This strawberry cheesecake dump cake is the answer to "I need dessert" without committing to effort or emotional labor. Dump it in the pan, bake it, and watch it disappear faster than the family when it's time to do dishes.
Table of Contents
- 🥰 Is this strawberry cheesecake dump cake recipe for you?
- 📖 Recipe
- 🧾 Ingredients you'll need for this easy dump cake recipe
- 🔪 How to make strawberry cheesecake dump cake
- 😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
- 👩🏻🍳 FAQs about strawberry cheesecake dump cake
- 🍽 More super easy cake recipes
- 🏡 Perfect for when you just need a make-ahead dessert
- 💬 Comments
A dump cake is a layered dessert made by "dumping" ingredients into a baking dish without mixing, creating a spoon-served cake with a buttery topping. This one stretches the definition deliciously.
🥰 Is this strawberry cheesecake dump cake recipe for you?
- you want cheesecake vibes without cheesecake effort
- boxed cake mix doesn't scare you
- you need a dessert that feeds a crowd and disappears fast
- you like recipes that look impressive but don't demand emotional investment
Download and print the free strawberry dump cake cheat sheet for shortcuts, simple swaps, FAQs, and more.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
strawberry layer
- 21 ounces strawberry pie filling
- 1½ cups sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
cheesecake layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional but gorgeous
- Pinch salt
topping
- 15.25 ounce vanilla cake mix, or whatever size your brand carries
- 10 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- Optional: coarse sugar for the top
Instructions
prep
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
strawberry base
- Spread the strawberry pie filling evenly in the bottom of the dish. Gently fold in the fresh strawberries, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt. Don't overmix-you want pockets of fruit, not jam soup.
cheesecake layer
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese on low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, sugar, vanilla, almond extract (if using), and salt. Beat on low speed until fully combined and silky.
- Spoon the cheesecake mixture over the strawberry layer in dollops. No spreading. Let it be rustic.
topping
- In a separate bowl, stir the dry cake mix with melted butter and heavy cream until large, buttery crumbs form.
- Scatter the crumbs evenly over the cheesecake layer. If you like a little crunch, sprinkle the top lightly with coarse sugar.
bake
- Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes, until the top is golden, the edges are bubbly, and the center looks set but still soft.
- Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. This is not a suggestion-it needs a moment to pull itself together.
Notes
- The cake mix topping is more like a streusel than a cake. Don't overwork it.
- You can add 1 cup extra fresh strawberries if you'd like the fruit firmer.
- Spread the topping loosely.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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🧾 Ingredients you'll need for this easy dump cake recipe
The ingredient list is refreshingly low-stress, which is exactly what a dump cake should be. If you've got strawberries, cream cheese, cake mix, and butter, you're already most of the way to dessert.
- Vanilla cake mix - the shortcut we're not apologizing for
- Butter - generous, obviously
- Cream - because we're not here to be subtle
- Cream cheese - this is where the cheesecake attitude comes from
- Eggs - holding it all together emotionally
- Vanilla - warm, familiar, doing the most quietly
- Almond extract - optional, but she adds a little mystery
- Sugar - necessary and non-negotiable
- Salt - don't skip it, it knows things
- Strawberry pie filling - sweet, glossy, and ready to show off
- Fresh strawberries - for brightness and plausible virtue
- Lemon zest - just enough to wake everything up
🔪 How to make strawberry cheesecake dump cake
This is a true dump cake situation, which means we're layering, not overthinking. Take it step by step, resist the urge to stir everything together, and trust the oven to do the heavy lifting while you pretend this took effort.
- Mix the ingredients for the cream cheese filling
- Drop by spoonfuls on top of the strawberry mixture
- Mix the ingredients for the topping.
- Scatter over the cheesecake layer and bake.
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
🍓 The top looks dry or powdery.
That usually means you didn't get the butter mixed into the cake mix well. It should be similar to a streusel. Drizzle a little more melted butter over the pale areas and keep baking - the oven will take it from there.
🍓 The middle feels too loose or soupy.
Dump cakes firm up as they cool, so give it 15-20 minutes before assuming disaster. If it's still too loose, slide it back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes and call it handled. Still soupy? Serve it in bowls with ice cream underneath instead of on top and pretend you meant it to be that way.
🍓 The cream cheese sank or vanished.
Completely normal. Some of the batter will melt in, some will stay visible, and all of it tastes great.
🍓 The edges are getting too brown.
Lay a loose tent of foil over the pan and keep baking. The center needs the time, and the edges don't need to suffer for it.
👩🏻🍳 FAQs about strawberry cheesecake dump cake
If you're still hovering over the pan wondering if you did it right, this part is for you. These are the most common dump cake questions I get, answered plainly and without judgment, because dessert should not be the thing that breaks you today.
Yes. Since the cream cheese is mixed into a batter, it needs to be fully softened so it blends smooth. Cold cream cheese will stay lumpy, and that's not the vibe we're going for.
Yes. Vanilla or yellow both work well. Strawberry cake mix can be fun but makes things much sweeter, so if you go that route, skip the extra sugar.
Absolutely. Bake it up to 2 days ahead, let it cool, and rewarm slightly before serving if you want that just-baked feel.
🍽 More super easy cake recipes
If this strawberry cheesecake dump cake made you feel powerful with minimal effort, you're going to like where this is headed. Strawberry shortcut cake is cut from the same cloth - bright, sweet, and unapologetically easy - and it shows up like you meant to bake on purpose. It's the kind of dessert that looks nostalgic, tastes familiar, and disappears faster than anyone admits. Perfect when strawberries are calling and patience is not.
And if you like desserts that flirt with chaos, peach dump cake and Texas tornado cake are waiting in the wings. Peach dump cake is pure summer-in-a-dish energy - juicy, buttery, and made for scooping straight from the pan. Texas tornado cake leans rich, dramatic, and a little over-the-top in the best way, with coconut and pecans doing the absolute most.
Same low effort, same big payoff, same "why didn't I make this sooner" feeling.
🏡 Perfect for when you just need a make-ahead dessert
This easy strawberry cheesecake dump cake was born for potlucks - the kind where the good serving spoon disappears early, your best pyrex dish goes home with someone else, and several people ask who made "that strawberry thing." It's messy in a charming way, wildly forgiving, and exactly the dessert you bring when you want praise without paperwork. Serve it warm, scoop it with confidence, and don't stress about crumbs or perfection. If the pan comes home scraped clean and people text you later asking for the recipe, congratulations - you understood the assignment.
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