Tropical Dump Cake

One evening, I invited my in-laws over to have dinner in our house, and my mother-in-law suggested that we have "Dump Cake" for dessert. It was the first time I have ever heard of it in my entire life, and the images that danced in my mind weren't very pleasant. The first words that came out of my mouth was, "uhhh.... DUMP cake?" And my mother-in-law said, "yes, it is called dump cake because you dump together all the ingredients. It's very easy."

So after showing me the recipe and how to make it - which was indeed easy because all you have to do is dump everything in a crock pot - I was sold! Actually, I was told that dump cake is traditionally baked in an oven like a regular cake. But since this is my first dump cake, I am thinking that I would forever make it in a crockpot. ;-)

Fair warning - this cake is highly addictive because of all the sugar, butter, and syrup in it! But these ingredients are what makes it taste so AWESOME! 

Recipe adapted and tweaked from here.


What you need:

5 packs (3.75 oz each) fruit cups in juice (tropical fruits)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened (not melted)
1 box yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)


What to do: 

Grease your crock pot by spraying it with cooking spray. Reserve 1/2 cup of juice from the fruit cups; pour the remaining juice and fruits in the crock pot.

Tropical fruits galore!

In a small bowl, combine the reserved fruit juice and corn starch. Mix well. Pour the mixture in the crock pot and stir.

Sprinkle brown sugar, then the cake mix on top of the fruits. Cut butter in small pieces and place over the cake mix. Make sure all parts are covered with these ingredients!

Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours, or until cake is set when lightly touched in the center. Spoon warm cake into dessert bowls and top with fruit mixture. Enjoy!


Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks: 

1. You can also do this recipe using just one kind of fruit - say, peach. Or blackberries. Or pineapples. You get the drift.
2. A sprinkle of cinnamon with the brown sugar would be very good, I imagine.
3. As I have mentioned above, you can make this cake in an oven if you don't have a slow cooker.