Fresh Blueberry Dump Cake

When you want a delicious, low-effort dessert I recommend this blueberry dump cake. Fresh blueberries and cake mix bake up into a gooey, decadent dessert that’s great in the summer with some vanilla ice cream.

Dump Cake with Fresh Blueberries

This blueberry dump cake uses fresh blueberries and a box of yellow cake mix. Most dump cake recipes you’ll find on the web call for canned blueberry pie filling. However, tbh even though I love blueberry desserts, I’m not the biggest fan of canned blueberry pie filling, so we’re swapping it out for the real thing here. 

The cake still follows the same logic though – dump a box of cake mix on top of fruit, douse it in butter, and let the oven work its magic. The end result is a fruit-forward, gooey, golden brown cake. It’s similar to a cobbler, with a layer of fruit at the bottom, and then has cake on top instead of biscuits. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fresh, flavorful berries: Adding some cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon to the blueberries before baking brings out their flavor.
• Easy to make: it’s called a dump cake because you literally dump things into a baking dish lol. If you’re low on time or not wanting to put in too much effort then this is the perfect cake for you. 
• Seasonal: blueberries are great year round, but this is an especially delightful summertime dessert.

Ingredients Needed

• Blueberries: either fresh or frozen berries work.
  • Try using wild Maine blueberries, which have a sweeter flavor, or a mix of conventional and wild blueberries.  
• Granulated sugar: adds sweetness to the berries
• Lemon juice and lemon zest: brings a bright flavor to the fruit
• Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract: more fun flavors for the berries
• Cornstarch: since the berries will release a lot of liquid as they bake, the cornstarch helps thicken the mixture. 
• One 14oz box of yellow cake mix: I used the Whole Foods brand cake mix since it is what I had on hand, but 

Melted butter: either salted and unsalted butter are great

How to Make Blueberry Dump Cake

Step 1: Toss the blueberries with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Let the blueberries rest for 10 minutes to macerate. You can do this directly in the baking dish or in a separate bowl.

Step 2: Transfer the blueberries and their juices into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle the entire box of cake mix on top.

Step 3: Pour melted butter on top of the cake mix, trying to get it as evenly distributed as possible. Do not mix it in, it’s okay if there are a few dry spots.

Step 4: Bake the cake for one hour, or until it is golden brown. Let it cool down for 20-30 minutes, but it’s best when served warm with vanilla ice cream.

FAQ

What Size Pan to Use?

I used this 11×8 inch casserole dish from Staub (it comes in a set) to make the cake pictured in this post, and found it to be the perfect size for this cake. You could also use a 10 or 11 inch round pie dish or any similar-sized baking dish that you have. With larger baking dishes, note that the cake will turn out thinner and may require less time in the oven. 

How to Store Leftovers

Tightly cover leftovers and store them in the refrigerator. You can reheat any leftover dump cake in the microwave. 

Can I use Frozen Blueberries?

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries in this dump cake. If you are using frozen berries, there is no need to thaw them. However, you may need to increase the bake time since the berries are much colder. I actually love using a mix of regular blueberries and some frozen Maine wild blueberries (Wyman’s is the best wild blueberry brand IMO). 

Pin and Save for Later

Want to make this recipe but not ready to bake yet? Simply hover (or tap on mobile) over any image in this post to save it to Pinterest. You can also check out some other blueberry delicacies like Blueberry Bundt Cake or Blueberry Apple Crisp.

Happy baking and hope you enjoy your fresh blueberry dump cake!