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Whole cherry dessert with a golden cake-mix topping in an ivory baking dish

3-Ingredient Cherry Dessert

Cherry pie filling, dry yellow cake mix and melted butter baked into a spoon dessert with a golden topping and a soft fruit layer.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling do not drain
  • 1 15.25-ounce box yellow cake mix dry mix only
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted; 1½ U.S. sticks; use up to 1 cup total only if needed for dry spots

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Melt ¾ cup unsalted butter gently, without browning it.
    Melted unsalted butter in a small clear glass cup
  • Use about 1 teaspoon of the melted butter to lightly grease the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
    Empty rectangular baking dish lightly greased with melted butter
  • Spoon the entire 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling into the dish. Spread it in a thin, even layer, moving cherries into the corners. Do not drain the sauce.
    One can of cherry pie filling spread in a thin layer in the baking dish
  • Sprinkle the dry 15.25-ounce box of yellow cake mix evenly over the filling. Break apart large clumps. Do not prepare the box batter or stir the cake mix into the cherries.
    Dry yellow cake mix spread over the cherry filling before adding butter
  • Drizzle the remaining melted butter slowly across the cake mix, reaching the edges and corners. Brush or spread it over dry patches without mixing it into the fruit. If needed, add a little more melted butter directly to dry areas, using no more than 1 cup butter in total.
    Cake-mix topping moistened with melted butter before the cherry dessert is baked
  • Bake on the center rack for about 40–45 minutes, until the topping is golden, the edges are lightly browned and the filling bubbles around the sides. If dry patches remain, moisten them with a little melted butter within the 1-cup limit and continue baking until baked through. Cover loosely with foil if the edges brown too quickly.
    Overhead view of the whole baked cherry dessert and its golden topping
  • Let the dessert stand for 10 minutes. Scoop into bowls and serve warm. Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream are optional and are separate from the three ingredients in the dessert.
    Whole cherry dessert ready to serve beside a small bowl of vanilla ice cream

Notes

This one-can version has a thin cherry layer in a 9-by-13-inch dish.
Start with ¾ cup melted butter. Use up to 1 cup total only if needed to moisten dry cake-mix patches. One standard U.S. butter stick is ½ cup.
Use a 15.25-ounce cake-mix package. Add only the dry mix, not the eggs, oil or water listed on the box.
Timing is an estimate and includes a 10-minute rest. The dessert is intended to be scooped, not sliced into firm bars.