10 Easy Dump Cakes That Basically Make Themselves

When it comes to easy desserts, it doesn’t get much simpler than dump cakes. For the uninitiated, a dump cake (also sometimes called a drop cake) is exactly what it sounds like: a cake that asks you to dump all of its ingredients into a vessel, give things a quick stir, and bake. There are no unforgiving techniques, no complicated prep, and no miles-long ingredient lists.

Below you’ll find some of our favorite easiest-ever dump cake recipes for the next time you’re craving something sweet.

You’ll start with a quick batter of chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder — and you’ll end up with a scoopable chocolate cake with a rich, molten center.

Only four ingredients are needed to make this cake — and one of them is instant oats, which doubles as the base of the crumbly topping.

Reminder: Your slow cooker can serve as a mini oven if you want it to. It’s perfect for making things like tiny cakes or pies in ramekins (see: these blondie cakes!), or homemade breads in loaf pans.

Like many dump cakes, this one starts with a pre-made cake mix for maximum ease, then folds in plenty of summer blueberries. Don’t forget the ice cream on top!

To ensure a firmer topping, place a paper towel or dish towel underneath the slow cooker lid as it cooks. It’ll help soak up extra condensation, and prevent moisture from dripping back onto the surface of the cake.

This recipe includes instructions for two different variations depending on your taste: a dark cocoa powder option (for a rich, bittersweet bite), and an unsweetened cocoa powder one (for a milder version).

To make things as stress-free as possible, this recipe starts with canned strawberry pie filling. But feel free to swap in fresh ones since they’re everywhere (and at their best!) in summer.

When baking with vessels — like ramekins or mini loaf pans — in a slow cooker, keep them from sitting directly on the insert by placing them on a DIY rack made from aluminum foil.

This is a dump cake in the truest sense of its name — as it doesn’t even require stirring or mixing the ingredients. Instead, simply just layer them into a dish, pop the whole thing into the oven, and let dessert make itself.

The cozy flavors of this cake definitely lean towards fall — but given how simple it is to make, we’d eagerly advocate for making it year-round.