Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Strawberry filling spread in a baking pan, topped with a creamy blend of ricotta, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Dry cake mix layered on top. Cold butter sliced thin and dotted over the surface. Baked until golden crust forms, juicy filling bubbles up. Rested briefly to set. A blend of sweet, tart, creamy, and buttery textures. Slight swap for ricotta over cream cheese for a lighter tang. Slight tweaks on bake time and layering for balanced moisture and crust crispness. Nutty aroma, bubbling edges, golden crust—key signals that bake’s set.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
50 min
Total:
1h 10min
Servings:
12 servings
#dessert
#baking
#dump cake
#strawberry
#ricotta
#easy recipes
#American cuisine
Started with cream cheese scoop scattered over fruit, worked but sometimes puddled too much and sank in cake mix, sticky mess. Switched to ricotta for lighter tang, less meltdown—smells nuttier too. Slower melt on butter because cut thin slices, watching top turn golden, bubbling strawberry edges tell me it’s done better than timer. Learned to rest 15 was no joke, filling firms or it runs like soup. The cake mix crust? Not just topping, it’s cracking sweet crunchy cheddar cheese-like bits—sounds loud as it bakes. Dump cake style means less fuss, more surprises. Doesn’t need chilling nor fancy fold, just layering and patience. Tried with frozen berries once—juice flooded, adjust backing time. Sharp knife slices, no smush. Foolproof yet forgiving.
Ingredients
- 1 21-ounce jar strawberry pie filling
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter sliced into thin pats
About the ingredients
Ricotta cheese for creaminess with less tang and less dense than cream cheese. If only have cream cheese, soften fully, maybe add a splash milk or yogurt to loosen. Sour cream adds moisture and tang, skip if none but expect less zip. Powdered sugar chunks easier to blend, keeps texture soft, swap with honey if preferred but reduces crust browning. Vanilla extract essential, never skip—depth booster not sweetener. Yellow cake mix to cover the creamy fruit evenly, creates crust and crumb contrast. Butter cold, sliced thin—coldness slows butter melting so cake crust gets crisp, not soggy. Unsalted butter lets flavor of strawberry and spices shine; salted butter adds complexity, watch salt measured elsewhere.
Method
- Preheat oven to 345F for slight gentler bake, avoids burning sugars.
- Spread strawberry pie filling evenly in bottom of 9x13 pan; solid base for flavors. Use spoon to get even thickness but no mashing.
- In medium bowl, mix softened ricotta, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy but not too whipped; lumps okay—less air means less shrinkage.
- Spoon dollops of ricotta mixture over filling. Don’t spread evenly; small islands for pockets of creaminess.
- Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over cream cheese dollops and strawberry pie so it covers almost all surface.
- Slice cold butter into thin square pats, about 1/8 inch thick. Dot butter slices all over top of dry cake mix, covering as much surface as possible. Butter must stay cold for easy slicing and slow melting.
- Bake 45-50 minutes. Watch for topping turning golden brown and strawberry filling bubbling aggressively at edges—audible crackling pop is a good sign.
- Let cool undisturbed 15 minutes. Filling firms up; topping crisps. Resist urge to cut early or it will be too runny.
Cooking tips
Preheat slightly lower than usual to keep sugars from burning, caramel aroma kicks in around 350 but 345F gentle on crust. Even spread of strawberry filling means consistent bubbling, not thick mounds or dry spots. Mixing ricotta and sour cream just enough to combine avoids heavy air bubbles that cause cracking after bake. Dollops scattered—not spread—keeps interplay of creamy pockets and fruit moistness. Cake mix sprinkled evenly to prevent lumps. Butter sliced very cold and thin, dropping quickly and evenly—that’s crust magic. Baking time flexible, look for golden top and berry edges bubbling like small volcanoes. Resting crucial; cut too early, runny mess. Slice carefully, dry knife helps prevent sticking. Leftovers hold shape better next day. No chilling required but chill if you want firmer slices.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Preheat oven at 345F, little lower than usual to keep sugars from burning; caramel aroma hits around 350 but crust stays gentler. Watch bubbling edges closely; loud crackles mean strawberry filling is aggressively cooking. Butter stays cold sliced thin; keeps crust crisp, stops soggy patches. Coldness crucial, melts slow—don’t skip chilling butter before slicing. Spread filling evenly but don’t mash; thick mounds mess with bake time and moisture.
- 💡 Mix ricotta, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until just combined; lumps okay. Too smooth means extra air, leads to cracking later. Avoid whipping. Dollop mixture, don’t spread; creates pockets of creaminess. Dry cake mix sprinkle even layer stops lumps and weird dry spots. Butter pats dotted fast, cover most surface. Cold butter plus cake mix forms crunchy, cheddar cheese-like crust pieces after bake.
- 💡 Let cooled dump cake rest undisturbed 15 minutes before cutting. Filling firms up, topping crisps. Cut right after baking yields runny mess, no structure. Sharp knife is another must, dull blade drags fruit, messes up edges. Leftovers hold shape better next day, flavors meld more; no chilling needed but can firm slices. Frozen berries cause juice floods, adjust bake time and watch carefully.
- 💡 If no ricotta, fully soften cream cheese, add splash milk or yogurt to loosen texture; otherwise mixture dense, heavy. Sour cream adds moisture and tang—skip and expect less zip and more dry areas. Powdered sugar keeps blend soft, swaps to honey lower browning on crust, changes texture noticeably. Vanilla essential for depth, not sweetness; omit and cake turns flat.
- 💡 Baking time flexible, start checking around 45 minutes. Look for golden top, bubbling edges like tiny volcanoes, audible crackling sign. Oven temps vary; rely on sensory cues more than timer. Butter sliced thin slows melt dramatically, crust gets crackly rather than soggy. Resting critical; no early cuts. Dollops mean interplay of juicy fruit and creamy pockets, creates complex textures without fuss or folding.
Common questions
Can cream cheese replace ricotta?
Yes but soften fully first. Add splash milk or yogurt to stop dense lumpy mix. Ricotta lighter, tangier, less meltdown though. Texture changes, slows bake might happen.
Why does crust get soggy?
Butter melted too fast if slices thick or warm. Cake mix layer uneven. Oven too hot burns sugar top but soggy middle. Chill butter longer, slice paper-thin, spread evenly. Lower bake temp helps.
How to know when cake is done?
Listen for crackling from bubbling strawberry edges. Golden top key. Juice bubbles like mini volcanoes. Timer okay but sensory cues better. If unsure, poke edge with toothpick for moistness.
How store leftovers?
Keep covered at room temp 1-2 days best for crust crisp. Refrigerate slows soggy but firms filling, slice easier next day. Reheat briefly for crispness. Freezing not ideal, texture suffers; thaw slowly if used.
