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My easy Blueberry Cobbler recipe starts with cake mix! This is basically a blueberry dump cake because that’s what you do: dump the ingredients in the pan and it tastes like the best blueberry cobbler you’ll ever eat!

cobbler with a scoop taken out of it in a white glassware.


Blueberry Dump Cake or Cobbler

Blueberry cobbler and dump cake are very similar. A cobbler is a baked dessert with fruit topped with a batter, biscuit or dumpling.

A dump cake is an easy dessert that starts with fruit and involves “dumping” a cake mix over the top, adding butter, and then baking. It bakes up with a crunchy and soft topping, much like a cobbler.

Whether you call this a cobbler recipe or a dump cake, either way you should call it delicious. The juicy berries and thick pie filling are coated with a sweet topping that’s soft and crunchy and the flavor is so, so good.

ingredients in dump cake

4 Ingredients Needed

  • Blueberry Pie Filling – Use my homemade recipe or buy a 20 ounce can.
  • Fresh Blueberries – These add a pop of freshness
  • Cake Mix
  • Butter: I used Challenge Unsalted Butter in this recipe. Challenge Butter is my favorite butter and (if you’ve been around long enough you’ll already know) it’s the only butter I ate growing up.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

cobbler with a scoop taken out of it in a white glassware with ice cream on top.

Butter Hack for Dump Cakes

I’ve been making dump cakes like this for years and I recently discovered this simple hack that makes the cake bake up much easier.

You see, to make a cobbler with cake mix, you dump all the ingredients in a pan and spread the butter over the top. The butter melts as the cake bakes and moistens all the cake mix, so it needs to be spread evenly.

I’ve done this by slicing the butter and using melted butter, but my favorite way is this simple hack: FREEZING and GRATING the butter!

I simply freeze my butter for about 30 minutes before making the dessert, then grate it with my simple box grater. It’s so much easier to spread shredded butter over the top than slices!

How to make blueberry dump cake

  1. Dump your pie filling and berries in a baking dish.
  2. Dump the cake mix on top.
  3. Shred the unsalted butter. It helps if you freeze it first.
  4. Sprinkle the shredded butter evenly and bake at 350° until it’s no longer powdery looking and light golden brown on top.

Variations

  • You can use any brand cake mix, yellow cake mix or white cake mix or even lemon cake mix!
  • You can use 2 cans of blueberry pie filling if you don’t have or want to use fresh berries.
  • Use mixed berries in place of fresh blueberries for a mixed berry cobbler like dump cake.
cobbler with a scoop taken out of it in a white glassware with ice cream on top.

Tip From Dorothy

Expert Tips

  • Can I use fresh or frozen blueberries? You can use 2 cups frozen berries or 2 cups fresh berries, your choice. You can also use canned blueberries as long as you drain them.
  • Serve blueberry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
  • You can make this up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store in fridge tightly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
  • You can make dump cake with any combination of fresh fruit and pie filling. We love Cherry Dump Cake and Peach Dump Cake!
cobbler with a scoop taken out of it in a white glassware.

Blueberry Cobbler FAQ

Can I use other fruit or pie filling?

Yes! It is really easy to vary this recipe to your liking. You can use ANY pie filling combined with 2-3 cups of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit.

My cake is still powdery during baking. Help!

This happens sometimes if the butter didn’t melt and spread evenly. I like to check my cobbler halfway through baking, and if I see it’s powdery, then I’ll add a little more butter or spray it with nonstick cooking spray on those sections.

How do you store cobbler?

It’s best to store this covered in the refrigerator but it tastes best room temperature (or even warm).

How do you serve dump cake?

Serve this plain or with a scoop of ice cream on top.

cobbler with a scoop taken out of it in a white glassware.

Blueberry Dump Cake Recipe

4.89 from 34 votes
This easy Blueberry Cobbler made with cake mix is the perfect potluck dessert with just 4 ingredients.

Recipe Video

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

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Instructions

  • Tip: place sticks of butter in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Then use a grater grate the butter so that it spreads easily over the top of the cake.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Pour pie filling and blueberries in the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Top with powdered cake mix in an even layer.
  • Grate the frozen butter evenly over the top of the cake mix. (Grating the butter gives easier and better coverage.)
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature with ice cream.
  • Note: check the cobbler halfway through baking. If there are any sections of cake that are still powdery after all the butter is melted, add a bit more butter or spray these areas with nonstick cooking spray.

Recipe Notes

    • Can I use fresh or frozen blueberries? You can use 2 cups frozen berries or 2 cups fresh berries, your choice. You can also use canned blueberries as long as you drain them.
    • Serve blueberry cobbler with ice cream on top.
    • You can make this up to 24 hours ahead of time. Storage: Store in refrigerator tightly covered.
    • You can make dump cake with any combination of fresh fruit and pie filling.
    • Feel free to use any flavor cake mix.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 436IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Challenge Dairy is a cooperative with over 400 California-owned dairy farmers that raise happy cows without any added hormones or fillers, made the old fashioned way. Challenge Unsalted Butter was also selected as Cook’s Illustrated’s favorite among top-selling brands! This post was sponsored by Challenge in 2020.

Favorite Recipes with butter



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

4.89 from 34 votes (27 ratings without comment)

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25 Comments

  1. I made this with 1 can of cherry filling and Blueberries as I did not have blueberry pie filling on hand. I refreshed the grated butter so I could sprinkle on top better. I then shredde a little more butter over areas of cake mix that were not covered. I did not have a problem with any dry cake mix. Baked for 50 mins, sprinkled top with sanding sugar and baked an additional 2 minutes. This paired with vanilla bean ice cream was yummy. I also used salted butter, did not have unsalted on hand. I would make it the exact same way next time.