My Lemon Blueberry Dump Cake is a hit every time! With fresh blueberries, lemon juice, and zest, it’s bursting with flavor. And guess what? There’s no need for blueberry pie filling! Let me show you how to make it in just a few steps.
Lemon Blueberry Dump Cake is like a cobbler but even easier! Think of serving this for Easter, Mother’s Day or just a hot summer day!
I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!
Why You Will Love Lemon Blueberry Dump Cake Recipe
- Simple ingredients—To make this delicious dessert, you only need five simple ingredients, one of which is your favorite cake mix!
- Light Lemon Flavor – This dump cake recipe offers a perfect blend of lemon and blueberry, ideal for light and refreshing summer treats.
- Easy Dump Cake Recipe – No mixing bowl, food processor, or complicated ingredients. Just dump, bake, and enjoy!
Simple Ingredients for Fresh Blueberry Dump Cake
- Butter: Use cold, salted butter cut into thin pats to cover the top of the cobbler-like recipe. This will bring rich flavor with plenty of moisture. I prefer salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter.
- Blueberries: I used fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry, but you may also use frozen blueberries; do not thaw!
- Cake mix: Make the cakey base with a box of lemon cake mix – or use white, vanilla, yellow cake mix, or another flavor of boxed cake mix.
- Lemon: Get authentic lemon flavor with the zest and juice from one fresh lemon.
- Vanilla: Add pure vanilla extract. Try my easy Homemade Vanilla recipe!
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make a Blueberry Dump Cake
Step 1 | Preheat and prep
Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F (175° C) and coat a 9×13-inch baking or 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray or spray oil.
Step 2 | Add fresh fruit
Next, add the fresh berries to the baking dish, shaking it to even them out. Sprinkle the fresh lemon zest over the blueberries and squeeze the lemon juice on top. This is optional but you can use a large spoon to toss.
Step 3 | Top with cake mix and butter
Now, sprinkle the box of cake mix into the baking dish in an even layer. Do NOT STIR.
Then, slice the cold butter into very thin pats, about ⅛ inch thick, and place them on top to cover as much of the surface as possible.
Fresh Tips
- If you prefer a thicker cobbler dump cake, use a smaller baking dish.
- It helps to slice the butter when it’s cold. Then, place the pats in the freezer until you add them to the recipe.
- If you’re using a cake mix that contains pudding, the cake will not cook all the way through– the top will be crusty, and the middle will be extra gooey. It’s not quite like the original recipe, but it’s still delicious and perfectly safe to eat!
Step 4 | Bake, cool, and serve!
Bake for 35 to 50 minutes. When the top is golden brown and the inside is bubbly, remove the dish and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, serve the warm or cooled to room temperature.
Top it with homemade whipped cream or a scoop of old fashioned vanilla ice cream or this lemon gelato recipe– Enjoy!
As the weather begins to warm for the summer months, I’m craving more and more refreshing and fruity treats. If you love this easy blueberry dump cake recipe, try my Old Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler, Lemon Dump Cake, Old Fashioned Lemon Squares Recipe, and Orange Scones made with fresh oranges!
You would also love these Blueberry Lemon Cookies, this Grape Salad (don’t knock it until you try it) and this Blueberry Gin Fizz!
Crockpot Blueberry Lemon Dump Cake
I love recipes that can be made different ways, whether you need the oven space for other things during a Spring holiday or you don’t want to turn the oven on in the summer, you can adapt this recipe easily to the crockpot.
- Spray a 4-7 quart crockpot with spray oil or rub with butter.
- Layer ingredients as described in the recipe, fresh blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cake mix.
- Slice pats of butter and lay evenly over the top.
- Lay a clean tea towel* or paper towels over the top of the crockpot and cover. *The tea towel will absorb any condensation that may drip onto the cake.
- Cover and cook the dump cake for 3 hours on HIGH, or 5-6 hours on LOW.
Variations & Substitutions
Frozen Berries: If you prefer, use frozen blueberries instead of fresh, but don’t thaw them. You may need to bake the dish a little longer. If the top is browning quickly and the berries are not bubbly, loosely cover the baking dish with foil.
Extra Sweet Blueberry Dump Cake: The sweet blueberries add plenty of sweetness, in my opinion. However, you can make this treat extra sweet by tossing up to ¼ cup of granulated sugar with the berry mixture.
Blueberry Pineapple Dump Cake: Add a can of drained crushed pineapple to the blueberry mixture for more fruity goodness!
Add-Ins: Try adding toasted nuts, coconut flakes, or even white chocolate chips.
Adjust the Butter: Use more or less butter on top of the cake mix, depending on your preference. When you use less, there may be more dry cake mix areas – Either add more butter 15 minutes before removing the dish from the oven or gently press the dry areas into the moist mixture below. It’s delicious with more or less butter, so the choice is yours!
Gluten-Free Blueberry Dump Cake
You can easily adapt any dump cake to be gluten-free, just grab a box of your favorite gluten-free cake mix — this one is mine!
Recommended Tools
- I love my Staub baking dishes; they clean up so easily!
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s called a ‘dump’ cake for a reason – Do not mix the fruit filling with the dry cake mix to get a crumbly top and gooey center.
Dump cake is less cake like and more cobbler-like with a gooey center and crumbly toasted topping.
When the top of the cobbler is golden brown from the melted butter, and the filling is bubbly, the dessert is ready to serve!
It goes against a bakers nature, but DO NOT MIX. Because well that’s the idea behind the name – DUMP CAKE! Dump and bake.
Yes, this is a great dessert to take camping! Simply assemble the cake in a Dutch Oven (a pot that has a lid, that is safe to sit over a campfire), add ingredients, cake mix, butter and cover and bake until bubbly.
Yes! I actually tested this recipe using Krusteaz sugar cookie mix and it was divine as well! Use it as a 1:1 replacement for cake mix.
Blueberry Dump Cake with Fresh Blueberries
If you prefer a fresh blueberry dump cake instead of blueberry lemon dump cake, I would still keep the lemon zest and juice, but instead of the lemon cake mix, use a vanilla or yellow cake mix instead.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate – Store leftover blueberry lemon dump cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly sealed with plastic wrap for up to five days.
How to Freeze – You can freeze this easy recipe in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. The texture may change a little when thawed.
Reheating – To enjoy the berry dump cake again, reheat it in the oven at 350° F (175° C) for 10 to 15 minutes or serve at room temperature.
What to serve with Fresh Blueberry Dump Cake
Best Drinks for Blueberry Dump Cake Recipe
Go full springtime to match this delicious blueberry and lemon dessert with this Pink Lemonade Vodka, Blueberry Limeade and this fun Blueberry Gin Cocktail.
Easy Blueberry Limeade Drink
Using a homemade blueberry syrup, make this easy, refreshing Blueberry Limeade drink, or use lemonade for a blueberry lemonade either way, this is a sweet and easy, non-alcoholic summer drink recipe!
Pink Lemonade Vodka
A simple, 5-minute pink lemonade vodka cocktail! With a few simple ingredients, this fresh and all-natural pink lemonade vodka drink will become a summer favorite! This easy cocktail recipe can be made by the glass or pitcher! Mocktail instructions too!
Blueberry Gin Cocktail
Learn how to make this gorgeous Blueberry Gin Cocktail or Empress Gin Cocktail—layered with blueberry syrup, spicy ginger beer, and purple Empress gin. Plus I’ll show you how to do the “float” process.
DO NOT MIX! While it might be tempting, fresh blueberry dump cake is more like a cobbler than a cake; do not mix the cake mix in.
More Easy Dump Cake Recipes
- Lemon Dump Cake Recipe (with luscious lemon curd!)
- Caramel Apple Dump Cake Recipe
- Rhubarb Dump Cake without Jello
- Fresh Peach Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Dump Cake with Spice Cake Mix
- Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake in a Jar!
I hope you loved this Lemon and Blueberry Dump Cake Recipe — if you did, would you share your creation on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest? And be sure to comment below!
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce lemon cake mix or use your favorite, vanilla, white or yellow cake mix may all be used
- 4 cups fresh blueberries about 14 ounces, rinsed and drained, (may use frozen blueberries, do not thaw)
- ½-¾ cup butter cold, cut into thin pats (salted or unsalted)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest zest from 1 lemon
- 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice juice from one lemon
- 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C) and lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. For a thicker cobbler dump cake, use a smaller baking dish, 2 quart or so.
- Add fresh blueberries to the baking dish, and shake to even out.
- Sprinkle zest evenly over the blueberries, then squeeze the lemon juice evenly over them. Carefully turn over with a large spoon to coat.
- Dump cake mix evenly over the blueberry mixture. DO NOT MIX.
- Slice the butter into very thin pats or slices and layer them over the dry cake mix, covering as evenly and as much of the cake mix as possible. Use more or less butter as desired*
- Bake for 35-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the blueberry mixture is bubbly. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cooled to room temperature. It is delicious topped with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or lemon gelato.
Notes
Storage
Any leftovers can be covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. It may also be frozen for up to 3 months, but the texture might change a bit when thawed—nothing harmful.
To serve, rewarm for 10-15 minutes in a 350° F (175° C) oven or serve at room temperature.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use frozen blueberries (do not thaw) instead of fresh. Your dump cake may need to be baked a few minutes longer. If the top is browning too quickly, then loosely cover with foil.
- Add a little sugar; if desired, add up to ¼ cup of granulated sugar and toss with the blueberries.
- If using a cake mix with pudding in it, the cake mix will not cook all the way through; giving you a crusty top with a gooey pudding center.
- Try adding a small can of crushed pineapple to the blueberry mixture before adding the cake mix for blueberry pineapple dump cake.
- Add chopped toasted nuts or coconut flakes to the mixture before topping with cake mix.
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Dump Cake – Easily adapt any dump cake to be gluten-free, just grab a box of your favorite gluten-free cake mix — this one is mine!
- Blueberry Dump Cake with Fresh Blueberries – Instead of the lemon cake mix, use a vanilla or yellow cake mix instead. Keep the lemon zest and juice.
Crockpot Blueberry Lemon Dump Cake
- Spray a 4-7 quart crockpot with spray oil or rub with butter. Add ingredients as listed above.
- Lay a clean tea towel* or paper towel over the top of the crockpot and cover. *The tea towel absorbs condensation that may drip onto the cake.
- Cover and cook the dump cake for 3 hours on HIGH, or 5-6 hours on LOW.
Nutrition
Lindsay
Does the vanilla go on top of the blueberries with the lemon juice? It was on the ingredient list but I may have missed it in the baking steps. Thanks!
Yes just sprinkle on top! Sorry if I missed that.