A Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Strawberry Dump Cake
In the 1700s and 1800s, only wealthy Americans could eat cake. This was partly because cake ingredients were expensive. Cakes were also incredibly time-consuming to make.
That’s no longer true these days. Cake ingredients are far less expensive and time-consuming. For example, you can make a strawberry dump cake with only three ingredients.
With the recipe below, you can do just that. Read on!
What Is a Dump Cake?
Experts aren’t 100% sure when dump cakes became a thing. The term “dump cake” did appear a few times around the turn of the 20th century. However, these weren’t the dump cakes that everyone knows and loves today.
In that era, “dump cake” was another nickname for a wacky cake or crazy cake. These types of cake recipes were eggless batters stirred around in a baking pan. In addition, cake mixes, an unskippable part of the dump cake recipe, weren’t as popular at the time.
Cake Mixes Pick Up
Cake mix popularity picked up in the 1950s. Supposedly, this happened because of a recipe change. By asking women to add two fresh eggs to a recipe, they felt less guilty about easily making a cake with a cake mix. Adding frosting to the cake pictures on the boxes reportedly also helped.
Cake recipes for dump cake were picked up a decade or so later. Hometown newspapers and community cookbooks would often have a dump cake recipe or two in them. Cake mix companies also provided dump cake recipes in advertisements.
Variations
When dump cakes started to become popular, one recipe was king. Making it involved combining a yellow cake mix with a can of cherry pie filling. Bakers would then follow this up by adding butter, chopped nuts, and pineapple.
The dump cake variations spread from there. Bakers swapped out the cherry pie filling with other pie filling flavors. They also learned how to replace canned fruits with fresh or frozen fruits.
Today
Today, bakers still love making dump cakes because they’re easy and quick. You can also serve them in a variety of different ways. They can be warm or cold and topped with whipped or ice cream.
Now without any further ado, let’s get to that recipe!
Homemade Strawberry Dump Cake Recipe
For this easy homemade cake recipe, you’re only going to need THREE ingredients. Yes, you could argue that a cake mix contains a variety of different ingredients. However, since you’re just gonna dump it all in, cake mix can easily count as one ingredient.
Also, feel free to add some fresh strawberries to the canned stuff. This can add a bit of flavor variety to the filling and make the cake even more delicious.
Ingredients and Equipment
To start the recipe, you’re going to need the following ingredients. If you don’t already have them, you’ll need to quickly run down to the store.
- 1 can of strawberry pie filling
- 1 box of white, yellow, or strawberry cake filling
- 1 and a half sticks of unsalted butter
Equipment-wise, you’ll need the following:
- Oven
- Microwave
- Scissors
- 2 spatulas
- Small spoon
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Baking pan
- Microwave-safe bowl
Step 1: Preheat Your Oven
Before you do anything else, preheat your oven to 350°. You shouldn’t have your mixed ingredients sitting out while you wait for the oven to preheat.
Step 2: Spread the Canned Strawberries
Spray your chosen baking pan down with non-stick cooking spray. Open your canned strawberry pie filling and pour it into the baking spray. Use your spoon to get anything left in the pan out.
Did you get everything out of the can? Now you need to spread everything out flat and evenly. Do this with your spatula.
Step 3: Sprinkle and Spread Cake Mix
Take the cake mix bag out of the box. Cut one of the corners to leave a small opening. Then spread the cake mix over the top of the strawberries.
Try to spread the mix as evenly as you can. If it’s not even enough, use the spatula you haven’t used before to spread the powder mix out.
Step 4: Melt Butter
Put the 1.5 sticks of butter in the microwave-safe bowl. Then stick the bowl and butter in the microwave. Run the microwave for a minute or two until the butter is completely melted.
Step 5: Pour Melted Butter
Pour the melted butter over the top of the cake mixture. Try to spread this butter covering as evenly as you can.
Step 6: Bake Your Cake
Once your oven is ready, take the pan and place it inside the oven. Bake the cake for 35 minutes. Then let the cake cool for a bit before you serve it.
Step 7: Serve Your Cake
If you want to serve your cake warm, wrap it in tin foil before you serve it. You should also plan to start your dump cake just before lunch or dinner starts. That should give it enough time to bake while everyone eats their meal.
Serving your cake cold won’t require you to plan as much. You can bake your cake in the morning and stick it in the fridge. It will wait there until you’re ready for it.
Also, don’t forget to add whipped or ice cream to the table. Those you’re serving can choose which topping they prefer.
Some Final Tips
Do you not like strawberries? That’s alright! You can easily substitute them with any type of fruit in this recipe.
This recipe also works with fresh and frozen fruits as well. You may even be able to use chocolate, marshmallows, and more. Use your imagination!
Did you go through this recipe and it wasn’t your cup of tea? You can look for a recipe that is your cup of tea on Too Foody.
Get More Food Tips Here
Now you have a tasty strawberry dump cake recipe. Use it and you’re sure to delight anyone that tries it.
If you want more delightful food tips for your kitchen, check out the articles in our Foods & Culinary section. Read them to your heart’s content and you’re sure to be satisfied.
