The church ladies demanded the recipe after the spring bake sale and were shocked it was just 3 ingredients. I keep the pantry stocked to make it whenever a craving hits.

This southern 3-ingredient cherry dump cake is the exact dessert that caused a minor stir at our church’s spring bake sale. I brought it in a well-loved cast iron skillet, still warm, with that bubbly bright red cherry filling peeking through a golden, buttery crust. The ladies were convinced it was some old family recipe that took all afternoon, and they absolutely demanded I write it down. When I told them it was only three pantry ingredients and zero fuss, there was a mix of shock and instant scribbling on offering envelopes. This is the kind of recipe you keep in your back pocket for busy weeks, last-minute guests, or when a sweet craving hits and you don’t want to overthink it—just dump, bake, and enjoy.

Serve this cherry dump cake warm, right out of the cast iron skillet, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream so it melts into all the nooks of the buttery crust. It pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee after Sunday lunch, or a glass of cold milk for a simple weeknight dessert. For potlucks or holidays, bring it straight in the skillet and let everyone spoon out their own portion—no fancy plating required. If you have leftovers, it’s surprisingly good the next morning with Greek yogurt, almost like a cherry cobbler parfait.

Servings: 8

2 cans (21 ounces each) cherry pie filling

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place a 10–12 inch cast iron skillet on the counter so it’s ready to assemble the cake.

Pour the cherry pie filling into the cast iron skillet and spread it into an even layer, making sure the bottom is completely covered with cherries.

Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the cherry pie filling. Do not stir. Use your hands or the back of a spoon to gently spread the mix so there are no big bare spots.

Slowly drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the dry cake mix, trying to cover as much of the surface as possible. It’s okay if a few dry patches remain; they’ll still bake up with a nice texture.

Place the skillet on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling up around the edges.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let the dump cake rest for at least 10–15 minutes before serving. This helps the filling thicken slightly while still staying warm and bubbly.

Serve warm straight from the cast iron skillet, spooning portions into bowls and topping with ice cream or whipped cream if you like.

If you like a little extra tartness, you can use 1 can of cherry pie filling and 1 can of tart cherries in water (drained well) in place of the second can of pie filling, still keeping it to three main ingredients. Swap the yellow cake mix for white or French vanilla cake mix for a slightly different flavor while keeping the process exactly the same. For a more toasty, cobbler-like top, cut the butter into thin slices and lay them evenly over the dry cake mix instead of melting it—this gives you some extra crispy spots. If you need to make this ahead for a bake sale or potluck, bake it completely, let it cool, then rewarm the skillet in a 300°F oven for 10–15 minutes before serving so the cherry filling loosens up again. To keep your pantry ready for last-minute cravings, I like to grab cherry pie filling and cake mix when they’re on sale and stash them in the back of the cabinet; as long as you have butter in the fridge, dessert is never more than a quick dump-and-bake away. For smaller households, you can halve the recipe in an 8-inch cast iron skillet or small baking dish and slightly reduce the bake time, watching for that same golden, bubbly finish.