Blueberry Dump Cake {Blogger Buddy Recipe}
This tried-and-true, easy recipe for blueberry dump cake is made with a simple cake mix, fresh or frozen blueberries, butter, and milk. Minimal effort for a super tasty dessert!
Well, today’s a fun day!
Not only are we talking blueberry dump cake (a less fortunate name for one of the yummiest desserts ever), but my friend Nicole, who blogs at Gluten Free on a Shoestring, and I are teaming up to give you a recipe that can just as easily be made with conventional OR gluten-free ingredients (without requiring a lot of specialty fixes).
I guess you could say that today, Nicole is my blogging buddy! Considering we’ve been real, live buddies (albeit, virtually) for a long time, this is not a stretch.
You may remember that Nicole’s the wizard that helped me finally conquer the perfect yellow cake recipe years ago; she’s meticulous in the kitchen and always, always willing to help others conquer recipes, too.
For today, I’ll be providing the conventional recipe; Nicole will be giving you the details on the gluten-free recipe (which is as simple and foolproof as my version today). You can check out Nicole’s gluten-free blueberry dump cake recipe here, and down below, there’s a fun, helpful how-to video Nicole put together.
Over the years, many of you have commented that you work around gluten sensitivities and allergies.
While I am definitely not a consistent gluten-free blogger, your comments and experiences are the reason I started categorizing my recipes into easily accessible gluten-free and gluten-free adaptable categories.
If you’re unfamiliar with dump cakes, basically, the premise is that some type of filling or ingredient gets tossed onto the bottom of a baking dish followed by cake mix and then drizzled with butter and milk (or buttermilk, my preference).
I have to be honest, dump cakes haven’t been a common occurrence around here, but after making this blueberry dump cake, I’m kicking myself for not embracing the dump cake before now. While these types of cakes are always ultra easy to make, grating the butter into the cake mix as shown below makes a HUGE difference in the outcome (and may be the reason why I haven’t been enamored with dump cakes in the past).
It’s as simple as pulling out that cheese grater and going to town with the chilled butter. Once it’s grated, just toss it with the cake mix until it’s well-combined.
After that? You’re nearly there!
Scatter those blueberries (you can use frozen, too – just don’t thaw first!) on the bottom of a baking pan. Top the luscious little berries with the cake mixture, toss quickly to combine, and then drizzle with buttermilk or milk.
So easy!
Pop that cake in the oven and give it about a half hour before it looks like the most magically delicious blueberry cake ever.
Do you see that gorgeous golden bottom crust?
Right there in that picture below?
Oh my, it is the best part. Buttery and golden and ridiculously yummy. I mean, the juicy blueberries mingling with the sweet vanilla cake batter don’t hurt anything either. But that crust is something else.
This blueberry dump cake, though it goes without saying, is fantastic with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. You won’t even care that it looks a total mess when it’s scooped up.
It just doesn’t matter, because the taste is out of this world. And besides, I’m convinced the best desserts in the world are a jumbly mishmash of simple and tasty ingredients anyway.
I have to throw a quick note in here about one of the critical ingredients in the recipe: cake mix!
Because a tiger can’t change her stripes, you know I had to make this with a homemade cake mix. And the result is spectacular. The best part is that the homemade cake mix ingredients are simple pantry staples that take just minutes to whisk together, which is perfect when you may not have a storebought cake mix on hand.
Or, if you are like me and get the itch to try a from-scratch version of anything and everything.
I hope this blueberry dump cake is part of your very, very near future.
If you are after a gluten-free version, don’t forget to check out Nicole’s gluten-free blueberry dump cake here!
One Year Ago: Double Chocolate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Whole Grain Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins
Three Years Ago: My Favorite Breakfast Smoothie
Blueberry Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups (about 454-481 g) fresh or frozen blueberries (don't thaw if using frozen)
- 16 ounces (454 g) vanilla cake mix, homemade version below
- 9 tablespoons butter, chilled
- ½ cup buttermilk or milk, chilled
- Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Easy Homemade Cake Mix:
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (107 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (76 g) cake flour (see note)
- ¼ cup (35 g) nonfat dry milk powder
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X12- or 9X9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. The cake will obviously bake up thicker if using a 9X9-inch baking pan.
- Add the blueberries to the pan in an even layer. Set aside.
- If making the homemade cake mix, whisk together all the dry ingredients and sift through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Reserve the vanilla to use later with the buttermilk (or milk).
- Using a cheese grater (as pictured in the post), grate the chilled butter into the dry cake mix. Using your hands, toss the cake mix and butter together until the butter is uniformly distributed and the mixture looks like coarse sand. Make sure not to go crazy here – you don’t want to melt the butter as you toss it all together.
- Dump the cake/butter mixture onto the blueberries and toss with your hands to combine.
- Whisk together the buttermilk (or milk) and vanilla (only need to do this if using the homemade cake mix recipe above). Drizzle the mixture in a thin stream over the top of the cake.
- Bake the cake until the batter is puffy and lightly golden, about 35-38 minutes for a 9X12-inch pan and a few minutes longer for a 9X9-inch pan. Don’t overbake or the bottom may burn.
- Serve warm or at room temperature (let’s be honest, warm is the way to go) with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Nicole’s gluten-free recipe; cake mix ingredients adapted from my favorite homemade cake mix recipe
Searched “blueberry” on your site to find a blueberry dessert after buying a flat of Jersey fresh bluebs. This dessert is AMAZING! I did have to add about 5 extra minutes but it turned out beautifully. I went the easy route and used a store bought cake mix. So so good!
I would check it around 20-25 minutes.
So if I cut the recipe it will be done in 30 minutes?
Can I cut this recipe in half. If so what baking pan would I use? Also what temperature and baking time would it be?
I think the directions are misleading when it comes to using a cake mix, I understood it that you don’t use the milk or vanilla, that you do this step Only if your making it homemade , but after reading these comments , I see where I went wrong by Not adding it. Don’t get me wrong, it was Still Delicious, however it came out like a Cobbler , which I still may make it this way for an Easy Delicious blueberry cobbler , next time I’ll do it the right way to get the cake consistency.
Yes, I believe so. I’d use an 8-inch square pan. Baking temp is the same, but I’d check it a few minutes earlier than the stated time in the recipe.
Oh and yes I made it and it was delicious. I never adhere exactly to a recipe so forgive me. I upped the temp to 350 midway as it just needed more heat and it turn out perfect. I used a box of Jiffy yellow cake mix. Each box has enough mix for one cake layer. Perfect ratio with a full stick of butter and 2/3c or so ofbuttermilk poured over the top then shredded butter, swirled a few times to mix . When it was done I sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon on top and it was so good!
I believe your measurements are of on how to make cake flour. It says (I weigh the amounts 3 ounces all-purpose flour and about .5 ounce cornstarch). For the entire homemade cake mix, you can weigh 6.25 ounces total all-purpose flour and .5 ounce cornstarch. Shouldn’t it be a little over 1 oz cornstarch?
I made this two days ago. There’s only two of us and the pan is almost empty! I used frozen blueberries and a lemon cake mix. Grating the butter and mixing with the cake mix was definitely a pro tip. It made such a rich, buttery dessert, elevated it tremendously. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi, Mel! We’re in quarantine like most everybody else. My children and I’ve been making a lot of your recipes, for learning and for fun! We love them! My daughter wants to attempt this blueberry dump cake tomorrow. What if we don’t have milk powder? What would you recommend as the substitute?
You could probably try leaving it out and increasing the flour by a few tablespoons (flavor and texture may not be the same – haven’t tried leaving it out to know for sure)
I use your recipes constantly and they’re always so clear, but I have never been so confused with one of your recipes! The ingredient list is confusing. I thought it was homemade/storebought cake mix PLUS the flour, powdered milk, etc listed below that. Your notes about measuring the flour really confused me (due to my first error), so I decided to just make a whole cake mix and followed the link and made that whole recipe. Then I come back to the dump cake and realize that I shouldn’t have mixed in the butter yet. So then I mix up just the dry ingredients for the cake mix, not the amounts listed here, but the ones in your other recipe. Of course, that equals nearly 1 pound, 15 ounces, so I then sift and measure out 16 ounces of that. THEN I finally realize where you had listed the amounts from the homemade cake mix for this recipe, but. Already had it mixed with the bludberries and butter. So it’s in the oven and I’m hoping the amounts are fine because I’m taking it to someone’s house for dessert tonight. I think this could use some editing, to clear up the above and below and notes sections, and make a clear indication of where the cake mix recipe starts. Much love from your faithful follower
See my comment from April 25th? I was confused then too and just made it today
Hey Monica, I’m sorry for the confusion! I just looked at the recipe (I didn’t check when I saw your comment about the link on April 25 but I should have) and it looks like last year when I transferred all my recipes over to a new format that this one had a title missing (the ingredient title that separated out the homemade cake mix). That’s probably why it was so confusing. I just added it back in to separate the ingredient list; hopefully it’s a little bit more straightforward. Sorry about that!
I don’t see the homemade vanilla cake mix recipe?
Oh, nevermind. Now I see the link! I expected it to be typed out here.
I have some fresh tart pie cherries to use up. If I mixed them with some sugar and cornstarch instead of blueberries would that work? Or maybe be too soupy?
Hey Mel, I was thinking of trying this with tart pie cherries – but they would obviously need some sugar. If I tossed them with a little sugar and cornstarch (like in your cherry pie cookie bar recipe) would that get too soupy? Maybe I should find another recipe for them . . .
I think it might work – it’s hard to know since I haven’t tried it, but it sounds yummy!
I throw all the dry ingredients in my food processor and add the chunks of butter. Pulse a few times and ready to go. For me, it’s easier than grating the butter — your experience may be different.
I was worried given some troubles in other comments but I am glad I tried it anyway….Deeelishuuus! I did 9×13 Pyrex pan for 45 minish at 350. Reading Kat’s comment helped but also Mel was in my head…”I don’t do soggy” so I knew to put it back in the oven and when I finally saw a golden slightly crunchy crust I knew I was golden. Thank you!!!!
definitely something wrong with this recipe!Uped the heat to 350 left it in at least another 25 mins and it’s still runny!Waste of 3 cups of blueberries won’t be making this again
I have made this so many times. It is easy, delicious, and everyone loves it. I’ve used box cake mix and the included homemade mix and both are great, but I prefer the taste of the from scratch mix. A couple notes I have found to be helpful:
I mix the vanilla with my blueberries on the bottom instead of the milk on top. I found the vanilla in the milk made it a weird brownish color that looked odd when I served it.
I always make this in a glass 9×13 pan. I love how thin and cobblery it makes it. I found though that I have to raise the baking temperature it it takes forever to cook. (I read some other comments of glass pan users that had the same problem). I bake mine at 350 for 35 minutes and it is perfect.
Thanks for the input, Kat! Glad you love it!
Another amazing recipe, Mel! I just finished eating this and it was perfect. The buttery, shortbread-like crust was so delicious! I baked it in a 9×13 Pyrex using fresh blueberries and it was ready to come out of the oven at the time you suggested. Thanks for helping me to feed my family day after day after day after day….(you get the idea).
Flavor and ease of recipe is good but mine took over a hour to bake. After 45 minutes the inner 3/4th of the cake was raw (just the outer edges were set), so I set the timer for another 15 minutes. I had raised the temperature to 350 at the 30 minute mark. Total bake time in my gas oven was 70 minutes.
I made the homemade cake mix, used frozen blueberries, baked in a 9×13 glass pyrex dish. I don’t think I’ll make it again.
Out of curiosity, what type of pan did you use, Heather?
Made this tonight for fathers day dinner at our home. It was very easy and very tasty. Ran out of blueberries so I used a mixture of blackberries strawberries and a few blueberries. I wanted the top more brown so I threw it under the broiler to give it a more definite crunch. Adults raved over it.
I also had an issue with the bake time. I used a 9×13 Pyrex dish, fresh blueberries, and the homemade cake recipe. I baked it way over an hour, and lost count after adding minutes to the timer several times. I also increased the oven temp to 350°. I baked homemade biscuits right before the cake and they baked perfectly and the timing was spot on. After researching other dump cake recipes, looks like 350° is the desired temp. Don’t know what happened with this recipe.
Made it. Loved it. I did cheat and use a cake mix. And I meant to add some lemon, but I forgot! So, next time… because there will be a next time 🙂 Thanks, Mel!
Made this over the weekend and added the lemon zest to the blueberries as per another suggestion. Yummy! I used a cake mix and the buttermilk sort of sat on the top and didn’t really absorb. I could still see the dry mix well into when it should be done so I took a gamble and added a little more during baking and added probably 20 minutes to the time! The end result was still yummy! Not sure what I did wrong but would try this again!
It must taste perfect with ice creams <3
I tried this recipe with an organic vanilla cake mix, which contained whole wheat flour. Had to bake it about 30 minutes longer and it didn’t come out well. The top stayed a little gooey and the bottom didn’t really crisp up. Won’t make that mistake again.
Hi this looks delish!!! Going to make it today but only have almond milk, would that work?
I think others have commented that almond milk will work fine, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Thanks used the almond milk and it’s baking now, smells yummy!!
Would this work with blackberries? I have a bunch that I need to use soon!
Haven’t tried it, but I’d say yes! It’s very adaptable.
Wow! This was wonderful! I was in a real pinch for time (the “oh no company’s coming in 20 minutes and what can I make” pinch) so I did use a cake mix….a lemon one and I zested the lemon into the butter mix and then after pouring the milk on, I poured on the juice from the lemon. It was fantastic and even better the next day 🙂 Thanks for a new “emergency fix” 🙂
I love the addition of lemon!!
This was super simple and tasted fantastic! Blueberries are hard to come by fresh for under $3 for 1/2 pint around here, but Dollar Tree (the ones with a frozen section) sells 10 oz bags for a buck year round! <– hopefully that helps someone out!
So I used frozen blueberries in a glass 9×13 pan (with a large handful of chopped walnuts) and it took just under 50 minutes till golden brown like the photo. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
I have had really weird luck with Dump cakes. I think it’s a butter issue, so I’m SO excited to try this version! Plus blueberries are my son’s absolute favorite…. And, because I’m a dork, I love to make “theme” desserts and it would be so easy to make this Red, White and Blue! I can’t wait to try this weekend!
Mel, if I use a cake mix, do I drizzle it with buttermilk?
Yep!
I DON’T understand. you say NOT to use the milk and vanilla if you use a store bought cake mix. here you say use it for a “cake” mix. they are both cake mixes, one store bought, one not.
i take it you don’t need the milk with the store bought re your recipe
PLEASE CLARIFY. THE YEP MEANS USE IT WITH BOTH? I AM POISED TO MAKE THIS AND NOW AM A BIT BEFUDDLED.
Sorry for the confusion. If using the homemade cake mix recipe, you will need to whisk together the buttermilk (or milk) and vanilla before drizzling over the cake. If you are using a storebought cake mix, you don’t need to add vanilla, simply drizzle the buttermilk or milk over the cake.
Thanks for all the recipes. I’m still voting for a cookbook for you! https://writeitout2017.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/whats-cookin-wednesday-happy-birthday-cookies/
Thanks, Heather. 🙂
I used the grating the butter trick when making pie crusts this afternoon and it is a game changer! Cutting in the butter is always my least favorite part of making pie crusts but this made it a breeze. Thanks for the idea! 🙂
I made this tonight with high hopes and it didn’t quite work out. It was pretty gritty. Are you supposed to stir the buttermilk in? Or use more? A quick internet search reveals that some dump cake recipes have more like 3/4 – 1 C liquid on top. I also thought the baking time was way off. It took me a good 50 minutes in a glass 9×13 pan, and I even turned the temp up to 375 for the last 10 minutes. (I have recently calibrated my oven so I don’t think that’s the issue.) Any suggestions? I’d like to try again. I love the idea of this for a quick summer cake, and the flavor was quite good. PS I used the homemade cake mix, frozen blueberries, and followed the recipe exactly. Thanks!
Hey Anna – I’ve only ever baked it in a ceramic-type pan; glass pans bake differently in regards to baking time so that might be the issue with timing, but it wouldn’t make a difference in the texture of the cake. You could definitely try adding more liquid – I tend to despise soggy cakes or breads, so the 1/2 cup is perfect for my tastes, but may not be for everyone. The frozen blueberries might also be the reason your cake took longer to bake. Sorry you didn’t love it!
I used frozen blueberries and a glass pan, and my cake took much longer to bake as well. I didn’t have a problem with texture though.
This looks delicious! I’m glad you included a homemade cake mix recipe. I avoid commercial mixes because manufacturers can change or downsize them without warning. I’ll be making this soon.
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit with my family! Even my husband, who doesn’t like dessert, went back for seconds and asked me to put some with his work lunch tomorrow! I was hesitant about the buttermilk on top- even while it was baking- because I hate mushy, soggy dump cakes. I even cooked it 5 minutes longer than suggested. It looked a little soggy when I pulled it out, but fears were removed when I tried it. Perfect texture, great flavor.
So happy you loved this one, Katherine!
Is it necessary to use the milk powder? Not something I have on hand. I really want to make this. And can you use other fresh fruits?
For this particular homemade cake mix, yes, I think the milk powder is pretty important to the recipe, but you could google another homemade cake mix or use storebought?? And yes, I think you could definitely use other fruits.
How long does homemade cake mix last? Can it be stored in the refrigerator?
Made per this recipe as a dry cake mix (without adding the butter in) it could last up to a month in the pantry and frozen for even longer – several months maybe?
In other recipes you’ve used a buttermilk replacement (sour cream and milk I believe) would that work for this recipe?
That’s a great question – I haven’t tried it, but if I did, I’d use equal parts sour cream and milk for a thicker consistency (vs the lemon juice + milk sub).
In the pictures with the delicious brown crust…is that prepared with the boxed cake mix recipe or homemade mix?
Homemade cake mix.
This cake looks amazing! Wish I was snacking on some right now!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Two days ago I posted a question on another site about the possibility of grating the butter when making a dump cake. The whole sporadic placement of the butter chunks just never seemed that it would give uniformly yummy results. Never got a response. Should have known you’d be answering my question soon….
I agree! Grated is the way to go (even if it does add an extra minute or so).
Hi Mel! I love your videos! What program do you use to edit and where do you get music from?
Thanks, Wendy! I can’t take credit for this video. Nicole (from glutenfreeonashoestring.com) did this one and was kind of enough to let me use it in my post. When I’ve done videos in the past, I edit them on Final Cut Pro and usually go to a variety of royalty-free music sources to snag some music.
Hi, Wendy,
I edit my videos in Adobe Premiere Pro and the music is from Pond5.com.
Nicole
Quick question- would it be possible to make the butter pea sized in food processor with the ingredients for the homemade cake mix?
Yes! Absolutely. I hate cleaning my food processor so only pull it out in desperation, but if you are more tolerant, that would totally work! 🙂
Mel – what are your thoughts on adding lemon and lemon zest to this? I’m thinking about making this my easy birthday cake in the beginning of June and love me some lemon!!
Thanks for always posting new, delicious recipes! I appreciate your hard work!
or just using a lemon (premade) cake mix with a few lemon zests thrown in there? So yummy. If you try it post about it!
Well, I think that’s a brilliant idea! Kind of wish I would have thought of it myself. I would grate the zest of a lemon into the cake mix (with the butter) if it were me. Yum!
I love this! I make dump cakes a lot and am excited to have a homemae cake mix to try next time. Awesome about the gluten-free verison, too (thanks Nicole and Mel!)