Black forest cake is a traditional German dessert that's made with chocolate cake and layers of cream and cherry filling. It's a truly delicious dessert that can take up to three hours to make. Here, we've kept the classic but gave it a weeknight-ready upgrade. Rather than a layer cake, try making a dump cake.

Why Is it Called Dump Cake?

A dump cake is very similar to a cobbler in texture and flavor and is made by "dumping" ingredients like canned pie filling and cake mix into a cake pan. Generally, you start with canned fruit, fresh fruit, or pie filling and then sprinkle on a box of cake mix. Before baking, dot the top with pats of butter.

Black Forest Dump Cake Ingredients

To make this chocolate dump cake with cherries, you'll need just four ingredients. Pick up your favorite type of chocolate cake mix (our Test Kitchen recommends Devil's Food), cherry pie filling, salted butter, and almond extract—that's all you need to make this easy dessert. This black forest dump cake recipe is ready in under an hour including bake time!

How to Serve Black Forest Dump Cake

To mimic the creamy frosting of a black forest layer cake, we recommend serving this dump cake recipe warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. If you want to make it ahead, the finished cake is also delicious served at room temperature.