yes, it is very rich and has a tangy, tropical flavor. I love to enjoy a small bowl with vanilla ice cream to help cut the sweetness. If you do not enjoy sweet desserts, this cake is not for you.
Before starting this recipe, you’ll want to verify that you have the following ingredients:
- Canned Cherry Pie Filling – One 21-ounce sized can. We purchased ours at Target for $3.59 & the cake mix was $1. It was a little pricey but a nice treat.
- Crushed Pineapple – One 20-21 ounce can of crushed pineapple WITH juices is needed–do not drain!
- 15.25-ounce Red Velvet Cake Mix – This is the top layer of the dump cake. You may recall the box sizes being 18.25, but manufacturers recently cut back 3 ounces on mostly all national brands – don’t worry – it will still work!
- Butter – You will need 12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter frozen for at least one hour for best results.
- Coconut Shreds – Sweetened coconut shreds are optional but provide a tropical flair to the cake.
Equipment and Supplies Needed
We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.
- 11 x 13 or 11 x 9 pan – to bake your dump cake in.
- Nonstick spray – to spray the inside of your baking pan. *optional
- Knife & cutting board – for slicing your butter pats.
- Rubber Spatula – to spread your ingredients.
- Can opener – to open any cans that might not have a tab.
- Oven – Adjusted to the center rack position to bake your dump cake in.
How to Make Dump Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease your baking dish.
Add both cans of crushed pineapple (do not drain), and cherry pie filling to the bottom of the dish; spread evenly.
Sprinkle and smooth on the dry cake mix. Firmly pat it into the fruits layer.
Cover dry mix with pads of butter.
Bake for 55 minutes, remove from oven, and sprinkle on coconut shreds.
Serve warm with ice cream or enjoy as is!
How to Get the Perfect Red Velvet Dump Cake
Ever make a dump cake that came out powdery and less than appealing? The reason being is because while this is called a dump cake, you really do need to do a little more than just dump it for best results.
After you add the red velvet cake mix over the cherry and pineapple base layer, you will want to take your wooden spoon and gently pat the juices into the cake mix. This will help it absorb the initial liquid which helps to prevents a dry top layer.
Another way to get the perfect dump cake is to evenly distribute the butter pads. Some recipes call for melted butter over the top of a dump cake, but this tends to be problematic because many areas will be left without butter and will be “powdery” even after baking for one hour.
A great tip for the butter step is to freeze your butter for at least 1 hour before carefully slicing it into thin pats. Additionally, you can also grate your butter while frozen. This will allow you to evenly sprinkle the butter over the entire dump cake. By spreading the butter over the cake mixture, your cake will bake up evenly to a golden-brown, bubbly texture and will not be powdery or dry.
Serving Suggestions
This Red Velvet Dump Cake would be delicious with the following variations or serving suggestions.
- Whipped Cream – Add a dollop of canned, or fresh real whipped cream or topping.
- Ice Cream – I love serving this with vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream.
- Sweetened Coconut – This recipe taste yummy with coconut shreds on it. You can bake them, or sprinkle some on after it has baked for a tropical twist.
Variations
Fillings – You can also make this without the pineapple filling, with just cherry, or even strawberry pie fillings-just be sure to use a total of two 21-22 ounce cans.
Cake Mix – If you prefer to not use red velvet cake mix, you can use golden vanilla, yellow, chocolate, or white cake mix.
Butter – If you want to make this cake vegan, you can use butter substitute. Duncan Hines Devils’ Food cake is said to be vegan by the site.
Storage
If you want to store your Red Velvet Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake simply follow the below instructions for best taste! While this recipe is best eaten the same day, warm out of the oven, you can enjoy it reheated.
Place any leftover red velvet dump cake in an airtight container with a lid once cooled. This will keep out any unwanted odors from ruining the flavor of the cake. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 day max for best taste and consistency. In my opinion, this is best tasting on day one when it it crunchy on top and has a cobbler-like texture, and taste.
If you want to prepare this in the morning before work for baking in the evening follow ALL the recipe instructions except for the baking step. Cover the cake tightly and store for up to 12 hours in the refrigerator before baking. Bake at the required temperature and time.
More Cake Mix Desserts to Try Today!
Recipe
Follow the recipe below to make Red Velvet Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake! This recipe makes 6 generously-sized SERVINGS, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.
Red Velvet Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking dish
- rubber spatula
- oven (adjusted to the center rack position)
- cutting board & knife
Ingredients
- 21 ounces cherry pie filling
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple **do not drain.
- 15.25 ounces Red Velvet cake mix
- 1 ½ cups butter unsalted, cut into pads
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease your baking dish.
- Sprinkle and smooth on the dry cake mix. Firmly pat it into the strawberry.
- Cover dry mix with pads of butter.
- Bake for 55 minutes, remove from oven, and sprinkle on shredded coconut.
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