Apple Dump Cake is a 6-ingredient dessert made with canned apple pie filling, yellow cake mix, cold butter, and warm spices. It takes 5 minutes to assemble and bakes in about 1 hour, until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling. It is for nights when you want cobbler energy without peeling apples.
Dump cakes are the recipes I reach for when dinner already took the whole evening. You really do dump the filling in the pan, sprinkle the mix, add butter, and walk away. No mixer. No crust. No “is this cobbler or crisp?” debate while you stand at the counter. This one stays simple on purpose. If you want a from-scratch apple dessert, make my Apple Crisp. If you want caramel in the pan, make my Caramel Apple Dump Cake. This is the weeknight version.
Why this recipe works
- The same formula works in a slow cooker when the oven is full.
- The cake mix stays dry on top so it bakes into a crumble instead of a wet batter.
- Cold butter pats melt as they bake and soak the mix in spots, which gives you golden edges and a cobbler-like middle.
- Apple pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg go in the dry mix, so the topping tastes like apple dessert, not plain yellow cake.
- One can of pie filling is enough fruit for a 12-inch skillet or a 9×13.
Can you Make Crockpot Apple Dump Cake?
Yes. Use the same ingredients. Grease the slow cooker. Add filling, then cake mix, then butter. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. The topping will be softer than the oven version. Leave the lid off the last 20 minutes if you want it less wet.
Tips for success
- Serve warm. The topping firms as it cools.
- Do not stir the layers together. Mixing turns it into a dense cake.
- Cover the filling completely with dry mix.
- Space the butter. Bare spots stay powdery.
- Bake until you see bubbling, not just color.
Variations
- Caramel: drizzle caramel sauce over servings, or make Caramel Apple Dump Cake.
- Nuts: sprinkle chopped pecans over the cake mix before the butter.
- Extra crumble: a spoonful of brown sugar on the filling before the mix.
- Melted-butter method: some bakers mix melted butter into the dry mix and crumble it on. That is not this tested method. It works, but it is a different texture.
- Other dump cakes: Cherry, Peach, Blueberry, Strawberry.
How to store Apple Dump Cake
Cool, then cover and refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat scoops in the microwave or a 325°F oven until warm. The topping softens in the fridge.
Freeze cooled portions up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat in the oven so the top dries a little.
Apple Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
- 1/2 cup butter, cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, apple pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.
- In an oven-safe 12-inch skillet (you could also use 9×9-inch pan like in my images), add the apple pie filling and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cake mixture over the top, being careful to cover all of the pie filling.
- Slice the butter into small pads (about 16) and spread them out evenly over the top of the cake mixture.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the topping is golden brown and the pie filling is bubbling.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I just made the Apple Dump Cake. I had to change (of course) the cake mix so I didn’t have to drive to town. I had a carrot cake mix so I didn’t add the extra spices. OMG! My sweet hubby got his two favourite flavours in one pan. It was beyond delicious. Thank you so much for such an easy recipe; we love making so many of your creations.
Followed instructions but cake topping was very firm after an hour. I would have liked more of a crumble or soft cake texture with firm parts here and there. Loved the simplicity of the recipe, maybe just should have shortened the cook time?
This turned out really well. I did add a little brown sugar to the top of the pie filling along with a few extra pats of butter. The top resembled a crumble topping.
I melted the butter and added it to the cake mix, then crumbled it over the apple filling. Delicous is all I can say!
Can you add chopped pecans to the apple filling?