This Easy Chocolate Chip Cherry Dessert Recipe combines one can of cherry pie filling, a box of dry yellow cake mix, semisweet chocolate chips, and butter in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake the four-layer dessert at 350°F (175°C) for 35–40 minutes, then let it rest for 10–15 minutes before serving warm.
The result is a wonderfully simple cherry dump dessert with a soft, bubbling fruit base and a golden, buttery topping dotted with melted chocolate chips. Serve each spoonful with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a comforting dessert that tastes like a bakery-style cherry crumble without mixing, scooping, or using a mixer.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
This dessert is made for the moments when you want something homemade but do not want a sink full of bowls. Everything goes directly into one baking dish, and the only preparation is spreading, sprinkling, scattering, and covering the top with butter.
The flavor is especially satisfying because the tart cherry filling balances the sweetness of the cake mix. Semisweet chocolate chips add rich little pockets of chocolate, while butter transforms the dry mix into a crisp, golden topping.
- Quick preparation: The ingredients can be assembled in about 5–10 minutes.
- No mixer required: There is no batter to whip or dough to knead.
- Warm and comforting: The bubbling cherry center is ideal with a cold scoop of ice cream.
- Easy to share: A 9 x 13-inch dish makes generous portions for family dinners or casual gatherings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You need only four main ingredients for this chocolate chip cherry dessert. Choose a 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling, a full box of yellow cake mix, one cup of semisweet chocolate chips, and one-half cup of butter.
- Cherry pie filling: This forms the soft, juicy fruit layer and supplies the moisture needed during baking.
- Yellow cake mix: Use the dry mix only, whether your box weighs approximately 15.25 or 18.25 ounces. The full box creates the crumbly topping.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: One cup provides chocolate flavor without making the dessert overwhelmingly sweet.
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter, melted or cut into very thin slices. The butter helps moisten and brown the cake-mix layer.
A lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish is the only special equipment needed. If you use melted butter, a spoon or small measuring cup makes it easier to drizzle the butter over the surface.
How to Make It Step-by-Step
Step 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), then lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. The greasing helps with serving later, especially around the edges where the cherry filling may caramelize slightly.
Step 2: Open the cherry pie filling and spread it evenly over the bottom of the prepared dish. Try to create a level layer so every serving receives a balance of cherries and syrupy filling.
Step 3: Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the cherries. Do not stir or press the cake mix into the fruit, because the separate layers are what create the soft cherry base and crumbly topping.
Step 4: Scatter one cup of semisweet chocolate chips over the cake mix. Distribute them across the dish rather than placing them in one concentrated area, so the finished dessert has chocolate in every portion.
Step 5: Drizzle the one-half cup of melted butter evenly over the surface, or arrange thin butter slices across the top. Aim to cover as much of the dry mix as possible, since exposed patches may remain powdery after baking.
Step 6: Place the dish in the 350°F oven and bake for approximately 35–40 minutes. The dessert is ready when the top is golden and the cherry filling is visibly bubbling around the edges.
Step 7: Remove the dish from the oven and let it stand for 10–15 minutes before serving. This short rest allows the hot cherry filling to settle while keeping the dessert pleasantly warm.
Pro Tips for a Golden Topping
The most important detail is butter coverage. A dump dessert does not use a stirred batter, so the dry cake mix depends on contact with butter and the moisture rising from the cherry layer as it bakes.
If you prefer melted butter, drizzle slowly in a zigzag pattern across the entire surface. If you use sliced butter, cut it very thinly and arrange the pieces in a loose grid, leaving as few uncovered areas as possible.
Do not mix the ingredients after layering them. Stirring can disturb the fruit base and may produce a heavier, less distinct topping instead of the characteristic soft cherry and crisp cake-mix contrast.
Modern cake-mix boxes are often 15.25 ounces rather than the older 18.25-ounce size. Use the full box you purchased, but begin checking the dessert near the 35-minute mark so the top does not become too dark.
Serving Suggestions
This dessert is at its most inviting when served warm, shortly after its 10–15-minute rest. Spoon it into bowls so the ruby cherry filling, golden topping, and melted chocolate chips are visible together.
- Top with vanilla ice cream for a creamy contrast to the warm fruit.
- Add a dollop of whipped cream for a lighter finish.
- Garnish with a few chocolate chips or a fresh cherry when serving guests.
- Offer small portions with coffee or tea after a family meal.
The dessert is sweet and rich enough to stand on its own, but a cool, creamy topping makes each bite especially pleasing. For the best texture, serve it while the fruit is still soft and the topping retains some crispness.
Storage and Reheating
Allow leftovers to cool, then cover the baking dish and refrigerate them. Chilling firms the cherry layer and topping, so the texture will be softer than it is straight from the oven.
Reheat individual portions gently until warm, or warm a larger amount in the baking dish. Avoid overheating, because prolonged heating can dry the cake-mix topping and make the fruit filling excessively hot.
If you are serving the dessert for a gathering, assemble it shortly before baking rather than baking it far in advance. The freshest texture comes from a golden top and bubbling fruit that have had only a brief rest.
One-Can Versus Deeper Versions
This recipe uses one 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling, which creates a thinner dessert in a 9 x 13-inch dish. That one-can formula is the version most closely associated with the Easy Chocolate Chip Cherry Dessert title.
Some related cherry dump-cake recipes use two 21-ounce cans of pie filling and one cup of butter for a deeper dessert. That is a different proportion, so keep the one-can and one-half-cup butter quantities here when you want the specified thinner version.
Easy Chocolate Chip Cherry Dessert
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Spread the cherry pie filling evenly across the bottom.
- Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the cherry filling. Do not stir the layers together.
- Scatter the semisweet chocolate chips over the cake mix. Drizzle melted butter across the surface, or arrange thin butter slices so the dry mix is covered as evenly as possible.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the cherry filling bubbles around the edges. Let the dessert stand for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Final Thoughts
Easy Chocolate Chip Cherry Dessert is proof that a short ingredient list can produce an irresistibly cozy sweet treat. The cherry filling becomes bubbling and jammy, the cake mix turns golden and crumbly, and the semisweet chocolate chips add just enough richness to make every bite memorable.
Remember the three keys to success: keep the layers separate, cover the cake mix with butter as evenly as possible, and start checking the dish near 35 minutes. After a brief 10–15-minute rest, serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a simple dessert that feels special with almost no effort.