Banana Split Dump Cake (Printer-friendly)

Golden, bubbly layers of fresh fruit and chocolate baked with buttery cake mix for a nostalgic treat.

# What you'll need:

→ Fruit Layer

01 - 3 large ripe bananas, sliced
02 - 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
03 - 1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained and halved

→ Sweet Layer

04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Chocolate Layer

05 - 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

→ Cake Layer

06 - 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix

→ Butter

07 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

→ Optional Toppings

08 - Whipped cream
09 - Chopped nuts (walnuts or peanuts)
10 - Extra maraschino cherries
11 - Chocolate syrup

# Method:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Evenly layer the sliced bananas in the bottom of the prepared dish.
03 - Spread the drained crushed pineapple over the bananas.
04 - Scatter the halved maraschino cherries over the pineapple layer.
05 - Sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the fruit.
06 - Evenly distribute the chocolate chips over the fruit and sugar.
07 - Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the entire fruit and chocolate layer.
08 - Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the cake mix, covering as much surface as possible.
09 - Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the edges are bubbly.
10 - Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream, nuts, extra cherries, and chocolate syrup if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The fruit juices bubble up through the cake creating these incredible pockets of sweet syrup that you just cannot fake any other way
  • My kids actually fight over who gets to lick the serving spoon and that never happens with regular desserts
02 -
  • The top might look pale even when it is done so trust the bubbling edges and set timer rather than just judging by color alone
  • Serving it slightly warm is basically mandatory because the texture transforms into something completely different once it cools completely
03 -
  • Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any fruit bubble overs because cleaning burnt sugar off the bottom of your oven is miserable
  • Use room temperature fruit straight from the pantry because cold fruit changes the baking time and can make the center take forever to set up properly

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