Serving dessert with dinner is a great treat for families. I find that I rarely want to spend extra time baking after I've made dinner. That's why this blackberry dump cake recipe is the perfect dessert. This cake takes less than 10 minutes to prep and that's if you're moving slowly.
I can't think of an easier baked dessert to make because this takes no time at all. This dessert is universally enjoyed by nearly everyone and it's delicious and easy to make. My whole family gobbles it up and asks for seconds.
If you've never made a dump cake, then tonight is the night to try it. If you love berries and cake you'll be pleased. It reminds me of a crumble recipe. If you enjoy those you'll enjoy this as well because the flavors are similar.
You can also consider mixing up the fruit in this recipe. There are a lot of great options. Check out the FAQ section below for our suggestions for other fruits that you can mix in with the blackberries. There are lots of options but we've included out favorites because sometimes you find a favorite recipe (this one!) and need ways to mix it up from week to week.
Best Recipes to Pair with This Dessert
This cake is the perfect dessert to pair with a blackberry cocktail (alcohol or non-alcohol) after you've eaten this delicious chicken in white wine sauce. Yum!
And don't forget the roasted broccoli on the side! When all paired together you've got a colorful, balanced meal for the whole family. When planning a meal I always try to make sure it has a variety of colors because that increases the nutritional value.
That makes your mouth water doesn't it? I just want to take a bite because I can smell the delicious sweetness through the computer. There's just something nostalgic for me about the smell of warm sugared berries. It reminds me of good times and special moments.
What is a Dump Cake?
It will soon become completely obvious why this is called a dump cake. Spoiler alert! You dump everything into the pan and cook! It's that easy. It's a terrible name with a delicious outcome.
There are many variations of these but this version is one of our favorites. You will not be disappointed. The combination of sweet and tart and cake is perfection. Each bite is a burst of flavor because of the delicious combination of ingredients.
If you love using boxed cake mix you might love this poke cake because it's so pretty and delicious.
How Long Does it Take to Make:
Trying to organize your baking and cooking time for dinner? I recommend putting the ingredients into the dish before making your dinner. From the time you start gathering your ingredients until it's ready for the oven is a maximum of 10 minutes.
Once you have it in the dish it will take 30-50 minutes to bake. If you're using fresh berries it will cook on the lower end of the time frame. Consider this when deciding what time to put it into the oven.
Once you remove it from the oven it will take 5-10 minutes to sit and cool enough to serve.
Can I Make it Gluten Free?
Yes! Use a gluten free yellow cake mix and gluten free oats. This is an easy substitution. If you're eating gluten free but aren't sensitive to cross contamination you can use regular oats. If you've got Celiac Disease you'll want to look for specifically gluten free oats. More gluten free desserts you might love.
Can I Make it Dairy Free?
Definitely. Use a butter substitute to make this dairy free.
Blackberry Dump Cake Ingredients:
- 4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- ½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup salted butter, melted (2 sticks)
How to Make the Cake:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Grease 9x13 baking dish. Place blackberries on the bottom.
Step 3: Add brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cardamom. Mix together with the berries and distribute evenly. See FAQ below for sugar substitution information.
Step 4: Sprinkle cake mix evenly on top of the berry mix.
Step 5: Add rolled oats on top of cake mix.
Step 6: Use your hands to gently combine the oats and cake mix. If you'd prefer, use a spoon. Try not to mix the berries and the cake mix.
Step 7: Pour melted butter over the top of the dish. You'll want to make sure it's evenly distributed. As the dump cake cooks, the butter is going to absorb into the cake mix, but if there are large patches between the butter drizzle, you could end up with some of the topping remaining dry cake mix powder. Prevent this by drizzling the melted butter over the top slowly and trying to cover as much area as possible.
Step 8: Bake about 30-50 minutes until the blackberry filling is bubbling and the topping is browned and baked through. (Wide range in cook time depends on fresh/frozen blackberries).
Best Ways to Serve:
Let the dish sit for 5-10 minutes to cool slightly. The juices will thicken up a little more during this time. Serve the dessert while it's warm. Scoop it onto individual plates or bowls. I recommend pairing with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream though it's delicious all by itself!
If you have them, you can even make individual desserts in their own baking cups. You can cook them at the same time on a baking sheet. This is a fun way to serve to guests. Just add a scoop of ice cream on top of each of the baking dishes.
How to Store:
Store in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, for up to 3 days. You can microwave to reheat or eat cold.
Frequently Asked Questions About Blackberry Dump Cake:
A. Using frozen blackberries may take a bit longer to cook completely. If you defrost first I recommend defrosting in a strainer to get rid of excess moisture.
A. The blackberries, whether fresh or frozen, will most likely need some sweetener. If you have especially sweet berries you can omit the sugar or decrease the amount of sugar. If you prefer, you can substitute white granulated sugar for the brown sugar or use a sugar substitute.
A. You can! I think the yellow cake mix works best with this recipe but try any flavor you'd like that would compliment the flavor of blackberries. A vanilla cake mix would be delicious and I'd like to try a chocolate cake mix because chocolate and berries is hard to go wrong!
A. Any berries make a great substitute. Use less sugar for sweeter berries, like strawberries. You might also consider diced apples mixed in with the blackberries.
Blackberry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 4 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 package yellow cake mix (just the dry cake mix)
- ½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine blackberries, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cardamom in 9"x13" baking dish.
- Sprinkle cake mix and rolled oats over the blackberry mixture. Use your fingers or a spoon to lightly combine the cake mix and rolled oats.
- Pour melted butter evenly over the top of the cake mix/oats.
- Bake about 30-50 minutes until the blackberry filling is bubbling and topping is browned and baked through. ***See note below on cooking time.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Leave a Reply