A typical dump cake usually uses butter, not oil —about 1 cup, or 2 sticks in many recipes. Some recipes use 1½ sticks of butter, and a few say you can swap in an equal amount of vegetable oil, but butter is the usual choice.

Usual amount

  • Most common: 1 cup butter, which is 2 sticks.
  • Also common: 1½ sticks of butter spread over the top.
  • Possible substitute: an equal amount of vegetable oil, though texture and flavor can change.

Why the confusion

Dump cakes are usually topped with butter over cake mix and fruit, so people sometimes mix them up with other cake recipes that use oil in the batter. A separate cake recipe can call for oil, but that is not the standard dump cake method.

Simple rule

For a classic dump cake, think butter on top , not oil in the mix. If you want, I can also give you a very basic dump cake ratio for a 9x13 pan.