Slow Cooker Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
50 Comments Dec 27, 2019
Updated Oct 17, 2024
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Make this easy Slow Cooker Chocolate Cherry Dump cake for your next event, warm and gooey chocolate with tangy cherries. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Warm desserts are pretty rare nowadays. In the crockpot, you can make so many warm decadent desserts like this one, slow cooker apple dump cake, lemon spoon cake or even chocolate lava cake.
Table of Contents
I’ve tried to dump cake in the slow cooker a few times where you dump the cake mix and then drizzle over butter. Doing that can leave dry spots and wet puddles in other spots.
Taking the time to mix the butter (I use 2 sticks) with the cake mix before adding on top of the fruit is the best way to ensure an even cakey layer.
This chocolate cherry dump cake is a great starter recipe to try. Imagine the possibilities! You may also like my slow cooker brownies.
How to make crockpot dump cake:
- Cake mix – I use a 15.25-ounce box of Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake.
- Salted butter – 1 cup (2 sticks)! Yes, I use one cup. If less is used the cake will be very dry.
- Cherry pie filling – 2 cans – be sure not to grab the sugar-free version for that can have an off taste if you are not used to the flavor.
MIX!
- Add the cake mix to a medium-sized bowl
- Melt the butter and add it to the mix.
- Stir until just combined.
Assemble:
- Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- Add the cherry pie filling to the slow cooker and spread out to an even layer.
Spread:
- Spread over the chocolate cake mixture.
- I find this is easier if I put dollops of the mixture over the cherries, then spread out.
Cook:
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 hours.
- Don’t open the lid during the cooking time.
How do I serve dump cake?
- Serve warm chocolate cherry dump cake right out of the slow cooker.
- Top with whipped cream or ice cream.
- Place the leftover in the fridge. Reheat in bowls in the microwave.
Can I use a different type of fruit in this?
Yes! You can use berry pie filling in this recipe or add a drained can of pineapple along with the cherries.
What other warm desserts can be made in the crockpot?
- German Chocolate Spoon Cake – chocolate and coconut in a warm dessert.
- Lemon Spoon Cake – so much lemon zest in this!
- Berry Crumble – This recipe is on the healthy side!
- Crustless Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie – Who needs the crust anyway.
- Scalloped Apples – Like baked apples but a prettier presentation.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake – One of the most popular recipes here on the blog!
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Slow Cooker Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 42 oz. cherry pie filling, (two 21-oz. cans)
- 15.25 oz. chocolate cake mix, (I use Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Cake)
- 1 cup salted butter, (2 sticks) melt in microwave
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker with non stick spray or rub with oil or crisco.
- Add the cherry pie filling to the slow cooker, spread out to an even layer.
- In a medium-size bowl combine the cake mix and melted butter. Only mix until just combined.
- Add this cake mixture on top of the cherries in dollops, then spread out in an even layer.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 hours or until the cake is set.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
This makes for a great 4th of July dessert when served chilled from the refrigerator.
Best recipe ever! Reminds me of Black Forest cake when I went to the real Black Forest. So. Easy and so delicious! Serve with cool whip or ice cream.
I’m trying this for the first time and I added white chocolate chips to give more flavor I sure hope it turns out good fingers crossed I do have a question if I cook it the night before can I cook it half way the day before and finish up the next day
Would a bag of frozen strawberries or other fruit work just as well? I think i will try it that way hmmm
It may be a little watery, but yes it would work.
I make this for family, for company. I have NO problems with this recipe. If you do you either have a crock pot that needs replacing or you don’t follow directions. It’s one or the other. Every time I serve to guests they ALL ask for the recipe.
I’ve never made my dump cake in a crackpot before but I agree with you. A failed recipe could very well be their crockpot is not the correct size or it is faulty. I will give this a go in my crockpot very soon! *** I want to note that over the years of baking dump cakes I have only ever used one stick of butter for a recipe. Also, I dont like dry spots and began to use a pastry blender or hand mixer to blend the single stick of cold cut up butter into my dry cake mix. Doing this chops the cold butter and dry cake mix into pea sized pieces and when spread over the top of the fruit mixture it cooks up perfectly with no dry spots at all. Its not a “true” dump and go recipe doing it my way, but it’s certainly delicious and has no dry spots nor is it too buttery.
My favorite cherry dump cake always consists of a can of cherry pie filling and a can of crushed pineapple (use the same sized cans and do not drain the pineapple) spread evenly in the bottom of the pan, top with white or yellow cake mix that has been pastry blended with a stick of cold butter til its pea sized. This combination of fruit is so good!
It’s also noteworthy to add that a dump cake does not bake up to the consistency or texture that a regular baked cake will. It’s a “dessert” at this point, not a true cake. The cake mix cooks up to more like a thick crumble sort of topping on the dessert, and it will not have a cake like texture to it.
This turned out great. Not sure why when a recipe fails, people feel compelled to leave ridiculously nasty comments.if a recipe didn’t work, that sound like a personal problem.
Not sure what I did wrong but it was very sludgy. I mean, it’s chocolate so it still tasted good, but I don’t think it was supposed to be that soft
I put some paper towels under the lid to catch excess moisture
I don’t know how anybody can mess this recipe up. I even put one canna cherries and one can of apples separating the two with parchment paper putting the cake mix in in three hours I had two different cakes. There’s nothing wrong with the recipe. If it didn’t turn out it was either the person making it or the crockpot.
Unfortunate there are so many bad comments. I guess it’s not worth trying. Good to know.
I found when you put double paper towel over the cake in the last hour off cooking to soak up the moisture (change paper towel after 30 minutes with new), it works great to enjoy this cake recipe, enjoy.
Just made this today. Followed the instructions and it turned out beautifully. So simple to make and so delicious. Plenty left over to snack on later too. Looking forward now to trying more of your recipes.