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This warm, gooey, and delicious 3-ingredient peach dump cake with canned peaches is a truly foolproof, quick, and simple peach dessert. Just dump the ingredients and bake to perfection.
It’s peach season, and that’s had me running to the kitchen to make peach ice cream, grilled peach burrata salad, and plenty of peach crumble! However, I’ve had several people reach out to me looking for peach desserts using canned peaches that are minimal fuss and can be enjoyed year-round. That’s where this peach dump cake recipe comes in.
With just three ingredients, this peach dump cake has you “dump” everything into a baking dish and bake it. That’s it! Even better, I’ve made this dump cake with canned peaches and cake mix, meaning there’s no additional peeling, chopping, or mixing and just a few minutes of prep. Now that’s what I call quick and easy (perfect for a last-minute crowd-pleasing dessert!).
I don’t usually carry box mixes in my pantry, preferring to make everything from scratch (like this pancake mix) to avoid extra chemicals and artificial ingredients. If you feel the same way and have a little extra time, you can make your own (check the FAQs below). That way, it’s also easy to adapt this recipe to dietary needs like gluten-free, sugar-free, etc.
I’ve also included several optional add-ins or toppings in case you want to make this peach dump cobbler taste even more homemade. But no extra ingredients are necessary at all – that’s the amazing thing!
Looking for more peachy treats? Check out my simple recipes for peach lemonade and peach iced tea.
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What is the difference between peach dump cake and cobbler
Cobbler is a dessert made up of a fruit filling (fresh or canned) and either a biscuit dough or batter (often cake batter) topping. In comparison, dump cake is the lazy baker’s alternative, using a canned fruity filling and cake topping.
It’s made by “dumping” the ingredients (usually canned fruit or pie filling followed by a boxed cake mix and butter) into your baking dish and baking them as is, with no pre-mixing of the cake batter.
Lazy? Perhaps! But fantastic for anyone short on time (or effort)? Absolutely!
The similarity of the “final results” of the two dishes, though, is clear, and just a quick google search reveals plenty of searches for “peach cobbler with canned peaches and cake mix,” peach cobbler dump cake, dump cake cobbler, and more. So, you could use both terms for this dump cake recipe with peaches.
Dump cake with canned peaches ingredients
This canned peach cake recipe requires just FOUR ingredients, and one of those is optional!
- Peaches: This peach dump cake is made simple with the use of canned peaches in syrup (heavy syrup or light syrup will work).
If you can only find/use peach slices in fruit juice, I recommend adding a small amount of sugar to the filling (1 Tbsp to begin). I love to use brown sugar for extra molasses flavor. - Yellow cake mix: White cake mix will also work. In the UK, look out for a simple vanilla cake mix.
- Butter: Use dairy or dairy-free lightly salted butter, cold from the fridge.
- Cinnamon: Optionally sprinkle some ground cinnamon into or over the cake mix for extra flavor.
How to make peach dump cake
First, preheat the oven to 350 ºF/180ºC.
Then, pour the canned peach slices (syrup included) to a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking pan. Grease it with cooking spray if preferred, though I usually don’t.
Sprinkle the yellow cake mix over the top of the peaches, pressing firmly to even it out, and press the cake mix into the syrup. If you want to use cinnamon, sprinkle that over the top now.
Then, slice the cold butter into small pats and arrange the slices over the cake mix so it’s evenly covering the top of the cake mix.
Use a pastry “cutting” tool to cut the butter in seconds.
Chef’s Tip: You can assemble the peach dump cake several hours before baking it.
Bake the peach dump cake in the oven for around 40- 45 minutes until it’s hot, bubbly, and has a golden brown crust.
Enjoy the dump cake immediately with your side of choice!
What to serve with peach dump cake?
I love to enjoy a peach dump cake cobbler serving warm from the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream that slowly melts over the dessert. You might also like it with:
- Custard (dairy or non-dairy)
- Traditional caramel sauce
- Healthy vegan caramel
- Whipped cream/whipped coconut cream
You can also enjoy the cake mix peach cake chilled. It takes on a new, firmer texture and is still delicious.
Does peach cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes, it’s best to refrigerate it. First, allow it to cool and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the cooled cake for up to 3 months, covered tightly in the freezer. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheat: I recommend reheating a large amount of dump cake in an oven at 350ºF/180ºC until warm. Alternatively, individual servings can be reheated in the microwave.
FAQs
I haven’t tried (yet) making a fresh peach cake with cake mix. Though it should be possible by making a cooked peach filling, as I did for my peach cobbler recipe.
To do so, combine the peaches with sugar, a tablespoon or so of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Allow them to cook until they soften and create a syrup. You can also add a small amount of extra water (up to ¼ cup) if needed to make up for the syrup in canned peaches.
Note that one 16oz can of peaches usually equals 3-4 medium peaches with around 1/3-1/2 cup of liquid, so you want to end up with a similar amount of liquid.
You could, though you’d need to add a little extra liquid (around 1/4 cup), as it’s thicker than peaches in syrup. This can be water, light syrup, or even some alcohol like peach schnapps.
Some dump cake recipes call for melted butter and drizzle it over the peach cake mix. I haven’t tried this, but feel free to if you’d like.
Grease the crock pot first, assemble the peach dump cake as written above, and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
Dry cake mix is a simple combination of cake flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour), sugar, baking powder, and salt. To make up the equivalent of one box (15F.25oz), use:
· 2 ¼ cups flour
· 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (adjust the amount to taste; you could also use brown sugar or a granulated sugar alternative).
· 3 ½ tsp baking powder
· And about a teaspoon of salt.
You can also add a bit of vanilla.
More fruity dessert recipes
If you try this easy peach dump cake recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Quick and Easy Peach Dump Cake
Equipment
- Baking dish 9×13 in (23×33 cm)
Ingredients
- 30.5 oz peaches in syrup 3 cups or 2 (15.25oz) cans; heavy or light syrup. Check the FAQs for methods with fresh peaches and other alternatives
- 15.25 oz yellow cake mix 3.5 cups; OR white cake mix; vanilla cake mix in the UK; gluten-free cake mix should also work
- 6.3 oz butter 3/4 cup; cold from the fridge; use dairy-free if preferred.
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
- Transfer the canned peach slices (syrup included) to a 9×13 inch baking pan (23×33 cm). Grease it with cooking spray if preferred, though I usually don't.
- Sprinkle the yellow cake mix over the top of the peaches, pressing firmly to even it out, and press the cake mix into the syrup. If you want to use cinnamon, sprinkle that over the top now.
- Slice the cold butter into small pats and arrange the slices over the cake mix so it's evenly covering the top of the cake mix. Use a pastry "cutting" tool to cut the butter in seconds.
- Bake the peach dump cake in the oven for around 40-45 minutes until it's hot, bubbly, and has a golden brown crust.
- Enjoy the peach dump cake immediately with your side of choice!
Storage Instructions
- Make ahead: You can assemble the peach dump cake several hours before baking it.Store: Allow it to cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.Freeze: You can freeze the cooled cake for up to 3 months, covered tightly in the freezer. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.Reheat: I recommend reheating a large amount of dump cake in an oven at 350F/177C until warm. Alternatively, individual servings can be reheated in the microwave.
Video
Notes
- Press the cake mix before baking: This will ensure it properly incorporates with the peaches and syrup so it doesn’t have sections of powdery/uncooked cake mix.
- Increasing the amount of peaches: You can add a second can of peaches, but make sure to drain the syrup from the second can. Otherwise, it will be too wet.
- This recipe works with other fruit: So feel free to experiment with what’s in season. I.e., berries, rhubarb, mango, etc.
- Spread the butter evenly: Otherwise, you can end up with dry patches. If you don’t want to add slices, you could freeze the butter and grate it over the cake mix. Just note that for dump cakes, it’s normal to have some slightly wetter/drier spots and bits that are crisper than the rest.
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (adjust amount to taste; you could also use brown sugar or a granulated sugar alternative).
- 3 ½ tsp baking powder
- And about a teaspoon of salt
- You can also add a small amount of vanilla.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
