OK, here’s the deal: Canning season is here and we still have some of last year’s crop sitting on our storage shelves. I’d like to use these jars of fruit up fairly quickly so there’s room for the new batches (peaches, etc.). Thus, I’m going to do what my Aunt Annie used to do when she had the same dilemma—she would make DUMP CAKES.

Just to clarify, "dump" in the case of this dump cake recipe is used as a verb, as in "dump the ingredients into the pan." Sound messy? Not really. Sound simple? That's because it is simple, simple but oh, so tasty!

While there are some variations to the dump cake recipe theme, this version, our family's favorite, uses peaches and crushed pineapple. Sometimes we top it with nuts, sometimes we don't. Sometimes I make a smaller version and that variation is described below.

Dump cake is a great cake to take to a potluck or serve for a special occasion. Top warm dump cake with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream for an extra-special treat. Oh, my, I'm making my mouth water! Let's get on with the dump cake recipe...

Dump Cake

1 can crushed pineapple
1 qt canned peaches, drained
1 box yellow cake mix
1 to 2 sticks butter or margarine
small bag chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Open and dump the can of pineapple into a 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Use a spoon to even it out in the pan. Open the quart of peaches, drain, and gently use the spoon to dump it evenly on top of the pineapple. Open the box of cake mix and gently distribute the dry mix evenly on top of the fruit. Do not stir.

Now, either melt the butter and pour it evenly over the dry cake mix, or you can do as I do and cut the butter into little chunks and place the little chunks of butter evenly on top of the cake mix. (I use about 1 1/2 sticks of butter). If using, sprinkle the nuts on top.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes to one hour or until the cake is bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature with or without a scoop of ice cream on top.