During the 1960s and 1970s, home cooks embraced cooking shortcuts, and suggestions were everywhere from newspaper columns, to church cookbooks, to the back of packages.

My mom was right on these trends, and I have fond memories of the delicious foods and desserts she made for us, including the dump cake. A disgusting title for a delicious cobler-like cake that could be thrown together in literally seconds. Like many foods of the era, it incorporated a variety of pre-made ingredients readily available at any market.

When my kids started to move out of the house, we pondered ways to stay close and involved in each other’s lives. We wanted to see each other more than just on holidays, and we wanted to know the details of each other’s lives beyond a text exchange in a group chat. One of my daughters came up with a solution, a rotating brunch.

This month, the brunch rotation is at our house. My son suggested a “make your own breakfast sandwich,” and the rest of the family was on board. It would be up to my wife and me to figure out the logistics of such a meal, but that sort of challenge has never bothered me.

These brunches include a sweet treat, like a quick bread or a coffee cake. However, I wanted to try something from my past, a dump cake. These cakes became a hit in the late 1960s, and there are now many variations on the dump cake theme. However, I decided to go with the OG dump cake, which is cherry- and pineapple-flavored.

The dump cake isn’t exactly a cake, it isn’t exactly a fruit cobbler, it isn’t exactly a coffee cake; it is a dessert unto itself. It could be a great first cake for someone to make, and can be served warm or cold. Often, a little whipped cream or ice cream is added to further elevate the experience. Let’s take a look at the recipe.

Classic Dump Cake

• 1 box yellow or white cake mix
• 1 can crushed pineapple, including the juice
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• Powder sugar (optional)

Spray a 9″ x 13″ pan with cooking spray and pour in a can of cherry pie filling. Spread it out.

Add a can of crushed pineapple, including the juice, and spread it out.

Spread a box of dry cake mix over the fruit. On top of the cake mix, add 1 stick of butter sliced evenly. You can add nuts at this point, but we have an anti-nut person in our family, so they were omitted.

Melt another stick of butter and add this to the top of the mixture. Note, there is no mixing of any of these ingredients.

Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the fruit is bubbling. Once cool you can dust with some powdered sugar (optional).

Here it is served with a little whipped cream. Ice cream would also be nice. It is delicious and as easy as pie. Well, actually, it is a lot easier than pie.

Many variations of this recipe use different cake mixes and fruit ingredients. A perfect and easy dessert.

By the way, the brunch was a success. We set up a self-serve bar, and everyone made their own sandwiches, choosing a croissant, bagel, or English Muffin. We had bacon, sausage, and cheese to go along with a huge batch of scrambled eggs. I did wind up burning a couple of croissants when I tried to toast them under the broiler, but we had extras. All in all, a delightful meal made sweeter with the addition of dump cake.

It is great to plan activities to keep families together. Our brunch rotates, so the burden is light on all participants. It is also early enough in the day for everyone to still have time for other weekend activities. We try to schedule the next brunch at the end of the last one, so everyone has the date on their calendars. Consider this tradition with your family.

Mike

We had a “serve yourself” bar so everyone could customize their breakfast sandwich.

I went with a toasted croissant, eggs, bacon, and cheese. Yummy!