A dump cake is an American dessert similar to a cobbler but with a

cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...

-like topping. It is so named because it is prepared by "dumping" ingredients (typically canned fruit or pie filling, followed by a boxed cake mix) into a cake pan without mixing.

History

The origins of the dump cake are somewhat unclear. It has been suggested that the name originated with a recipe published by Duncan Hines in 1980, though the name is attested in a number of American

community cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cours ...

s and periodicals from the 1970s and 60s. Some sources have suggested the cakes became popular in the 1950s following the emergence of prepared cake mixes after World War II. Among the earliest published recipes was submitted by a reader ("Mrs. Tom A. (Velma) Harris") to the ''

Sapulpa Daily Herald The Sapulpa Herald is published in Sapulpa, Oklahoma Creek County is a bi-weekly newspaper, with a Weekday Edition (Wednesday) and a Weekend Edition (Saturday). It is owned by the Sumner family. They also own four other Oklahoma papers. Founded i ...

'' in September 1964. A 1968 article on dump cakes in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

's ''

Star-Phoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...

'' described the recipe as "going the rounds in the United States mid-west at the moment". It has been compared to the wacky cake, another 20th century American cake which does not use eggs and which has a simple method of preparation.

Preparation

A prototypical dump cake recipe begins with adding one or more cans of fruit or pie filling to a shallow baking dish. A boxed cake mix is then spread on top. This is then topped with butter or margarine (in pieces or melted), and baked in the oven. Some recipes call for the addition of further toppings such as nuts or shredded coconut. In some variants, the cake mix may be replaced by a homemade combination of dry ingredients, and the canned fruit may be replaced or augmented with fresh or frozen fruit. Pumpkin dump cake addition of cake mix.jpg, A prepared cake mix is spread on top of canned

pumpkin pie Pumpkin pie is a dessert pie with a spiced, pumpkin-based custard filling. The pumpkin and pumpkin pie are both a symbol of harvest time, and pumpkin pie is generally eaten during the fall and early winter. In the United States and Canada it is u ...

filling in a rectangular baking dish. Pumpkin dump cake pouring butter.jpg, Melted butter is poured over the cake mix prior to baking. Some recipes call for solid pieces of butter instead.

References

External links

* {{commons category inline, Dump cakes Cakes American cakes