There is something about a warm fruit dessert fresh from the oven that makes a kitchen feel like home. This Easy Cobbler Cake is one of those recipes that is simple enough for an ordinary weeknight but delicious enough to serve when company comes over.
I call this a cobbler cake because it has the fruit-filled, spoonable goodness you expect from a cobbler, but the topping is a soft, buttery cake rather than a traditional biscuit or crumble topping. It comes together with just a handful of ingredients and can be made with almost any flavor of pie filling.
Cherry is one of my favorites, but don’t stop there. Apple, peach, blueberry, and other pie fillings work beautifully too.
Why You’ll Love This Cobbler Cake
- Uses simple pantry ingredients
- Starts with your favorite canned pie filling
- No complicated cake-making techniques
- Everything comes together quickly
- The buttery cake bakes up golden around the edges
- The fruit stays deliciously soft and saucy
- Easy to customize with different pie fillings
The Easy Trick That Makes This Recipe So Simple
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is how the butter is prepared.
While the oven is preheating, I put the whole stick of butter right into the casserole dish and let it melt. While the butter is melting, I prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Once the butter has melted, I pour it into the batter mixture rather than adding melted butter separately later. It saves a step and keeps the preparation simple.
Then the cake batter goes into the baking dish, followed by the pie filling.
As it bakes, the cake becomes beautifully golden around the edges while the cherry filling bubbles throughout the soft cake.
What Other Pie Fillings Can I Use?
This recipe is one of those wonderfully flexible recipes where you can change the fruit without changing the cake batter.
Try it with:
- Apple pie filling
- Peach pie filling
- Blueberry pie filling
- Strawberry Rhubarb pie filling
- Mixed berry pie filling
- Cherry pie filling
Apple is especially good and is actually one of my favorite versions.
How to Serve Cherry Cobbler Cake
This is best served warm, when the fruit filling is still soft and saucy and the cake is tender.
A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is hard to beat. You can also serve it with a little whipped cream or enjoy it just as it is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a cobbler or a cake?
It’s a little bit of both, which is why I call it Cobbler Cake. It has the fruit filling and spoonable texture of a cobbler, but the topping is a homemade cake batter rather than a biscuit or crumble.
Can I use a different pie filling?
Absolutely. This recipe was made to be flexible. Use your favorite pie filling and make a different Cobbler Cake each time.
Can I use a cast-iron skillet?
Yes. A 10-inch cast-iron skillet works well for this recipe. Just remember that the skillet will be extremely hot when you remove it from the oven.
Can I make this ahead?
It can be baked ahead and gently rewarmed before serving. For the best texture, I prefer serving it warm from the oven after it has had a few minutes to rest.
Easy Cobbler Cake
Equipment
- 1 13 x 9 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 stick ½ cup butter
- 1 quart pie filling, any flavor
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the stick of butter in a 10-inch casserole dish or cast-iron skillet and place it in the oven while it preheats. Allow the butter to melt while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Once the butter has melted, carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the melted butter into a mixing bowl and set the baking dish aside.
- Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and vanilla to the melted butter. Stir until everything is well combined and you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking dish.
- Spoon the pie filling into the baking dish over the batter.
- Bake at 350°F for 30–40 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and cooked through.
- Let the cobbler cake rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm, as-is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
