How to Make a Dump Cake From Scratch Without Box Mix
A dump cake should be simple. Fruit goes into a baking dish. A sweet, buttery topping goes on top. The oven does the rest. When you skip the box mix and make it from scratch, you get the same easy method with better flavor, better texture, and clean ingredients you already keep at home.
This version bakes up like a cross between a crisp and a cobbler. The fruit bubbles underneath while the topping turns golden and slightly crisp. The center stays tender. You do not need a mixer. You do not need to cream butter and sugar. You just whisk the dry ingredients, melt the butter, and layer.
Use what looks good. Fresh apples in fall, berries in summer, frozen peaches in winter, or a pantry mix of canned fruit in light syrup. The method is forgiving. The key is balancing fruit juices with a little starch so the base thickens while the topping sets.
The topping is a homemade cake mix that takes one minute to stir together. Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt. That is it. Melted butter drizzled over the top soaks into the dry mixture during baking. The result is a crumbly, crisp edge with a soft middle. No boxed flavors. No aftertaste.
Because you build everything right in the baking dish, cleanup stays easy. If you can open a bag of flour and melt butter, you can make this dessert. Serve it warm with ice cream or keep it at room temperature for a few hours and it will hold its shape a bit more. Cold leftovers work with yogurt for breakfast. It is a home cook’s dessert that thrives on flexibility.
Below you will find a base recipe with clear measurements in US and metric units. There are notes for using fresh, frozen, or canned fruit. There are small tweaks for spices, nuts, and citrus. You will also see tips for gluten free flour, dairy free fat, and how to fix dry patches on top. Once you make it once, you will know the visual cues. Browning on top, bubbling edges, and juices that look thick rather than watery. After that, you can adapt it to whatever fruit you have on hand.
Recipe: From-Scratch Fruit Dump Cake
Equipment
- 9 by 13 inch baking dish, ceramic or metal
- Small and medium mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital scale
- Whisk and rubber spatula
- Small saucepan or microwave safe cup for melting butter
Yield, Time, and Serving
- Servings: 12
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Bake time: 45 to 55 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
Fruit base
- 6 cups mixed fruit, fresh or frozen, cut bite size if needed (about 900 g)
Options: apples, peaches, berries, cherries, pears, pineapple - 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, to taste and depending on fruit tartness (25 to 50 g)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot (16 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
- 1 pinch fine salt
Homemade topping
- 1½ cups all purpose flour (190 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (8 g)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt (3 g)
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (170 g)
For dairy free, use an equal amount of melted plant butter or neutral oil - Optional finish: ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (60 g)
Instructions
- Heat the oven and prep the pan
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish lightly with butter or oil. - Mix the fruit layer
In the baking dish, combine fruit, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Toss until the starch disappears and the fruit looks glossy. Taste a piece. If the fruit is very tart, sprinkle in up to 2 more tablespoons sugar. - Whisk the dry topping
In a bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed. Do not add the butter yet. - Add the dry topping to the dish
Sprinkle the dry mixture evenly over the fruit. Aim for a thin, even blanket from corner to corner. Do not stir it into the fruit. - Finish with melted butter
Drizzle the melted butter slowly and evenly over the dry topping. Pay attention to the edges and any pale spots. The surface should look moistened in most places with a few small dry islands left for crunch. If using nuts, scatter them over the top. - Bake
Bake 45 to 55 minutes until the top is golden brown, the edges are bubbling, and a few spots in the middle show thick, shiny juices. If your fruit was frozen, add 5 to 10 minutes. - Rest and serve
Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes. The juices will thicken as it rests. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Ice cream, whipped cream, or plain yogurt are all good partners.
Nutritional Information (per serving, 1 of 12)
Approximate values without nuts:
Calories 290, Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Carbohydrates 44 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugars 29 g, Protein 3 g, Sodium 170 mg.
With nuts, add about 30 calories and 1 g protein per serving. Values vary with fruit choice and toppings.
Ingredient Notes and Swaps
Fruit choices
- Fresh fruit works well if it is ripe but not mushy. Peel apples and pears for a softer texture or leave the skins on for color.
- Frozen fruit goes straight into the dish without thawing. Increase bake time as needed until bubbling.
- Canned fruit in light syrup can be used. Drain well and reduce added sugar in the base to 1 tablespoon.
Sweetness guide
Different fruits carry different sugar levels. Taste the fruit base before it goes into the oven and adjust. Tart cherries or rhubarb need more sugar. Very sweet peaches need less.
Starch choices
Cornstarch gives a clear gel. Arrowroot works in the same amount. If using flour to thicken, use 3 tablespoons and expect a softer, more opaque filling.
Flour and gluten free options
A 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour blends in at the same weight. Avoid straight almond flour here. It will not crisp the same way and will brown too fast.
Butter and dairy free options
Plant butter melts and bakes in a similar way. Light olive oil or neutral oil also works, but the top will be a little less crisp. Use the full amount for the best texture.
Technique Tips
Get the topping evenly moistened
Drizzle butter slowly. If an area stays dusty after you pour, use a spoon to splash a bit from a wetter spot over it. Dry islands the size of a quarter are fine. Large dry patches can taste floury.
Know when it is done
Look for three cues. The top is evenly golden. The edges are bubbling actively. The center bubbles are thick, not watery. If the top browns too fast before the center bubbles, tent loosely with foil and keep baking.
Pan material and how it affects browning
Metal pans brown faster than ceramic. In a metal pan, start checking at 40 minutes. In ceramic, expect the full time. A dark nonstick pan may shave off a few minutes.
Adjust for juicy fruit
Berries and stone fruit shed more liquid. If using all berries or very juicy peaches, increase the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons. If using firmer apples or pears, keep it at 2 tablespoons.
Variations
- Cinnamon apple
Use 6 cups peeled apple slices. Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg to the fruit. - Cherry almond
Use 6 cups pitted cherries. Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the fruit and replace ¼ cup of the flour with almond flour for the topping. - Pineapple coconut
Use 4 cups chopped pineapple plus 2 cups diced mango. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded coconut over the topping before baking. - Berry lemon
Use mixed berries. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the topping and finish with a light dusting of powdered sugar after baking. - Peach pecan
Use peaches and finish with the optional nuts. Add a pinch of ground ginger to the topping for warmth.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make ahead
Build the fruit base and whisk the dry topping up to 1 day ahead. Store them separately. Assemble and add butter right before baking. - Room temperature
Keep the baked cake covered at room temperature up to 8 hours. - Refrigeration
Store leftovers in a covered container for 3 days. - Freezing
Freeze baked portions for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and warm at 325°F for 10 to 15 minutes. - Reheat
For a crisp top, use the oven or toaster oven at 325°F. The microwave softens the topping but works in a pinch.
Troubleshooting
- Dry flour spots after baking
Brush with a tablespoon or two of hot melted butter and return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. - Soupy fruit layer
Bake longer until edges bubble and the center thickens. Next time, increase starch by 1 tablespoon or use a slightly deeper pan. - Tough or pale top
Butter may have been too cool or too little. Use the full amount and drizzle evenly. - Overly sweet
Reduce sugar in both the fruit base and topping by 2 tablespoons each. Use tart fruit and lemon juice to balance.
Why This Works
The dry topping mimics a cake mix but with control over ingredients. Baking powder lifts the crumb while sugar aids browning. Melted butter provides moisture and browning across the surface without mixing a batter. The fruit base thickens with starch so the juices set as the cake rests. The method keeps the process simple while delivering reliable texture every time.
Serve warm on a cool evening or chilled on a hot day. The recipe stays steady, the fruit changes with the season, and the technique invites you to make it your own.
