The Great American Dump Cake

I don't know who invented dump cake. I've googled it to no avail. The earliest reference seems to be a Duncan Hines cookbook from 1980. I was still in high school then and definitely not scouring over cookbooks, so I suppose I'll always wonder just how someone decided to put this cast of characters together in the first place. The dump cake first entered my life about 12 years ago. As desserts go, it's not particularly dignified. There's not one healthy ingredient. Everything is either processed or loaded with fat. Preparation is as simple as dumping canned fruit in pan, sprinkling on some cake mix, nuts, and pats of  butter (LOTs of butter) then popping it in the oven. But the final product is amazing! This is comfort food at it's finest. More like a cobbler than a cake, it has a moist, cake-like layer of sweet fruit with a crisp, buttery topping. Finish it off with whipped cream or ice-cream if you wish, but it does quite well on it's own. The above photo is the cake I made with my grandaughter this afternoon. Yes, a cake that is simple enough for a 7 year old to make! My son has already eaten 3 large servings. I have eaten some too. I am now going on a 4 mile walk.

Dump Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

 1 can Cherry Pie Filling

1 can Crushed Pineapple, undrained

1 box Yellow Cake Mix

2 sticks Butter

½ cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Dump pie filling and canned fruit into a 13x9 baking dish. Spread dry cake mix evenly over top. Cut butter into 12 pats per stick and spread evenly over cake mix. Sprinkle walnuts over top.  Bake at 350 for approximately 45 to 50 minutes, until lightly brown and bubbly. Serve warm.