Slow Cooker Cherry Cobbler With Cake Mix
By Beth Kaminski ·
This slow cooker cherry cobbler turns a box of cake mix and canned cherry pie filling into a warm, scoopable dessert. Mixing the cake mix with melted butter first helps prevent dry, powdery patches. The topping stays soft and tender, with bubbling cherries underneath.
A Pantry Dessert With Very Little Prep
This cobbler is a good choice when the oven is busy or you want dessert cooking while you make dinner. Canned cherry pie filling provides both the fruit and a thickened sauce, so there is no need to pit cherries or measure cornstarch. Yellow cake mix becomes a buttery topping with just one additional ingredient.
Expect a soft, steamed topping rather than a crisp, oven-browned crust. A slow cooker traps moisture, which keeps the filling saucy and the topping tender. Mixing the butter into the cake mix before adding it helps distribute the fat throughout the topping instead of leaving pockets of dry mix.
Ingredient Choices and Substitutions
- Cake mix: Use a standard 15.25-ounce box of yellow cake mix. White cake mix also works. Avoid angel food cake mix, which behaves differently.
- Cherry filling: Use cherry pie filling, not canned cherries in juice. Plain canned fruit does not have the thickened sauce this recipe needs.
- Butter: Unsalted butter lets the cake mix provide the salt. Salted butter is also fine if that is what you have.
- Vanilla: This rounds out the cherry filling, but you can leave it out without changing the texture.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
You can measure the ingredients ahead, but assemble the cobbler shortly before cooking. Starting with room-temperature canned filling gives more predictable timing than using chilled filling. Do not use a delayed-start setting.
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within two hours and use within four days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave in 30-second intervals until hot throughout. For larger portions, use a covered baking dish in a 325°F oven until warmed through. The topping will soften further during storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I prepare the cake mix according to the box?
No. Use the dry mix straight from the package and combine it only with the melted butter listed here. Do not add the eggs, oil, or water called for on the box.
What size slow cooker works best?
A 6-quart oval slow cooker gives the topping room to spread into a relatively even layer. A smaller cooker creates a deeper dessert and may need more time, so it is not a direct timing substitution.
How do I know the topping is cooked?
Look for bubbling filling around the edges and a set center without loose powder or glossy raw paste. A spoonful from the center should have a soft cake-like or crumbly texture, not a floury one. Color alone is not a reliable cue because the top will stay pale.
Can I leave it on warm for a party?
Serve shortly after the uncovered rest for the nicest texture. Extended holding traps more moisture and makes the topping increasingly soft. Follow your slow cooker's instructions if using its warm setting.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Cherry Cobbler With Cake Mix
By Beth Kaminski · American
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 30 min
- Total
- 2 hr 40 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 1 tsp neutral oil, for greasing the slow cooker
- 2 21-oz cans cherry pie filling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 15.25-oz box yellow cake mix, dry
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Method
- 1
Grease the bottom and lower sides of a 6-quart oval slow cooker with the oil.
- 2
Stir the cherry pie filling and vanilla together in the slow cooker, then spread into an even layer.
- 3
Combine the dry cake mix and melted butter in a medium bowl with a fork until evenly moistened and crumbly, with no loose powder remaining.
- 4
Scatter the cake mixture evenly over the cherries in small clumps, breaking up any pieces larger than 1 inch; do not stir it into the filling.
- 5
Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking at 2 hours. The filling should bubble around the edges, and the center topping should be set with no dry powder or glossy raw paste. If needed, continue cooking in 15-minute increments until the center is cooked; the top will remain pale.
- 6
Turn off the slow cooker and remove the lid carefully, keeping the condensation from dripping onto the cobbler.
- 7
Let the cobbler stand uncovered for 20 minutes so the filling can thicken slightly before spooning into bowls.
Spoon the cobbler into bowls while it is warm, with some cherry filling in every serving. A scoop of vanilla ice cream makes a lovely addition.
