Strawberry dump cake with cake mix is a super easy 3-ingredient recipe that’s perfect for summer! With just 2 cans of pie filling, a box of white or yellow cake mix, and 2 sticks of butter, you can make a delicious cobbler that’s perfect for beginner cooks. This dump cake has not just a fantastic flavor but also a beautiful color, the bright red filling making it the perfect eye-catching dessert for the 4th of July, Canada Day, or any other summer holiday. If you want to learn how to make strawberry dump cake, this article is for you!

What is A Strawberry Dump Cake Cobbler?

According to a QuaintCooking.com article, dump cakes are a type of cobbler dating back at least to the 1980’s, if not the 1960’s. Known for their simplicity, all you have to do is literally “dump” cake mix, some sort of canned fruit, and butter into a 9×13 dish and then bake.

For people who want a cobbler but don’t want to prep fruit or roll out pie crust, dump cakes are a lifesaver. Since all but the butter is shelf-stable, dump cake cobblers are great for when you want to make an easy and delicious dessert for a crowd at the last minute.

Dump cake recipes are very versatile, so you can change the flavor by using different types of cake mix and canned fruit, such as my apple dump cake with pie filling and cake mix recipe. In this article I’m going to show you how to make a strawberry version that is sure to be a hit with you, your family, and friends.

Strawberry Dump Cake with 3 Ingredients

As stated in the previous section, the basic dump cake recipe has 3 ingredients: cake mix, canned fruit, and butter. My strawberry dump cake recipe uses the same basic ingredients:

1. White or Yellow Cake Mix

When I make dump cake cobblers, I usually use white cake mix because of its neutral flavor. For this recipe, I recommend either white or yellow cake mix because of their neutral flavors, but I think that other flavors such as chocolate would be good, too.

2. Pie Filling

Although some dump cakes use canned sliced fruit, most recipes use storebought pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and thickened, so you don’t have to add anything other ingredients.

However, as in my cherry dump cake recipe, one or two extra ingredients can take the storebought filling to the next level. Your cobbler will be perfectly fine if you all you do is open the pie filling and pour it into the pan, but going beyond the basic 3 ingredients for dump cake will make a big difference.

3. Butter

The final of the 3 basic dump cake ingredients, butter is what turns the raw cake mix into a crumble-like crust. Most recipes call for slicing the butter into small pieces and then laying those pieces on top of the raw cake mix.

The small pads of butter melt down into the cake mix as the cobbler bakes, turning the raw flour and sugar into a crispy, crunchy crumble topping.

As you can see, the three ingredients in strawberry dump cake all have an important role in creating the amazing combination of tastes and textures. Later on this article, I’ll give you some ideas on how you can switch up the basic recipe to create new flavor combinations.

Strawberry Dump Cake 3 Ingredients — Learning how to make this 3 ingredient strawberry dump cake is quick and easy.

How To Make Strawberry Dump Cake with Cake Mix and Pie Filling

Although learning how to make a strawberry dump cake with cake mix and pie filling is easy, I think it’s a good idea to go over each step in a bit of detail. The steps are as follows:

Pouring the Pie Filling

After greasing a 9×13 pan with butter, the first step in making a strawberry dump cake is pouring in the pie filling. All I did was simply open the cans, pour the filling into the dish, and then use a spatula to spread out the filling.

Adding a Bit of Lemon Juice

Although using just the 3 basic dump cake ingredients would be fine, adding a bit more flavor to the pie filling will help elevate your dessert from good to great. So, I added:

2 Tablespoons lemon juice – As I explain in my strawberry pie with frozen strawberries recipe, lemon really helps to bring out berry flavor.
1 teaspoon strawberry extract – Feel free to leave this out if you don’t have it, but a bit of concentrated flavor always helps. Honestly, I would NOT replace this with vanilla–I think vanilla extract might actually take away from the strawberry flavor.

Dumping on the Cake Mix

Hence the name, the second step is “dumping” the raw cake mix on top of the filling. I literally just opened the bag and shook it while moving slowly over the dish so I could distribute the cake mix evenly.

I then took a large spoon to smooth out the cake mix, breaking up any lumps along the way. It’s important to remember to NOT pack it down or mix it in with the pie filling–just leave it as is.

Adding the Butter

The third and final step in my strawberry dump cake recipe is adding the butter. Most dump cake recipes call for first slicing the butter as thinly as possible so you can place pads of butter on top of the cobbler.

When laying the butter on top, it’s important to put them fairly close together, roughly 1/4″ apart, if not closer. At the same time, you have to make sure that they are distributed as evenly as possible.

Although this step may seem odd, it allows the butter to melt down and spread out as the dump cake bakes, moistening the cake mix and turning it into a crumble topping. If you’ve never made a strawberry dump cake before, you’ll be surprised by just how well this works out–it’s almost like magic.

Cold Butter

Whenever you’re working with butter, it’s easier if the butter is cold. Even though I have the butter off to the side at the beginning of the video tutorial, I put it back into the refrigerator to keep it cold.

It is much easier to slice cold butter, so be sure to keep your butter in the refrigerator until you’re ready to slice it. You might even want to put it in the freezer for a few minutes–just make sure it isn’t frozen.

Grating Frozen Butter

A YouTube subscriber commented on one of my dump cake recipes and suggested perhaps freezing the butter, grating it on a cheese grater, then sprinkling the grated butter on top of the cobbler. I’ve never tried that, but I think it would be easier than cutting the butter into thin slices.

Can You Melt The Butter and Pour It Over The Dump Cake?

Although pouring melted butter over the top would be faster, I don’t recommend doing that. I think it would be hard to pour the butter over the top evenly, so there’d probably be a few dry spots.

As with many things, slowing down and taking a bit of time to put in some extra effort pays off. However, if you do melt the butter first, please let me know how your cobbler turns out!

How Long to Bake Strawberry Dump Cake?

I baked my strawberry dump cake at 350F, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Ovens vary, so I would check on your cobbler at around the one hour mark to make sure it doesn’t burn.

How Do You Know It’s Done?

You know dump cake is done when the top is fully moistened from the melted butter and has turned a beautiful golden brown. The filling will likely be bubbling up through the cake mix crust in a few places, too.

Should Dump Cake Be Refrigerated?

Food safety experts recommend refrigerating most foods, and dump cakes are no exception. Even though I normally don’t refrigerate my pies or cobblers (most food safety experts recommend refrigerating all baked goods, but I’ve never a problem), I did this time.

Once fully cooled, refrigerated your dump cake, uncovered, to keep it fresh.

How Long does Strawberry Dump Cake Keep?

I had small pieces over the course of a few days, and I think the strawberry dump cake maintained its freshness for about 2 days. After 48 hours, the humidity in the refrigerator made the cake mix crumble soggy.

Although a soggy crust probably isn’t dangerous to your health, the loss of the crispy texture affects the overall experience. So, I recommend finishing your cobbler with 48 hours of putting it in the refrigerator.

Can Dump Cake Be Reheated?

After eating the first piece of my strawberry dump cake warm, I ate all the others cold. However, if you want to reheat your dump cake, I recommend putting individual slices in the microwave for 30-second ingredients on high, checking after each increment to see if it’s warmed through.

Can You Freeze Strawberry Dump Cake?

Even though I’ve never done it, yes, you can freeze strawberry dump cake. Cut the cobbler into individual slices, place on paper or plastic plates, wrap in plastic wrap or foil, and then freeze.

When ready to serve, simply remove from the freezer and microwave or bake until reheated–no need to thaw first. Your cobbler slices should keep in the freezer for about 3 months.

A Chef’s Review

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I liked this strawberry dump cake with cake mix and pie filling. Like I said earlier, dump cakes don’t have as much flavor as old fashioned cobblers do, but the strawberry flavor was strong than I was expecting. Together with the texture and color, this was a big success.

Serving Suggestions

Although this strawberry dump cake was delicious on its own, it would also be good with ice cream, Cool Whip, or whipped cream. A strong cup of coffee would be good as well if you want something to cut the sweetness a bit.

Possible Changes to the Recipe

Although this strawberry dump cake cobblers was a success, here are ways you could switch things up:

Additions to Filling

Orange or Lime Juice – Although I think lemon is best, experimenting with other citrus could be interesting.
Cinnamon – Once again, less is more, but a bit of cinnamon would be a good way to “spice things up.”

Other Types of Cake Mix

Besides white or yellow cake mix, you might want to try:

Chocolate Cake Mix
Strawberry Cake Mix
Lemon Cake Mix
Spice Cake Mix

More Strawberry Desserts

If you love strawberries, then you’ll want to try some of my other recipes:

Easy Strawberry Fudge Recipe – With just 2 minutes in the microwave, you can make homemade candy!

Strawberry Pie with Frozen Strawberries – Using frozen berries allows you to make pie anywhere, anytime.

Easy 3-Ingredient Dump Cake Recipes

If you liked the easy of this 3-ingredient strawberry dump cake, be sure to try similar recipes on my site:

3-Ingredient Blackberry Dump Cake – The golden brown top and deep purple filling look great together.