Cherry cobbler with cake mix and pie filling is a super easy recipe that’s perfect for beginner cooks. This dump cake style cobbler only has 3 main ingredients, along with a few extras to take this to the next level. Although many online versions suggest making this in a crock pot, I made it in the oven in a 9×13 pan, so it’s perfect for feeding a crowd. If you’re looking for a good cherry cobbler with cake mix recipe, keep reading!

Can You Make Cherry Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling?

When you think of cobbler, you probably think of something like my one of my peach cobbler recipes: whole fruit cooked to make a cornstarch-thickened filling, then poured into a dish and topped with pie crust.

While I absolutely love old fashioned southern cobblers, they do take a bit of time and require some skill. If you want a quick and easy cobbler recipe that’s good for people who don’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen, then a cobbler recipe using cake mix and pie filling is a good choice.

Cobblers with cake mix and pie filling are sometimes called dump cakes because all you have to do is literally “dump” the ingredients into a pan and bake. After making my apple cobbler with cake mix, I wanted to see how a different flavor would turn out, so I decided to give cherry a try.

How to Make Cherry Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling

Like I just said, making cherry cobbler with cake mix and pie filling is really easy. Although this dump cake cobbler has just a few ingredients and a few steps, it’s still a good idea to go over some tips to make sure your cobblers turns out perfectly.

Dump in the Pie Filling

Since this cherry cobbler is also known as a cherry dump cake, it should be no surprise that the first step in the recipe is “dumping” the pie filling into a 9×13 baking dish.

I simply opened the cans, poured the filling into the greased pan, and then spread out the filling into an even layer with a spatula. Honestly, it doesn’t get any easier than that.

What Can You Add to Cherry Pie Filling to Make It Taste Better?

Although canned pie filling is good, it isn’t as good as homemade cherry pie filling. Compared to my own filling, I always think that storebought pie fillings are less sweet and less flavorful than I would like, no matter the flavor.

To make the canned cherry pie filling taste better, I decided to add:

1 Tablespoon lemon juice – As in my other fruit cobblers, I think that lemon juice brings out the flavors.
1 teaspoon almond extract – Although it sounds odd, almond extract is in a lot of cherry pie and cobbler recipes. Almond extract really brings out cherry flavor, so if you can, I suggest adding a bit.
1/4 cup sugar – I used white to preserve the red color, but I think light or dark brown sugar would be better since brown sugar has a more complex flavor.

If you watch the video, I had some lemon zest off to the side as well. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to add it, but looking back, I think it would have made the cobbler too lemony, so I’m glad I didn’t.

After spreading out the pie filling, I simply sprinkled over the lemon juice, almond extract, and extra sugar, then gently mixed them in. Even though a classic dump cake recipe only has 3 ingredients, my extra Parnell The Chef touches will make your cobbler even more flavorful.

Cherry Cobbler with Cake Mix Recipe — This cherry cobbler with cake mix recipe is a dump cake with a few extra ingredients to make the canned cherry pie filling more flavorful.

Sprinkle Cake Mix over the Cherry Pie Filling

Once the cherry pie filling and any mix-ins are in the pan, it’s time to make the “crust.” Instead of adding a pie crust, dump cake cobblers call for “dumping” cake mix right out of the box on top of the canned pie filling.

After opening the bag, I held it over the pan, shaking it slightly to sprinkle the raw cake mix on top of the pie filling. I did my best to sprinkle over the cake mix as evenly as possible.

I then took a spoon and spread out the cake mix evenly. Although packing the cake mix down might seem intuitive, be sure to move the spoon or spatula horizontally instead of vertically. You don’t want to pack the cake mix down tightly: just make sure it’s spread out evenly across the top.

What Type of Cake Mix Should I Use?

Most classic dump cake recipes call for either white or yellow cake mix since those have the most neutral flavors. I used white cake mix, but I honestly think you could get creative. If you try chocolate or spice cake mix, I’d love to know what you think.

Lay Butter on Top

The last step of this cherry cobbler with cake mix recipe is adding the butter. I cut two sticks of butter into very small pieces and then laid the pieces across the top of the cobbler, making sure to space the butter slices as evenly as possible.

As the butter melts in the oven, it will spread both down and out, soaking the raw cake mix with melted butter and creating a deliciously sweet and buttery crumb topping as the cobbler bakes.

Although adding the butter is the most tedious part of the cobbler recipe, here are a few tips:

Cold Butter – Cold butter is a lot easier to cut, so keep it in the refrigerator while you are dumpling in the pie filling and sprinkling on the cake mix.
Sharp Knife – A sharp knife makes cutting easier, so be sure to use a sharp knife. I think a normal butter knife is too dull and too thick for this job, so something with a sharp, thin blade would be ideal.
Grate the butter – A YouTuber viewer suggested freezing the butter, grating it on a cheese grater, then sprinkling the grated butter on top of the cake mix crust. I am curious how this would turn out.

Although I have seen other chefs on YouTube pour melted butter on top of the cake mix, I don’t think the butter would be as evenly distributed that way. Honestly, taking a bit of time to do this the long way will probably lead to a crispier, moister, more buttery crust.

Once the butter is on top of your cobbler, it’s time to bake!

Does Cherry Cobbler with Cake Mix Need To Be Refrigerated?

This cherry cobbler with cake mix and pie filling is delicious both warm and cold, so I don’t know if there will be any leftovers, especially if you make it for a crowd. However, if you don’t eat it all right away, it will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days: after that, and the crumb topping will star to get soggy.

I never cover my cobblers in the refrigerator, so I can’t comment on how that would affect it. I imagine plastic wrap would trap in moisture and make the cake mix crumble soggy, but I could be wrong.

Can Cherry Cobbler Dump Cake Be Made Ahead of Time?

If you’re making a cherry cobbler dump cake for a crowd, you’re probably going to be busy entertaining, so you probably want to know if you can make the cobbler ahead of time.

Yes, you can! Like I said, it will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, longer in the freezer.

Can Your Freeze this Cobbler?

To freeze this–or any–cobbler, cut into individual portions, wrap individually, and freeze for up to 6 months. To serve, simply remove from the freezer and microwave or bake to thaw and heat through.

A Chef’s Review

Overall, this cherry cobbler with cake mix and pie filling recipe was good. I loved the buttery cake mix crumb topping, but the cherry flavor was a bit lacking. I thought it was a bit on the sweet side, too.

This recipe is perfect for beginner cooks, people pressed for time, or if you are cooking for a crowd–just don’t expect it to taste like an old fashioned fruit cobbler with fresh or frozen fruit and pie crust.

Possible Changes to the Recipe

As stated earlier, I used white cake mix since it has a neutral flavor. However, I think that you could get creative with different types of cake mix, such as:

Chocolate Cake Mix
Lemon Cake Mix
Spice Cake Mix

If you try other variations of cherry cobbler with cake mix, please let me know!

Also, like I said earlier, I think that using light brown or dark brown sugar would add more depth of flavor to the filling. You might have to sacrifice the bright red color a bit, but it might be worth it.

Recipe Variations

The classic dump cake cobbler recipe is very versatile. Canned pie filling and cake mix come in a variety of flavors, so you can get creative with different combinations. In regards to cherry, I think it would be good to try:

Cherry Blueberry – 1 can of cherry and 1 can of blueberry pie filling
Cherry Pineapple – 1 can of cherry pie filling and 1 can of crushed pineapple

Cherry Cobbler with Cake Mix Recipe