Blueberry Dump Cake

By
Pete Scherer
ghi
Pete Scherer
Pete Scherer is a cook and baker with a decade of experience across many facets of the Southern California food scene.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/29/21
Blueberry Dump Cake

The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Yield: 1 cake
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
483 Calories
27g Fat
57g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 483
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 35%
Saturated Fat 17g 84%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Sodium 538mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 57g 21%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 34g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 157mg 12%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 127mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

If you've never tried this style of cake, now is the time. Dump cake is fun to make—a lot like cobbler but so much easier to whip up. In fact, a dump cake is just about the simplest dessert you can bake, so named because you just toss the ingredients together and dump them into a baking dish. The bounty of juicy summer fruit, combined with sweet, simple, golden brown cake and whipped cream is very special. Blueberries explode into sweet, fragrant, jammy goodness that infuses the cake with its bold flavor.

No matter how busy you are, you'll have time to make this quick and delicious dump cake. This is a great recipe to have at hand for those occasions when you need to fix up dessert in a hurry. Blueberry dump cake is made with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 (15-ounce) box yellow cake mix

  • 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) cold unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

  • 1 pound fresh blueberries

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the Whipped Cream:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Blueberry Dump Cake ingredients

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  2. Preheat oven to 325 F. Thoroughly butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

    Greased baking dish

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  3. Put cake mix into a large bowl. Using a box grater, shred cold butter into dry ingredients. Toss to combine. Or cut butter into small pieces with a pastry blender or mash through tines of a fork. Work quickly to avoid melting butter.

    Cake mix and butter in a bowl

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  4. Add blueberries to butter and flour mixture and toss to distribute. Dump into the dish.

    Blueberries with the butter and flour mixture in the baking dish

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  5. Add buttermilk and vanilla to a measuring cup with a spout. Stir to combine.

    Buttermilk and vanilla mixture in a measuring cup

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  6. Pour buttermilk mixture evenly over dry mixture in baking pan. Do not mix.

    Buttermilk mixture added to the dry mixture in the baking dish

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and blueberries are bubbling. Remove from oven.

    Blueberry Dump Cake in a baking dish on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  8. Prepare whipped cream while dump cake is cooling. In a large bowl, or in bowl of a stand mixer, whisk whipping cream and confectioners' sugar until past soft peak stage but not quite stiff.

    Whipped cream in a bowl alongside a hand mixer

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  9. Serve warm dump cake with a generous helping of whipped cream.

    Blueberry Dump Cake on a plate with whipped cream

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

Tip

If you don't have boxed cake mix, or if you're the DIY type, use the recipe below to make your own cake mix from scratch. Mix everything together before tossing with the butter and berries.

  • 180 grams granulated sugar
  • 200 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 40 grams nonfat dry milk powder
  • 5 grams salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Recipe Variations

  • This recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but you can use frozen blueberries or even jarred pie filling if you want to.
  • If you're really in a rush, feel free to substitute ice cream for the whipped cream.