When our test kitchen pros stumble upon a viral recipe, they just have to give it a try. Recently, an all-but-forgotten dump cake from the ’90s has been making the rounds on social media. It’s called Magic Cake, and you don’t even need to cast a spell—or have any baking skills—to make it.
Kendra Myler (aka @mommymyler) recently shared a video of her ’90s Magic Cake recipe to TikTok, where it amassed over 7.5 million views in just a few weeks. Like this holiday dessert dip or the super-popular Trader Joe’s Lobster Pasta, it was one of those viral recipes that immediately had everyone talking—or rather, commenting. So naturally, we had to weigh in.
Allrecipes Culinary Producer Nicole McLaughlin gave the recipe a go in her handy 9×13 casserole dish. Like a classic dump cake, this Magic Cake is made by layering simple store-bought ingredients then baking—no mixing needed. It’s made with mini marshmallows, strawberry Jell-O, yellow cake mix, and frozen strawberries—and has total “strawberry shortcake vibes” according to McLaughlin. Sounds heavenly! Here’s how to magic the viral Magic Cake at home.
How To Make the Viral ’90s Magic Cake
This no-recipe “recipe” is simple. After preheating your oven to 350 degrees F, grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Then add the first layer of mini marshmallows to the bottom of the dish. McLaughlin used almost a whole bag of mini marshmallows, but use as many as needed to create an even layer at bottom of your baking dish.
Then, prepare a box of yellow cake mix according to package directions. Slowly pour the cake batter on top of the marshmallows, carefully spreading the mixture to cover them. Do not mix the batter and the marshmallows—the layers should be distinct.
Open your pack of Jell-O mix and sprinkle it evenly atop the cake mix. Try to get a little bit in every area of the pan, but again, do not mix the powder into the cake. When the cake mix is sufficiently covered, grab a bag of frozen strawberries and cover the top with as many as will fit. McLaughlin used about 3 cups of fruit to cover the 9×13 dish.
Peyton Beckwith/Allrecipes
When your cake is all layered and ready to go, pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. The oven is where the real magic happens. While baking, the cake essentially inverts. The marshmallows float up from the bottom, dotting the top of the baked cake, and the Jell-O and frozen strawberries sink to the bottom, creating a classic fruit dump cake look. Et voilà—you have a magic cake on your hands!
Upon trying the cake, McLaughlin said it’s worth the hype and “really good.” And while she has no recollection of the recipe from the ’90s, she is totally here for a comeback. “It is kind of magical,” joked McLaughlin.
If you make this viral Magic Cake, feel free to get experimental. Commenters on TikTok suggested swapping in lemon Jell-O mix and frozen blueberries, using strawberry cake mix, frozen cherries, and many other combinations to get the fruity Magic Cake of their dreams. So let your imagination run wild, and make some magic happen in your oven.
