Upgrade Simple Dump Cakes With One Creamy Ingredient

If you're new to baking, one of the best desserts to start with is a dump cake. Not only are dump cakes beginner friendly thanks to the inclusion of baking mixes, but you can also easily mix and match various flavors to customize a dump cake to your liking. From three-ingredient peach dump cake to canned pineapple dump cake, this dessert offers the opportunity to hone your baking skills while also leaving room to experiment and learn.

The one drawback of dump cakes is they can be a little bit basic. If you're looking to upgrade your dump cake, there's a one-ingredient solution that can make things more interesting: add some cream cheese. Essentially, you want to create a cream cheese filling layer by combining cream cheese, sugar, and a touch of vanilla extract; this layer can then be placed either on top of or under the dumped baking mix layer.

The result is an additional creamy layer that perfectly contrasts with the crumbly and moist dump cake layer. Plus, having even just one extra layer makes a dump cake look just a little fancier without a lot of extra effort. The best thing about this hack is that you can combine with a bunch of variations on dump cakes; try experimenting with any combination of these little adjustments to sharpen your baking skills and create a dump cake that's entirely your own.

One of the most common ways to upgrade dump cakes is to mess with flavor. Typically, dump cakes are paired with something fruit flavored; fruit pie fillings including strawberry and cherry are among the most popular choices. You could also go with blueberry or apple pie filling if you'd prefer. Other ways to add fruit flavor to a dump cake can include canned fruit, such as peaches, or even cranberry sauce.

Of course, you don't have to stick with fruit flavors. Dump cakes can be made with any number of flavors, including but not limited to orange soda, Dr Pepper, sweet potato, rhubarb, pumpkin puree, peppermint, chocolate pudding, gingerbread, eggnog, and more. Additionally, consider switching up the flavor of the cake mix too. Yellow cake mix is the most popular option but you can always opt for chocolate, funfetti, or strawberry.

Last but not least, consider varying the texture of the dump cake by adding extra ingredients. You can use chopped nuts, such as pecans, almonds, or walnuts. Alternatively, try adding chocolate chips or crushed Oreos into the mix.