My key lime dump cake recipe is easy and delicious! Made with a base of 3 ingredients–pie filling, cake mix and butter–it’s the perfect cobbler for beginner cooks who need a quick dessert to feed a crowd. Although the bright citrus flavors would be perfect for summer, this treat would be great at any time of the year. If you want to know how to make 3-ingredient key lime dump cake with pie filling, keep reading!
Ingredients
Although you only need 3 ingredients to make this dump cake, adding a few more will make it even better:
Key Lime Pie Filling – 2 21 oz cans
Cake Mix – 1 15.25 oz box white cake mix
Butter – 2 stick of unsalted butter (226g)
Optional:
Lime Juice – 2 Tablespoons
Lime Zest – 1 Tablespoon (or 1 teaspoon lime zest and 1 teaspoon lime extract)
Salt – a dash of salt
Tools:
9×13 Baking Dish
Spoon
Spatula
Sharp Knife
Fork
How to Make Key Lime Dump Cake
You can make this dessert with just a few, short steps:
Butter the Baking Dish
Don’t forget to butter the 9×13 baking dish before you start the recipe–this will help prevent sticking.
Dump in the Pie Filling
As the name suggests, the first step is “dumping” the 2 cans of pie filling into the baking dish and then spreading the filling out evenly.
Optional: Add More Flavor
Although you can make this key lime dump cake with just 3 ingredients, adding lime juice, zest (and/or extract), and a dash of salt (to balance out the sweetness) will help take this dessert to the next level. Be sure to spread the lime juice and zest out evenly across the top of the pie filling before continuing.
Sprinkle on the Cake Mix
Next, sprinkle the cake mix over the top as evenly as possible. Don’t worry about being perfect–this recipe is supposed to be easy.
Even Out the Cake Mix
Use a fork to spread out the cake mix across the top evenly, breaking up any lumps as you go along. However, be sure to NOT mix the cake mix into the pie filling.
Lay Butter Across the Top
Now comes the most tedious and time-consuming step–but arguably the most important: cutting the butter into thin pads and laying them on top of the cake mix. Cut the butter thin enough to make 4-6 slices per Tablespoon. This is much easier if your butter cold, so keep the butter in the refrigerator until this point.
Bake the Dump Cake
Put the dump cake in the oven and bake it at 350F, uncovered, for 1 hour or until golden brown.
Cool Before Serving
Although you could serve the dump cake immediately, it’s best to let it cool down for at least 15-20 minutes to minimize the risk of burning yourself. If you want the slices to hold their shape better, wait at least 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy the Treat
Serve and enjoy! Although it’s great plain, it would also be good with ice cream or Cool Whip. If you like homemade whipped cream, be sure to check out my recipe!
Helpful Tips
Even though this cobbler is simple to make, here are a few things that will make it easier and tastier:
Don’t Mix – Resist the urge to stir the cake mix and pie filling together so that your dump cake has 2 distinct layers: a fruity filling and sweet, buttery crumble topping.
Keep the Butter Cold – Cold butter is not only easier to cut but also melt more slowly and evenly, helping to create a crispy, golden crust on top of your cake.
Use a Sharp Knife – Cutting the butter with a sharp knife helps make thin, mostly uniform slices that will distribute the butter as evenly as possible.
Spread Out the Butter Evenly – Distribute it evenly over the dry cake mix. This helps ensure the cake bakes evenly and gets a nice, golden crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use A Different Type of Cake Mix?
Yes! Although I recommend using white or yellow cake mix because of the neutral flavor, you can switch things up with any flavor you want. In fact, I think lemon–or lime if you can find it–would be nice.
Where Can I Buy Canned Key Lime Pie Filling?
Even though canned key lime pie filling is a bit hard to find, you should be able to find it at large retailers, or online. Look in the baking aisle with the other canned pie fillings.
Is There an Easier Way to Add the Butter?
Maybe. I don’t recommend pouring melted butter over the top because it’s hard to get even distribution–you’re almost guaranteed to have dry spots. However, Aubry of FindingBeautifulTruth.com made her peach dump cake with grated frozen butter, so you might want to try freezing the butter, grating it with a cheese grater, and then sprinkling it on top. If you do it that way, let me know what you think!
Recipe Review
This 3-ingredient key lime dump cake recipe turned out great. It had a nice lime flavor that was enhanced by the zest and juice, but without the intense acidity that you sometimes find in key lime pie or other citrus desserts. The crumble topping was sweet, buttery, crispy, and crunchy, so it combined nicely with the creamy filling.
Honestly, my only critique of this recipe is that it lacked color. I was expecting the canned key lime pie filling to be green, but since it wasn’t, this cake had a rather (in my opinion) uninteresting color that didn’t really indicate what the flavor was. A quick sprinkling of extra lime zest before serving changed that, so I guess this criticism isn’t major.
Overall, this cobbler was a big success. It’s perfect for beginner cooks who need to be a quick 9×13 dessert for a crowd, and it would also be good for people who like lime flavor but don’t like too much acidity. Although the flavor profile is perfect for summer, it would be great at any time of the year.
Other Lime Recipes
If you like citrus as much as I do, check out these other recipes:
Key Lime Cake – This traditional southern cake’s cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch.
More Dump Cakes
For more simple, 3-ingredient cobbler recipes, check out:
Lemon Dump Cake – If you love lemon but not all the acidity, this dessert is for you.
Pineapple Dump Cake – Bright flavors and colors make this old-fashioned dessert really amazing.
Cherry Dump Cake – For a dessert with a bright red color, this cobbler is the perfect choice.
Key Lime Dump Cake Recipe Instructions
Key Lime Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 2 21 oz cans key lime pie filling
- 1 15.25 oz box white cake mix
- 2 sticks butter, unsalted
- *Optional:
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon lime zest -or- 1 Tablespoon lime zest and 1 teaspoon lime exact
- a sprinkling of salt
Instructions
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Remember to keep the rest of the butter in the refrigerator until later in the recipe.
- Dump the pie filling into the baking dish and spread it out evenly.
- Optional: Add the lime juice lime zest (and/or extract), and dash of salt, then spread them out evenly.
- Sprinkle on the cake mix on top of the pie filling.
- Use a fork to spread out the cake mix evenly, breaking up any lumps as you go along–but remember to NOT mix.
- Slice butter into thin pads and then across the top of the dump cake.
- Bake at 350F, uncovered, for 1 hour.
- Let the dump cake cool down for at least 15-20 minutes, longer (at least 30) if you want the slices to hold their shape better.
- Serve and enjoy!
YouTube Video
Be sure to watch my YouTube video tutorial, too:
