Christmas Dump Cake is an easy dessert with spice cake and cranberry sauce. It’s topped with pecans for a great recipe full of holiday cheer.
Christmas Dump Cake is one of the easiest cake recipes. I make this every year for Christmas and it’s always a hit. This holiday dump cake is also great for potlucks.
Our family also loves to make Cherry Dump Cake Recipe and Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake Recipe for more easy dump cakes.
What's in this post: Christmas Dump Cake Recipe
Why We Love This Recipe
- 4 ingredients. With so few ingredients, this Cranberry Dump cake is super easy.
- It’s delicious. The results are moist and flavorful.
- Scoop and serve. This dump cake is effortless to serve and doesn’t require any cutting or slicing.
- Easily serves a crowd. You can feed a crowd on a budget with this easy dessert recipe.
Ingredients
- Spice Cake Mix. You can use any brand you love.
- Cranberry Sauce. We used the whole berry sauce variety.
- Pecans. Chopped into pieces.
- Butter. Real butter will give the recipe the best flavor.
Jump to recipe at the bottom for the complete ingredient list.
Variations
- Cake Mix. You can use a different box of cake mix. Try using yellow cake mix, chocolate cake mix or white cake mix for a different flavor.
- Cranberry Sauce. You can use homemade cranberry sauce for this recipe if you prefer. Layer approximately 4 cups in the bottom of the pan and then top with the cake mix, pecans and butter.
- Nuts. Walnuts and almonds make a great option.
- Filling. Substitute cherry pie filling, strawberry pie filling or apple pie filling for the cranberry sauce. Blueberries and peaches also taste great.
How to Make Christmas Dump Cake
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 – Prepare the baking dish. Spray a 9X13 baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
Step 3. Layer the cranberry sauce on the bottom. Spread it out evenly.
Step 4. Top with the dry cake mix on top.
Step 5. Then sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly on top of the cake mix.
Step 6. Melt the butter and slowly drizzle it evenly on top of the cake.
Step 7. Bake the cake. Allow it to cook for 40-45 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown.
Step 8. Allow to cool and serve the cake warm topped with whipped topping or scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Topping Ideas
- Vanilla Ice Cream. Top with a generous scoop of No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream to make this dessert even better.
- Whipped Cream. Add a dollop of Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe to each serving. The scoop of ice cream and cobbler texture is a rich and creamy combination.
Expert Tips
- Prepare the pan. It’s a must to spray the baking dish with cooking spray. It will be easier to serve and clean up.
- Allow to cool. The cake will firm up as it cools. Allow a few minutes to set before serving.
- Don’t stir the mixture. Layer the ingredients in the baking dish.
FAQ’s
Store leftovers in the refrigerator inside an airtight container. They should last in the fridge up to 5 days.
It is a toss and go recipe typically including a cake mix and minimum ingredients. The bottom is normally layered with some type of fruit filling. The top is sprinkled with cake mix and butter.
Follow the same instructions but place in a slow cooker instead. Allow to cook for 3 to 4 hours on low or 2 to 3 hours on high.
Make sure that you spray your crock pot with cooking spray or use a crock pot liner. If you plan to be away or need to free up oven space, this is an easy variation to try.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Christmas Jello Poke Cake Recipe
- Mincemeat Pie
- Red Velvet Pound Cake
- Green Velvet Cake
- Christmas Cranberry Cake Recipe
More Easy Dump Cake Recipes
- Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe
- Peach Dump Cake Recipe – 4 ingredients
- Caramel Apple Dump Cake Recipe
- Lemon Dump Cake
- Crockpot Chocolate Dump Cake
Try this delicious recipe and please leave a comment once you do.
Christmas Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Spice Cake Mix 15.25 oz
- 2 cans Cranberry Sauce 14 oz cans, whole berry sauce
- 1 cup Chopped Pecans
- 3/4 cup Butter melted
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9X13 baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Spread out the cranberry sauce evenly on the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle the cake mix on top and sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly on top of the cake mix.
- Slowly pour the melted butter evenly on top of the cake.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown.
- Let the cake cool slightly and then serve the cake warm topped with whipped topping or ice cream. Enjoy!
