Berry Dump Cake Recipe: Easy Summer Dessert

Serves 6 | Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes | Active time: 45 minutes

Some desserts ask for a whole afternoon. This one asks for one baking dish and about ten minutes of actual effort — and it still shows up to the table smelling like you tried.

A dump cake is exactly what it sounds like: fruit on the bottom, cake mix scattered over the top, butter dotted everywhere, and the oven does the rest. What comes out is part cobbler, part cake, with a jammy berry layer bubbling up around a golden, buttery crust. Around here, it's the dessert we make all summer long, whether the berries came from the farmers market or the back of the freezer.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish
• 4 cups mixed berries of your choice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• One 15.25-ounce box vanilla cake mix
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• Your favorite vanilla ice cream, for serving

A note on berries: Any mix of fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries works well here. If using strawberries, hull and chop them into smaller pieces before adding.

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, stir together the berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla until the fruit is evenly coated. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
3. Pour the dry cake mix over the top in an even layer, then scatter the butter cubes across the surface. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes, until the topping is set and the fruit is tender.
4. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to lightly brown the top.
5. Allow to cool for a few minutes before scooping into bowls. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

A Few Tips Before You Bake

• Spread the butter cubes as evenly as you can — any dry patches of cake mix will stay powdery instead of baking into a crust.
• Frozen berries work straight from the freezer; there's no need to thaw them first.
• The foil matters. It traps steam so the fruit softens and the topping sets before the final uncovered browning.
• Serve it warm. The contrast with cold vanilla ice cream is the whole point.

This is the kind of dessert that tastes best outside, eaten slowly while the evening cools off. If your summer routine involves dinner on the patio furniture and dessert still warm from the oven, you're doing it right — and if you're dreaming bigger, a custom outdoor kitchen makes the whole meal an outdoor affair.

If you're thinking about upgrading your backyard before next berry season, stop by our Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls showroom, or schedule a free consultation — we're always happy to talk it through, no pressure.

Credit: Recipe courtesy of Kardea Brown.