Apple Dump Cake

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.

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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.

5 from 7 votes

Apple Dump Cake

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Apple Dump Cake is probably the easiest sweet treat to make of all time.  Just six total ingredients and a few effortless steps and dessert is served!

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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.

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Apple Dump Cake

Servings: 8

Author: Amanda Rettke

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