This easy baked dessert is the kind of sweet treat busy families love for cookouts, potlucks, and holiday weekends because it uses just a handful of pantry staples and comes together with almost no fuss. The dry cherry gelatin gives it a bright fruity flavor and pretty color, while the oven turns everything into a warm, bubbly dessert that feels right at home on a Labor Day table.
Serve this dessert warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped topping to balance the sweet cherry flavor. It also goes nicely with grilled burgers, barbecue chicken, or picnic classics like baked beans and potato salad, since a simple fruit dessert is a nice finish after a savory cookout meal.
4-Ingredient Oven Baked Labor Day Cherry Dessert
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
1 box (3 ounces) dry cherry gelatin powder, unbaked
1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix, dry
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking dish.
2. Spread the cherry pie filling evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the dry cherry gelatin powder evenly over the pie filling.
4. Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix over the top as evenly as possible without stirring.
5. Drizzle the melted butter all over the cake mix, covering as much of the surface as you can.
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cherry filling is bubbling around the edges. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Variations & Tips
Use white or butter cake mix: If you do not have yellow cake mix on hand, white cake mix or butter cake mix both work nicely and still give you that easy cobbler-style topping.
Add a little crunch: For a bit more texture, sprinkle a small handful of chopped pecans or sliced almonds over the butter before baking. This is especially nice if you are serving adults and want a little contrast in every bite.
Make it kid-friendly to serve: Let the dessert cool just enough to set slightly, then scoop it into bowls with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping. It is easier for little ones to eat that way, and it turns a simple dessert into something that feels extra special.
Watch for dry spots: If you notice patches of dry cake mix partway through baking, drizzle on a little more melted butter to help the topping bake up evenly and golden.