Chocolate cherry cake is a box of chocolate cake mix, a can of cherry pie filling, and a glaze you stir together in one pot. That’s the whole thing. The cake bakes up dense and fudgy with pockets of cherry running through it, and the glaze sets into a shiny shell on top. It tastes like a box of chocolate-covered cherries turned into cake, and nobody who eats it will guess how easy it was to make.
I found the original version of this recipe a few years ago while cleaning out my in-laws’ house, in an old spiral-bound recipe book from their church. Books like that went out as fundraisers in the 70s and 80s, with every member contributing a favorite family recipe. Some of what’s in there I’ll never make (there are so many jello salads), but many of the recipes hold up, and I’ve posted several of them, including frozen lemonade pie and bread and butter pickles.
One reader told me this recipe won the $25,000 grand prize at the 1974 Pillsbury Bake-Off, which fits right in with the era of the recipe book it came from. This dump cake is a “cheater” recipe because it leans on ingredients you probably already have, and the shortcut works well enough that it’s stuck around for decades. Dumping everything in a bowl and stirring really is most of the work.
Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Really easy and yummy. I have made it many times for church suppers. Always really well received.
— Lois
If “cake mix dessert” makes you skeptical, I get it. A lot of them taste exactly like what they are. This one doesn’t, and I think it’s the glaze. Butter, cocoa, powdered sugar, and a splash of milk are heated on the stove, poured over the warm cake so it soaks into the top layer.
Keep reading, and I’ll walk you through the ingredients, how to make the cake and the glaze, and the questions readers ask most. This is what I make whenever I need to bring dessert, and I don’t have the energy to think about it.
Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
For the Cake
- Chocolate cake mix: Use the dry mix straight from the box. Skip the eggs, oil, and water the box tells you to add. This recipe uses its own amounts.
- Cherry pie filling: Use the whole can and don’t drain it. That liquid is what keeps the cake moist.
- Eggs
- Almond or vanilla extract: I’ve made this cake with both. Vanilla is good, but almond is better if you’ve got it.
For the Glaze
- Butter or margarine
- Milk
- Sugar
- Chocolate chips: Semisweet is the classic choice, but dark chocolate chips work in the glaze too.
How to Make Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Combine the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and extract in a mixing bowl. Stir until it’s mostly smooth, most of the lumps gone. You don’t need a mixer for this; a spoon does the job.
- Spread the batter into the pan. It looks thin for a 13×9 pan, but it rises as it bakes, so don’t panic and add more.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, start the glaze. Apply it while the cake is still hot.
- Combine the butter, sugar, and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter and sugar melt, then let it boil for about 1 minute.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Keep stirring until they’re completely melted and the glaze is smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the hot cake and spread it with a spatula to cover the top. Let the cake cool before slicing.
Serving Ideas
Once the chocolate cherry dump cake has cooled, cut it into slices and serve. I’ll admit I’ve cut into it while it was still hot because I’m impatient, and it was still good, just messier.
The cake doesn’t need anything else, but if you want to dress it up, top individual slices with more cherry pie filling, maraschino cherries, or extra chocolate chips.
Chocolate cherry dump cake is a good cake for a crowd. One reader, Lois, left a review after making it “many times for church suppers,” and said it’s always “really well received.” That’s been my experience too. It travels well and doesn’t need to be kept cold, so it’s an easy one to bring somewhere.
How to Store
This cake keeps well covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It tends to get eaten quickly at my house, so I don’t often need more time than that. For longer storage, put it in the fridge, covered, for up to a week.
You can also freeze it. Wrap the cake tightly, or wrap individual slices, and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or on the counter before serving.
For another cake that comes together just as fast, try this blackberry dump cake.
Tips
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Make sure to use the dry cake mix powder, not a batter made from the box directions. Skip whatever the box tells you to add and use the pie filling, eggs, and extract from this recipe.
- The batter looks too thin to fill a 13×9 pan. It’s not. It rises as it bakes, so resist the urge to add more.
- Spread the glaze on while the cake is still hot. It sets into a soft, fudgy layer instead of just sitting on top like frosting.
- Almond extract is the one I reach for. It plays off the chocolate and cherry better than vanilla, though vanilla works fine if that’s what you have.
- Don’t skip the glaze if you can help it. You could dust the top with powdered sugar or spread on canned chocolate frosting instead, and it would still be a good cake, but the poured glaze is worth the extra ten minutes.
Reader Questions
No. Use the whole can, filling and all. The moisture from the filling is what keeps this cake from drying out, and draining it will leave you with a dry cake.
Yes. I like chocolate fudge cake best, but any chocolate cake mix works. One reader mentioned the original recipe called for devil’s food chocolate cake mix, and I’ve heard from others that it bakes up a little richer than plain chocolate.
Cherry is the classic pairing here, and it’s where the chocolate-covered cherry flavor comes from, but the cake mix and pie filling method works with other combinations too. I’ve got a few on my list to try: spice cake with apple pie filling, lemon cake with blueberry pie filling, and yellow cake with peach pie filling. If you try one before I do, let me know how it turns out.
Sort of. Either cupcakes or a bundt cake has a shape that will make it difficult to glaze, since the glaze will run off. But if you are skipping the glaze, it will work fine. For cupcakes, fill liners about two-thirds full and start checking for doneness with a toothpick a few minutes before the cake’s 25-minute mark. For a bundt pan, grease it well since the shape makes cakes stick more easily, and expect it to take longer than the 13×9-inch baking dish, so start checking around the 40 minute mark.
Yes, either one works in this recipe. I like almond because it goes well with the cherry and chocolate, but I don’t always have it, so I’ve tried it with vanilla extract too.
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Chocolate Cherry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 can cherry pie filling
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
Glaze
- 5 Tablespoons butter or margarine
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a bowl combine the cake mix, eggs, extract and pie filling. Stir to mix thoroughly and get most of the lumps out.1 box chocolate cake mix, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract, 1 can cherry pie filling
- Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the band and spread it to the edges.
- Bake in the 350-degree F oven for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Set the cake aside and make the glaze while the cake is still warm.
- For the glaze combine the sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the butter and sugar melt. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.⅓ cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 5 Tablespoons butter or margarine
- Take the glaze off the heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate chip melts and the glaze becomes smooth.1 cup chocolate chips
- Pour the glaze over the still warm cake and use a spatula to spread it all over the top.
- Let the cake cool before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use the dry cake mix powder, not a batter made from the box directions. Skip whatever the box tells you to add and use the pie filling, eggs, and extract from this recipe.
- The batter looks too thin to fill a 13×9 pan. It’s not. It rises as it bakes, so resist the urge to add more.
- Spread the glaze on while the cake is still hot. It sets into a soft, fudgy layer instead of just sitting on top like frosting.
- Almond extract is the one I prefer, but vanilla extract works fine if that’s what you have.
- Don’t skip the glaze if you can help it. You could dust the top with powdered sugar or spread on canned chocolate frosting instead, and it would still be a good cake, but the poured glaze is worth the extra ten minutes.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
This recipe was the grand prize winner of $25,000 in the Pillsbury Bake-off in 1974. I had the newspaper for many years, but unfortunately no longer.
The original recipe calls for DEVIL’S FOOD CHOCOLATE cake mix. It turns out much better than with a plain chocolate mix.
Really easy and yummy. I have made it many times for church suppers. Always really well received.
Super easy! Used chocolate fudge cake mix and dark chocolate chips in the glaze (it’s what I had on hand) and it was delish! Birthday boy said you can’t get more chocolate cherry than this cake! Will def make again and also try the other variations listed. Yum! *Used the recommended 13×9 pan and the batter didn’t look like it would actually be enough to fill the pan but have no fear it is and will rise.
I made this cake for my mahjongg ladies. The recipe I used had 3 eggs in it. I only topped each piece with a dollop of cool whip and no other glaze. Super easy and got many compliments.
Can I use fresh cherries?