If you've never paired the flavors of peaches and almonds, you're going to
fall in love with the duo in this Almond Peach Dump Cake.
Now, while I've made peach pie (oh man, this recipe is so, so good!), Texas peach pecan cobbler, peachy blueberry muffins, and even peach-decorated cookies (still one of my favorite designs), I've never made a peach dump
cake.
Heck, I'd never made a dump cake, period. I'll be honest - I don't love the
name. Ha.
*this recipe was sponsored by my friends at Imperial Sugar
Based on the vintage recipe calling for canned fruit and cake mix, this
updated, from-scratch version features frozen peaches, almond flavors, a
homemade cake mix layer, and sliced almonds for a bit of crunch. Melted butter
stirred together with the dry ingredients ensures no dry patches. Oh, and the vanilla ice cream on top is mandatory.
The result is tart and sweet. Warm and cold. Comforting and delicious.
*post has been updated for 2024.
What exactly is a Dump Cake?
Not the most elegant-sounding dessert, dump cakes are traditionally made by
"dumping" cans of fruit, a box of cake mix, and pats of butter into a pan and
baking it up.
While popular in the potluck circuit, traditional dump cakes have some issues.
-
Canned fruit isn't always the tastiest. Believe me, I started recipe
testing with canned peaches. No, thank you to slimy and mushy fruit.
-
Cake mixes vary in size and flavor, and the amount of mix in the box seems
to be dwindling every year. (Please see
my caramel brownies recipe.)
-
The pats of butter don't cover all of the cake mix, so the top of the cake
is frequently left with dry patches. No bueno.
This makes a GREAT dessert for a crowd! Summer cookout, graduation party, birthday, etc.!
How to Make Peach Dump Cake from Scratch
My version of Peach Dump Cake starts with frozen peaches.
Frozen fruit is always a good bet. It's picked at the peak of ripeness and flash frozen.
Save those juicy summertime peaches for eating out of hand, peach salsas,
and
peach pies - use frozen peaches for this cake year-round.
You'll toss the frozen peaches with just a bit of sugar, cornstarch, and
almond extract.
I'm telling you...that almond will make the peaches sing! (And,
still technically a "dump cake" as you'll dump the peaches into the baking
pan!)
Next, whisk up a homemade cake mix of sorts.
Instead of placing pats of butter over the dry mix in the pan, you'll stir
melted butter into the mix.
There are sliced almonds and a little more almond extract in the batter.
Dollop the mix over the peaches, distributing evenly, and bake!
The most difficult part of this of-so-easy recipe is waiting to serve it.
Letting it rest a bit after baking gives the juices a chance to thicken and
protects your mouth from scalding hot fruit.
Top with vanilla ice cream.
Here's another tip: leave your ice cream at room temperature for
5 minutes before scooping. The ice cream will scoop more easily, and the
flavor will be better when it's not straight from the freezer.
Almond Peach Dump Cake
YIELD: 8 servings
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
BAKE TIME: 50 minutes
2 pounds frozen sliced peaches
1/3 + 3/4 cup Imperial Sugar Extra-Fine Granulated Sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup melted salted butter
Vanilla ice cream for topping
Preheat oven to 375. Dump peaches into a 9 x 12 or 9 x 13-inch pan. Use a
fork to combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch together. Toss with the
peaches. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon almond extract over top.
Whisk flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and baking powder together. Stir in
sliced almonds. Add melted butter and stir until no dry spots remain. Stir
in remaining 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Dollop evenly over
peaches.
Bake for 50-65 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden.
Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving with ice cream.
