Make Cherry Dump Cake in your Instant Pot using only THREE ingredients! There is not a dessert in the world that is easier than this one. Throw everything into a single pan and let the pressure cooker work its magic.
It is not often that I rave about how easy a dessert is to make. Because I have made some seriously easy desserts in my life. I found a version of this recipe in an Instant Pot cookbook and I was skeptical. I mean, adding cake mix to a pan straight from a box? Really? I totally went into this recipe expecting it to be a fail and I was SHOCKED when it came out of the Instant Pot looking and tasting like perfection.
Instant Pot Cherry Dump Cake is my new official super easy, go-to recipe for gatherings when I don’t have spare time but need to come up with something delicious. You guys! This easy dessert will change your dessert game. I love that you can use any variety of cake mix and any sort of canned fruit. Get creative!
HOW TO MAKE CHERRY DUMP CAKE IN AN INSTANT POT
STEP 1
Pour 1 1/2 cups water into the Instant Pot. Coat a round 6- or 7-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
Pour one can of cherry pie filling into the prepared pan and pour the dry cake mix over the top.
Place 6 pats of butter in a circle over top and cover with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Place the pan on a trivet and lower it down into the Instant Pot.
STEP 2
Place the cover on the pot and set the timer to 35 minutes on high pressure (use the pressure cook setting). It will take the Instant Pot around 8 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
STEP 3
When cook time is up, do a quick release and allow the float valve to drop.
Remove the cover and pull the trivet/pan out. Remove foil and place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the cake, if desired.
RECIPE NOTES
- Use a different variety of canned fruit filling! Try blueberries, strawberries, apples or peaches!
- Experiment with the flavor of the cake by using chocolate, red velvet, lemon, white or funfetti.
- If you’re making this dessert to impress, go crazy with toppings! Ice cream, whipped cream, maraschino cherries, sprinkles or chocolate chips!
WHAT IS A DUMP CAKE?
A dump cake is similar to a crisp or a cobbler in texture and taste, but it is made by “dumping” all ingredients into a single baking dish or pan and cooking it as-is.
SALTED BUTTER VS UNSALTED BUTTER
Ahh, the great baking debate. Many bakers use unsalted butter in their baked goods in order to avoid over-salting. I, however, believe that there is no such thing as “over-salting.”
I always use salted butter in my baked goods (and for everything else under the sun) because it gives everything I make an extra touch of salty deliciousness. If you go the unsalted route, keep in mind that you may need to add a bit extra salt to the recipe!
WHAT TO SERVE AT A PARTY
I LOVE party food, so you have come to the right place if you are looking for recipes to make for your next gathering. Here are some other options for you that will be easy, delicious and crowd-pleasing!
- Fruit Pizza – The classic, crowd-pleasing Fruit Pizza has a cookie dough crust, dreamy cream cheese frosting and a colorful top layer of fruit and a tasty glaze. Great appetizer/dessert for parties of any kind, any time of the year!
- Taco Ranch Pasta Salad – This delicious pasta salad gets totally devoured at gatherings, no matter the season.
- Sausage Cheese Dip – Sausage Cheese Dip is easy to make (let your crockpot do the work for you!), cheesy, flavorful and totally irresistible! Serve as an appetizer at your next party and it won’t last long. Only 6 ingredients required for this delicious party food!
- 7-Layer Taco Dip – This is the best 7-Layer Taco Dip you’ll ever meet! It’s the perfect appetizer and party food and it is always the first thing to get devoured.
- Crockpot Meatballs – These require only a few ingredients with only a few minutes of prep. They are SO EASY to make, totally packed with delicious flavor and great for game-day parties or holidays. Let your slow cooker do all of the work for you!
- Whipped Ricotta with Herbs and Honey from Fork in the Kitchen.
- Caramelized Onion Garlic Dip from Fork in the Kitchen.
OTHER INSTANT POT DESSERT RECIPES
Here are a few of my other favorite Instant Pot DESSERTS!
Instant Pot Cherry Dump Cake
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 21 oz cherry pie filling
- 15.25 oz yellow cake mix
- 6 tbsp salted butter cut into 1-inch chunks
- vanilla ice cream/whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- Pour 1 1/2 cups water into the Instant Pot. Coat a round 6- or 7-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
- Pour the cherry pie filling into the prepared pan and pour the dry cake mix over the top. Place the pats of butter in a circle over top and cover with foil. Place the pan on a trivet and lower into the Instant Pot.
- Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 35 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting). It will take the IP around 8 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
- When cooking is done, do a quick release and allow the float valve to drop.
- Remove cover and pull the trivet/pan out. Remove foil and serve with ice cream and whipped cream, if desired.
So disappointed…all I ended up with was powder and some fruit at the bottom. What did I do wrong??
Oh my, that would be disappointing. I’m so sorry that happened! I noticed my recipe omitted (and have corrected since!) the first step which creates the steam and allows the butter and cherries to help cook the cake into a delicious, crunchy topping. Step 1 was: Pour 1 1/2 cups water into the Instant Pot. Coat a round 6- or 7-inch cake pan with cooking spray. The only other thing I can imagine was maybe the cake was leveled out and the butter couldn’t melt across evenly. Let me know if you try it again because it is easy and delicious!
The same thing happened to mine. It’s somewhat cooked but not all the way. We weren’t supposed to level the cake? Should it have been in a heap in the middle?
You can level the ingredients as you add them to avoid this. While I didn’t have the result you did, it would help I think to just tap the pan side to side so it’s evenly spaced out. If you think that it’s under cooked, you can add it back to the IP for 0 minutes and it’ll just build up pressure and finish the cooking. So frustrating when you’re excited to have something and it doesn’t come out the first time but it is worth enjoying! Thanks for asking.