This Blueberry Dump Cake is an easy 5-ingredient dessert that is prepared and baked in 1 pan (no mixing bowls!). It features a layer of blueberry pie filling mixed with fresh blueberries and lemon, topped with a soft vanilla cake. This summer dessert is bursting with juicy berry flavor that everyone will love!
Quick & Easy Blueberry Dump Cake
When you need a quick and easy, homemade summer dessert, and you need it FAST – it’s Blueberry Dump Cake to the rescue!
Dump cakes are fun because you literally dump the ingredients into a pan. Like all dump cake recipes, this one also calls for a boxed cake mix, which makes it so easy. Everything magically comes together in the oven to create a wonderfully soft, fruit-infused cake that looks and tastes as if you spent hours in the kitchen.
This super easy dump cake recipe is better than others, though. Most dump cake recipes use only canned fruit filling, which is fine and all. But I also throw some fresh blueberries into the mix, for juicy berry flavor and texture, plus some fresh lemon juice and zest. These items don’t take much more time and effort, yet give back big results.
If you love blueberries and want to make a beautiful, delicious summer dessert, start with this fresh blueberry dump cake recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Dessert
There’s a LOT going for this blueberry dump cake recipe. Here are a few reasons why this is one of our summer favorites:
- The easiest cake ever! You’ll use pre-made blueberry pie filling as well as a boxed cake mix in this recipe, which means you’ll have more time to do other things. Like enjoy a blueberry drink, perhaps? A blueberry lemonade or blueberry margarita, how lovely!
- Short ingredients list. Yes, this cake needs just five ingredients to make, and they’re all fridge and pantry staples. So just keep a cake mix and a can of blueberry pie filling handy, and you can whip this up in a flash! (For an extra delightful crunch, sprinkle coarse sanding sugar over the top before baking!)
- A one-pan recipe. You won’t even need a bowl to make this cake because it’s all just dumped into the baking pan and then baked. No mixing required! I timed myself and I can put this cake together in less than 10 minutes!
- Full of fresh summer flavors. Blueberry and lemon are a natural pairing, and they are full of the flavors of summer. But, of course, you can make this cake any time of the year when you need a burst of summer warmth in a cake.
What is a Dump Cake?
A dump cake is a cake that calls for all of its ingredients to be “dumped” together in one baking pan. It’s similar to a cobbler recipe but the dump cake topping is made from a boxed cake mix rather than biscuits.
Is a Dump Cake the Same as Crumble?
A dump cake has a soft cake topping while a crumble has a streusel-like topping often made with oats, butter, and flour.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a quick rundown of everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact ingredient amounts and full instructions.
- Blueberry pie filling – Canned blueberry pie filling is a great shortcut for dump cakes. It’s already thickened and adds a sweet, blueberry flavor to the cake.
- Blueberries – I love to add fresh blueberries to the blueberry pie filling. The fresh berries add another layer of blueberry flavor, plus they add pops of juicy berry texture that you just don’t get from a dump cake that’s made only with pie filling.
- Lemon – Lemon juice adds a bit of acidity to brighten up the flavor of the blueberries. And lemon zest adds even more of that sunshiny flavor, without adding more liquid.
- Vanilla cake mix – This is another great shortcut. The mix bakes into a cobbler-like topping on top of the blueberry pie filling.
- Butter – Melted butter mixes with the cake mix, adding moisture and rich flavor, so it can bake up like a cobbler topping.
I also recommend, if you have some coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar, to sprinkle it over the top of the cake before putting it in the oven. It creates the most delightful bit of crunch on the soft cake!
How to Make Blueberry Dump Cake
Here’s how to make this cake, possibly the easiest cake ever:
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350° F and lightly spray a 9” high-sided baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Combine the blueberry filling. Add the canned blueberry pie filling, 2-1/2 cups of fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the baking dish and stir gently to combine.
- Sprinkle in the cake mix. Sprinkle the boxed dry vanilla cake mix over the blueberry mixture in an even layer.
- Pour on the melted butter. Then pour the melted butter over the cake mix, making sure to cover the cake mix completely.
- Add the remaining blueberries to the top of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries over the top.
- (Optional) Add some coarse sugar. If you’d like, for an extra crunch on top, sprinkle some coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar over the top to finish. We LOVE this!!
- Bake. Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Serve warm.
Common Questions
A dump cake is called a dump cake because you dump all the ingredients into a cake pan. You don’t use any other bowls for mixing.
A dump cake’s filling should be thickened and a bit gooey once it’s baked. It should not be runny.
Vanilla cake mix is delightful in this recipe but you could swap in a box of yellow cake mix with good results.
If you can’t get fresh blueberries, frozen will work just fine in this recipe. I will always advocate for using fresh berries for their more intense flavor and juiciness but if you want to make this cake during the winter, frozen blueberries will work just fine.
Yes! If you want to change the fruit, check out what pie filling is available and plan accordingly. Try raspberry or cherry pie filling, or you could do a multi-fruit dump cake with blueberry pie filling and fresh strawberries or raspberries rather than fresh blueberries.
Serving Suggestions
Fresh blueberry dump cake is wonderful on its own, but my favorite is the first suggestion below!
- With vanilla ice cream. I personally like to enjoy the cake still warm from the oven, with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream. It reminds me of my mom’s blueberry pie.
- Serve with whipped cream. Another classic pairing is whipped cream and fresh blueberry dump cake – they go so well together. You can make your own whipped cream or use store-bought.
- Add more blueberries. When summer gives us the best blueberries of the year, I think it only fitting that we indulge in them. I like to offer a bowl of fresh blueberries when serving this cake, for guests to add as many as they want.
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftover blueberry dump cake in the pan, tightly covered with foil or place slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve cold, at room temperature, or warm it up in the microwave for a little bit.
Can You Freeze Blueberry Dump Cake?
Yes, you can freeze this blueberry dump cake recipe. Place leftover cake in an airtight container in the freezer and store for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before you plan to eat it. Just know that the topping will not have the same crispy texture.
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Blueberry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 1 can 21 ounces blueberry pie filling
- 3 cups fresh blueberries divided
- 1 large lemon zested and juiced (1 tablespoon zest, 3 tablespoons juice)
- 1 box 15.25 ounces vanilla cake mix
- ¾ cup 1½ sticks salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly spray a 9” x 13" baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Add the blueberry pie filling, 2½ cups of fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the baking dish and stir gently to combine.
- Sprinkle the dry vanilla cake mix over the blueberry mixture and spread it lightly into an even layer.
- Pour the melted butter over the cake mix, making sure to cover the cake mix completely.
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of blueberries over the top.
- (Optional) For an extra crunch on top, sprinkle coarse sanding sugar over the top. We highly recommend!
- Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and bubbly around the edges.
Nutrition Information:
More Blueberry Desserts & Treats
- Blueberry Tea Cake
- Roasted Blueberry Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
- Blueberry Muffins with Crumble Topping
- Blueberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
- Blueberry Cobbler with Orange Biscuit Puffs
- Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars
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