Recipe Review

My blackberry dump cake with frozen berries recipe was a huge success. This cobbler has plenty of blackberry flavor with a balance of sweetness, tartness, and just a hint of bitterness from the seeds. The lemon juice, although optional, brightened the fruit without making the dessert taste lemony, and I thought the 3/4 cup of sugar was just enough to balance the natural tartness of the berries without making the dump cake overly sweet.

Although there was some bitterness from the seeds, the cakey, buttery crumble was the perfect counterbalance, mellowing out the bitterness so that it became an interesting background element rather than an annoying distraction. Even if you normally avoid blackberries because of the seeds, I think you would probably still like this dessert.

I really liked the texture as well. The blackberries cooked through beautifully, some holding their shape while others fell apart into a jammy, pie filling-like consistency. The cake mix topping was crispy, crumbly, and amazingly buttery, contrasting nicely with the fruit layer underneath.

In fact, I was very surprised by how well this recipe turned out. I was a bit nervous about using frozen blackberries without thawing them first, but I was pleasantly surprised by how they thawed out and cooked down in the oven as the topping turned golden brown. I was afraid that maybe the fruit layer would be watery, or that the crumble topping might burn while some of the berries stayed partially frozen, but none of my fears came true.

Honestly, there isn’t really anything that I’d change about this recipe—I thought the flavor and texture were on point, not only meeting but also exceeding my expectations. I’ve made a lot of variations of old-fashioned blackberry cobbler with pie crust, which I love, so I honestly didn’t think I’d like the dump cake version as much as I did. The only tweak you might want to make is adding some spices—maybe 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, but I usually use minimal spices when using fresh or frozen fruit because I don’t want to cover up the amazing flavor.

This blackberry dump cake using frozen blackberries would be perfect for a beginner cook who wants to make a quick and easy dessert without rolling out pie dough or prepping fruit. And since it’s made in a 9×13 dish, it’s perfect for feeding crowds, especially on a holiday like Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or even just a large gathering for a picnic or Sunday dinner. If you make this recipe, I know you’ll love it! Best of all, you can make this recipe any time of the year because frozen blackberries are readily available and don’t need to be thawed before baking.

Blackberry Dump Cake with Frozen Berries FAQ

Other Dump Cake Recipes:

If you like cake mix cobblers, take a look at these other desserts:

Blackberry Dump Cake with Pie Filling – This 3-ingredient cobbler has all the same flavor but with a slightly crispier crust.

Peach Dump Cake with Canned Peaches – A simple version of a southern classic, canned fruit makes this cobbler super easy to make.

Strawberry Dump Cake with Cake Mix – Pie filling, cake mix, and butter make this 3-ingredient cobbler a winner.

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