When you have a small someone in the household who wants to help you prepare dessert, the easiest thing to make is a dump cake.

First, let me say the moniker is at once brilliant and misleading, and kind of fun. You literally dump your ingredients, in layers, into a bowl or pan and bake it.

Cake mix, fruit or flavour, a fat, sometimes chocolate or nuts, and whatever your taste buds fancy. The extra bonus is that family members of all ages (and cooking expertise) can participate in the prep for the holidays.

Peachy strawberry dump cake  

o 2 cups frozen sliced strawberries, thawed with juices

o 2 cups frozen sliced peaches, thawed with juices

o 1 box strawberry cake mix

o 1 stick butter or margarine, melted

For the glaze

o 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

o 3 tbsp. whipping cream or rice milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x13-in. baking pan. Pour fruit and juices into the prepared pan. Pour the box of cake mix over the fruit. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until it becomes golden and bubbly. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before drizzling the glaze over the top

To make glaze: In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cream and mix until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. Serves 10 to 12.

Marshmallow apple pie spice dump cake

o 1 box spice cake mix

o 10 oz bag of mini marshmallows

o 1 can of apple pie filling

o 1 stick of melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350. In a greased 9 x13-in. baking pan spread the can of apple pie filling evenly across bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cake mixture evenly over the pie filling. Shake the pan slightly so the cake mixture spreads evenly over the filling. Pour the melted butter evenly over the cake mix. Some clumping will happen, this is okay, don’t worry about it. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove immediately and sprinkle the mini-marshmallows over the top of the cake. Turn up the oven to broil and place the cake in the oven for no more than 30 to 45 seconds. Watch it closely as it will burn. Remove from the oven immediately and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Chocolate cherry dump cake 

o 1 can cherry pie filling

o 1 can pitted dark sweet cherries

o 1 package chocolate cake mix

o 1 cup chopped pecans

o 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

o 3/4 cup butter or margarine, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9×13-in. baking dish. Dump the cherry pie into the pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spoon the cherries, including juice over the top of the filling. Sprinkle the cake mix over the top of the fruit.  Don’t stir, just shake the pan a bit to make sure the cake is evenly distributed over the fruit. Sprinkle the chopped pecans and chocolate chips over the top. Dot the butter pieces evenly over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Serves 10 to 12.

Salt caramel chocolate dump cake

o 1 small package instant chocolate pudding

o 1 1/2 cups cold milk

o 1 box devil’s food cake mix

o 1 1/2 cups chopped caramels

o coarse sea salt for sprinkling

o 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

o whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13-in. pan and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the chocolate pudding and milk. Mix for 1 minute. Add the cake mix and mix until combined. Spread batter evenly over the bottom of prepared pan (it will be very thick). Sprinkle the chopped caramels over the top and then sprinkle the sea salt (not too much) on top of the caramel. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, just until the edges pull away from sides and a toothpick inserted in the cake portion comes out clean.

Remove cake from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Pour chocolate chips into a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is fully melted. Using a spoon, drizzle chocolate over cooled cake. Serves 10 to 12.