If there’s one thing we Southerners know, it’s how to stretch a good sweet treat without stressing ourselves out in the kitchen, especially when company shows up unexpectedly! That’s why I absolutely rely on my recipe for the Southern Strawberry Dump Cake. Seriously, this cake might just be the easiest thing you’ll ever bake, and it tastes like you fussed over it for hours.
We started making this ages ago when my little boys were running me ragged. It uses mostly pantry staples, and the magic—and I mean real magic—happens because you don’t mix a single thing. You just layer! Trust me, this buttery, bubbly strawberry delight will become your new weeknight hero and your secret weapon for church potlucks. It’s pure comfort in a 9×13 dish.
Why This Southern Strawberry Dump Cake Recipe Works So Well
When you need a dessert fast but refuse to compromise on that warm, comforting Southern taste, this recipe is my absolute go-to. It truly shines because it requires almost zero effort from me, yet everyone always asks for the recipe!
We choose this little gem for so many reasons:
- It requires just four main ingredients, most of which are probably already hanging out in your pantry.
- It’s impossible to mess up! If you can layer things in a dish, you can nail this cake.
- It tastes exactly like a summer dessert made with love, even though it took practically no time.
For more effortless baking wins, you absolutely need to check out my favorite chocolate cherry dump cake sometime soon!
Minimal Prep Time for Your Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
This is the real selling point, friends. We’re talking **10 minutes** of active work, max. Seriously! You pull out a dish, you open cans, you cut up butter, and you’re done pouring flour everywhere. It’s the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it dessert, perfect for when an unexpected guest rings the doorbell.
Authentic Southern Dessert Flavor Profile
Don’t let the simplicity fool you; this tastes incredible. The sweet, gooey strawberry layer bubbles up around the dry cake mix, creating this wonderful, slightly crunchy, golden layer on top when that cold butter melts through it. It’s homey, it’s sweet, and it screams summer at Grandma’s house. You can’t beat that classic strawberry and buttery flavor combo!
Essential Ingredients for the Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
Now here’s the best part about this entire dessert: the shopping list is practically non-existent! I always keep these few items stocked because you never know when you’ll need a quick, satisfying dessert. When I make my Southern Strawberry Dump Cake, I follow the ratios exactly because the science of the layers is what locks in that perfect crust.
You don’t need much, but pay attention to how the butter should look! Grab these things:
- One large can of strawberry pie filling—don’t worry about draining it, we want all that glorious goo!
- One box of yellow cake mix. That’s right, straight from the box, dry!
- One cup of cold, unsalted butter. This is critical: it must be **cold and cut into small, little pieces**. This creates the crumbly topping.
- If you’re feeling extra fancy, a cup of chopped pecans will give you a fantastic little crunch on top.
If you love this style, you should check out how I play with cherries in my irresistible cherry dump cake recipe. It uses the exact same principles!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Your Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
Okay, this is where the magic—and zero stress—happens. Because we aren’t mixing anything, clean-up is a dream! You’ll need about 10 minutes of focused time before this baby goes into the oven. Remember, we are layering, not stirring. Stirring is the enemy of the dump cake!
When you’re ready, make sure your oven is hot, usually 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Before you even touch the ingredients, go ahead and lightly grease up a 9×13 dish. Think about how nice it’s going to be to scoop this out later!
Preparing the Dish and Layering the Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
First up, take that entire can of strawberry pie filling and spread it out as evenly as you can on the bottom of your prepared dish. Don’t worry if it looks a little bumpy, it will smooth itself out baking.
Next comes the dry part. Take the whole box of yellow cake mix and simply sprinkle it right over the top of the strawberries. And here’s the cardinal rule: **Do. Not. Mix!** I can’t stress this enough. You just want a light, dry blanket covering everything. Then, take your cup of cold butter pieces and dot them all over that dry cake mix layer. You want them spaced out as much as possible.
Baking and Finishing the Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
If you decided to be indulgent (and why wouldn’t you?), sprinkle those chopped pecans over everything now. After that, it’s time for the oven! Bake this handsome creation for about 45 to 55 minutes. You’re looking for it to be beautifully golden brown on top. Peek underneath—the strawberry filling needs to look nice and bubbly around the edges.
When it comes out, resist the urge to dig right in! You absolutely must let the cake cool slightly—we need about 15 minutes—so those juices can settle down again. Once it rests, it’s ready to serve, maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! If you want more easy baking inspiration, my crazy easy chocolate cherry dump cake is next on your must-try list.
Tips for the Perfect Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
Even though this is the easiest cake in the world, there are definitely a couple of little tricks I swear by to make sure that top layer isn’t just cooked, but perfectly golden and crisp. The secret truly lies in the butter distribution. Don’t just plop those cubes down randomly!
You want those little pieces of cold butter spread out so they cover every inch of that dry cake mix. When they melt, they soak down and create that incredible, almost shortbread-like crust that holds up against the sweet filling. My biggest disaster with a dump cake was when I accidentally skipped cutting the butter small enough—it just melted into one big greasy sheet, trust me, you don’t want that!
Also, make sure your oven is fully preheated. Because this is a layered cake with moisture right on the bottom, you need that overall heat to kick in fast and start crisping up the top quickly. If you’re looking for great baking science in general, I found some fascinating tips about poke cakes over at irresistible pumpkin poke cake recipe for fall bliss that might convince you to try another layered wonder next time!
Variations on the Classic Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
While my heart belongs to the classic strawberry version, this recipe is just begging you to play around with it! That beautiful layered structure holds up perfectly to all sorts of ingredient swaps. It’s the perfect base for creativity, which is what makes it such a reliable recipe.
Don’t feel locked into just the strawberry pie filling. If you have some cherry filling left over from a baking spree, throw it in the dish! Blueberry works just as well, and honestly, sometimes I swap it just to surprise my family. If you try that, be sure to check out the irresistible cherry dump cake recipe for flavor pairing ideas.
For a little extra warmth, especially if you’re making this in the fall, try sprinkling a tiny bit of ground cinnamon right over the dry yellow cake mix before you dot it with butter. It really complements the sweetness. Keep experimenting—the basic formula for this Southern Strawberry Dump Cake stays perfect no matter what fruit lives in the bottom layer!
Serving Suggestions for Your Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
This Southern Strawberry Dump Cake is almost a crime to eat straight off the spoon when it’s piping hot, though I won’t judge if you try! But trust me, it truly shines when served warm. The warm, sweet strawberry layer combined with that buttery, cake-like crunch is heavenly.
My favorite way to serve it—the only way, really—is with a huge dollop of cold vanilla ice cream. The contrast between the warm cake and the melting ice cream is just divine. If ice cream isn’t your thing, a big cloud of fresh whipped cream works beautifully too. It adds a lovely lightness to balance out the richness. If you’re looking for a different way to celebrate strawberries, you have to bookmark my irresistible strawberry shortcake recipe for summer bliss!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
Even though this Southern Strawberry Dump Cake usually disappears way faster than I plan for, you might have leftovers sometimes! If you do, just cover the dish tightly with foil or plastic wrap. If the kitchen stays cool, you can leave it on the counter for a few hours, but I usually pop mine in the fridge. It’s perfectly fine in there for up to four days.
The next day, the topping gets a little softer, which isn’t bad, but if you want that crispy crust back? Reheat it! A short time in the microwave works, but honestly, popping a slice (or the whole dish) into a low oven or toaster oven—say, 300 degrees F—for about 10 minutes will crisp that buttered topping up beautifully again. You won’t even know it was leftovers!
Frequently Asked Questions About Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
I know you’re going to love this super easy cake, but sometimes those little questions pop up before you even grab the mixing spoon! I’ve gathered the ones I hear most often about making the perfect Southern Strawberry Dump Cake.
Can I use fresh strawberries instead of pie filling in this Southern Strawberry Dump Cake?
That’s a great question! You definitely *can* use fresh strawberries, but it changes things slightly since you’re losing the thickener that comes in the can. If you use about four cups of fresh, hulled strawberries, you’ll need to toss them with about half a cup of sugar and maybe a tablespoon of cornstarch first. Mix that well before layering in the bottom of your dish. It tastes amazing, but it’s not quite as ‘dump and go’ as the canned filling!
What is the best way to get a crispier top on my dump cake?
To get that incredibly crisp topping that everyone fights over, pay close attention to your butter distribution! You need to make sure those little pats of cold butter are evenly spaced out so that every square inch of that dry yellow cake mix gets some fat to cook into. Also, don’t open the oven door until at least 40 minutes have passed! A steady, uninterrupted bake is the key to a beautifully golden crust. If you’re looking for another favorite that bakes up beautifully, I share my irresistible peanut butter cake recipe next!
Always remember, the simpler the recipe, the more important those little details—like cold butter and not mixing—become. Happy baking!
Estimated Nutritional Snapshot
Now, I know we don’t bake this Southern Strawberry Dump Cake hoping it’s a health food; we bake it because it’s sunshine in a dish! But for those of you keeping track of things, I pulled together the approximate nutritional breakdown based on what goes into it. Remember that this is just a rough guide based on a standard serving size.
This is a dessert, after all, so it’s rich and sweet, but I promise it’s worth every lovely bite. You might want to check out my tips on weight loss dinner stunning 350 calorie meal for when you need something lighter later in the week!
- Approximately 350 Calories per slice
- Around 35 grams of Sugar
- About 20 grams of Fat
- Roughly 40 grams of Carbohydrates
- About 4 grams of Protein
Just wanted to give you the heads-up that these numbers can shift a bit depending on which brand of yellow cake mix you grab or if you decide to skip the optional pecans. When dealing with something as wonderful and easy as this Southern Strawberry Dump Cake, I try not to worry too much about the exact numbers, though!
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Southern Strawberry Dump Cake
- Total Time: 60 min
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A simple, sweet dessert made by layering ingredients without mixing.
Ingredients
- 1 (21 ounce) can strawberry pie filling
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Spread the strawberry pie filling evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the strawberry layer. Do not mix.
- Distribute the cold butter pieces evenly over the cake mix layer.
- If using, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
- Let the cake cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a traditional Southern treat.
- You can substitute other pie fillings like cherry or blueberry.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 35
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 40
Keywords: strawberry dump cake, southern dessert, easy cake, yellow cake mix, baked fruit dessert