Peach Dump Cake is an easy-to-make and comforting taste of summer! With a boxed cake mix, browned butter, chopped peaches, and a cinnamon-streusel topping, this tender and flavorful cake is made in a few simple steps and is the perfect way to enjoy a favorite summer fruit. Serve it warm with scoops of ice cream!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure policy for details.
Table of Contents
If you've never made peach dump cake, you are in for a treat! Assembled in a baking pan -- that's right, no stand mixer, creaming butter, or other hassle! -- this cake is seemingly simple, but surprisingly dimensional and delicious.
First, we brown the butter in the baking pan. Then, we alternate cinnamon-seasoned peaches and cake mix and top the mixture with whisked milk, eggs, and vanilla. Finally, we top the cake with a buttery and crunchy cinnamon streusel before baking the summery cake to golden brown perfection.
This recipe may take a few more steps than some dump cake recipes, but every step is beginner-friendly and totally worth it for a mouthwatering and indulgent dessert. Whereas some dump cakes don't call for mixing, this cake is very lightly mixed in the pan, allowing the cake to bake up evenly and the streusel to crisp. Start-to-finish, this prep takes less than 15 minutes, much quicker than many traditonal cake recipes!
For more summer peach recipes, check out my peach coffee cake, peach muffins, peach bread pudding, and cast iron skillet peach cobbler.
For my complete collection of recipes, check out my Best Peach Recipe Round-Up!
Ingredients
Yellow Cake Mix: Though yellow cake mix provides the best flavor, white cake mix can substitute in a pinch. Use your favorite brand of cake mix.
Fresh Peaches: Choose juicy and sweet peaches which give just slightly when pressed gently with the pad of your finger for the most jammy and naturally sweet recipe for peach dump cake. Though you do not need to peel the peaches, you can do so if you desire.
Milk: Opt for whole milk for the richest cake crumb, though 2% milk can work in a pinch. Bring it to room temperature before using.
Butter: Unsalted butter is the best pick for this peach cake with cake mix, as the cake mix is already salted.
Eggs: Adds savory and rich flavor to the easy peach dump cake, also helping to bind it together. Bring the eggs to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before making the recipe, though you can quickly bring them to room temperature in a lukewarm bowl of water for 5 minutes.
Vanilla Extract: Choose pure vanilla extract for the best sweet and nutty vanilla notes, elevating this peach dump cake with cake mix to new levels.
Brown Sugar: The key element in the buttery cinnamon streusel, adding sweetness, crunch, and molasses notes.
Cinnamon: For sweet and warm spicy notes, always use cinnamon with a good expiration date. You will need just 1 teaspoon for the streusel.
How to Make Peach Dump Cake
For the complete recipe and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the ½ cups of sliced butter to a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes until the butter has melted and the milk solids have turned a golden brown.
Step 2: While the oven preheats, add the diced peaches, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Gently toss them together until combined.
Step 3: Remove the pan from the oven. Spread the butter around the bottom and the sides of the pan. Sprinkle half of the diced peaches on top of the butter layer.
Step 4: Sprinkle half of the cake mix on the peaches. Repeat the process, sprinkling the remaining peaches and cake.
Step 5: Whisk the milk, vanilla extract, and eggs in a small bowl.
Step 6: Pour the milk mixture over the peaches and cake mix. Using a fork or a silicone spatula, gently swirl the milk mixture with the cake mix until no large patches of flour remain.
Step 6: Add the melted butter, packed light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk together with a fork until a crumbly mixture streusel mixture forms.
Step 7: Sprinkle the streusel over the cake. Bake for 37 - 43 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Step 8: Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes or cool it completely before serving. Serve the cake with scoops of ice cream or whipped cream.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Brown the butter. You will know it is browned when the milk solids in it turn a golden brown color. Remove the pan from the oven as soon as this is achieved. Once it reaches this point, the butter can quickly go from browned to burnt.
- Lightly mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Using a fork, silicone spatula, or knife, lightly push the wet ingredients around in the pan with the dry ingredients until all of the larger dry patches have disappeared. Little streaks of flour here and there are fine, but any dry patches larger than a nickel need to be mixed in.
- Rotate the pan throughout the baking time. If the cake is unevenly browning as it bakes, rotate the pan 180° in the oven.
Variations
- Stone Fruit Dump Cake: Nearly any other stone fruit, such as apricots, plums, plucots, or cherries, can be substituted for peaches for an equally delicious summer treat!
- Peach and Berry Dump Cake: For a delightful peach berry dump cake, toss 1 cup of blueberries and 3 cups of chopped peaches with the seasonings before layering them in the pan. Follow the recipe directions as listed.
- Canned Peach Dump Cake: Enjoy a summery dessert any time of year by making peach dump cake with canned peaches. Drain the peaches before dicing and tossing them with seasoning, and continue with the recipe as directed.
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Leftovers keep covered in an airtight container on the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Dump cake recipe leftovers can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. For the best results, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight or until thawed through.
- Reheating: Warm individual servings of the cake on medium heat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds intervals, or until warmed through.
Save this Recipe for Later on Pinterest
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
More Summer Dessert Recipes
- Apricot Cobbler
- Raspberry Cobbler
- Peaches and Cream Pie
- Strawberry Lemonade Bars
- Gluten-Free Blackberry Cobbler
- Pineapple Poke Cake
- Lemon Poke Cake
Recipe Card
Peach Dump Cake
Ingredients
Peach Dump Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into 1 tablespoon-sized pieces
- 4 cups of diced peaches 3 peaches, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 package of yellow cake mix
- 1 cup milk brought to room temperature whole milk or 2%
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs brought to room temperature
Cinnamon Streusel
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Large pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the ½ cups of sliced butter to a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes until the butter has melted and the milk solids have turned a golden brown.
- While the oven preheats, add the diced peaches, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Gently toss them together until combined.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Spread the butter around the bottom and the sides of the pan.
- Sprinkle half of the diced peaches on top of the butter layer. Sprinkle half of the cake mix on the peaches. Repeat the process, sprinkling the remaining peaches and cake.
- Whisk the milk, vanilla extract, and eggs in a small bowl.
- Pour the milk mixture over the peaches and cake mix. Using a fork or a silicone spatula, gently swirl the milk mixture with the cake mix until no large patches of flour remain.
- Add the melted butter, packed light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk together with a fork until a crumbly mixture streusel mixture forms.
- Sprinkle the streusel over the cake. Bake for 37 - 43 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown unevenly, rotate it halfway through baking.
- Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before serving with scoops of ice cream or whipped cream. You can also serve it at room temperature.
Notes
- Refrigeration: Leftovers keep covered in an airtight container on the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Dump cake recipe leftovers can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. For the best results, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight or until thawed through.
- Reheating: Warm individual servings of the cake on medium heat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds intervals, or until warmed through.
- Brown the butter. You will know it is browned when the milk solids in it turn a golden brown color. Remove the pan from the oven as soon as this is achieved. Once it reaches this point, the butter can quickly go from browned to burnt.
- Lightly mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Using a fork, silicone spatula, or knife, lightly push the wet ingredients around in the pan with the dry ingredients until all of the larger dry patches have disappeared. Little streaks of flour here and there are fine, but any dry patches larger than a nickel need to be mixed in.
- Rotate the pan throughout the baking time. If the cake is unevenly browning as it bakes, rotate the pan 180° in the oven.
1