Knowing how to make dump cake from scratch is a valuable skill to have. Forgive the name but dump cake literally just requires dumping ingredients in a pan and baking them. This blueberry dump cake from scratch is a delicious, perfect summer recipe, and you probably have all the ingredients you need!
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Dump Cake?
First of all, let me apologize to you for the name of this recipe. I hate the term “dump cake”. I mean, I get that it is called that because you literally dump the ingredients into a pan and bake them, but GAH. It just sounds very unappetizing. Ditto for “dump dinners” (I have seen a cookbook in my favorite local used book store with this name and I. Just. Can’t.).
But alas, when you write a blog you have to give the people what they are looking for, and according to Pinterest and Google, people are looking for dump cakes. Or, if they are like me, they are looking for “dump cake from scratch”.
The dump cakes from my previous experience are absolutely delicious and are made with a few basic ingredients:
- Canned pie fillings
- Cake mix
- Butter
- Maybe some other ingredients like canned pineapple, brown sugar, etc., but these are not necessary.
Dump Cake from Scratch!
And you guys know me…I have an insatiable need to make everything from scratch (i.e. without a mix or a can). Mostly because I know that I am always going to have some sort of fresh or frozen fruit, butter, and dry ingredients for a cake in the house. But also because I really do, at least in theory, try to avoid processed food as much as possible (though I have not been as good at this lately. Stress, am I right?).
I did a little poking around the interwebs trying to figure out how to make a dump cake from scratch. I found a recipe on Simply Recipes and riffed on that a bit. My filling follows their formula but my dry cake is actually a divided recipe for yellow cake from the book The Perfect Cake from America’s Test Kitchen, which I somehow miraculously managed to score the Kindle edition of last week for $3.99. A miracle indeed, because ATK books never go on sale!
I used frozen blueberries for mine, but you could definitely use a variety of fruits instead. And while this may not be a literal “dump and go” recipe like the original dump cake, dump cake from scratch is still dead simple and you probably have the ingredients in your house:
- fruit
- sugar
- cornstarch
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- butter
Easy, right? And because when I use a bowl for dry ingredients I just wipe it out with a towel and put it back, the only dishes that I dirtied were the pan and the bowl I used to melt the butter. 100% worth it for this delicious dessert that is perfect for summer and that, by the way, I baked in my Breville Smart Oven so I didn’t even have to heat up my kitchen.
Oh yeah – vanilla ice cream is non-negotiable. Don’t even try.
Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!
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Products used for this recipe:
Mary
Yield: 1 9x13 inch cake
This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes and from the book A Perfect Cake from America's Test Kitchen.
10 minPrep Time:
45 minCook Time:
55 minTotal Time:
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh or frozen fruit (there is no need to thaw frozen fruit)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375? Fahrenheit.
- In a 9x13 inch pan, combine the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle the dry cake ingredients evenly over the fruit mixture.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the melted butter evenly over the dry cake mixture.
- Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, until the cake is light golden on top and the fruit is bubbling. Frozen fruit may need to bake slightly longer (my fruit was frozen and I baked my cake for 55 minutes). There may be a few small patches of dry ingredients on top. I just smoothed these with a spoon.
- Cool the cake for at least an hour before serving. I know that this is a difficult step but eating the cake too soon will result in unpleasant mouth burns! Vanilla ice cream is non-optional!
