Apple Dump Cake 🍎🍏 is the easiest apple cake you’ll ever make because you don’t even need to stir it! Just dump cinnamon-sugar coated apples and cake mix into a pan, pour melted butter over the top, and bake this 5-ingredient dessert. This ultra simple apple dessert reminds me of apple cobbler minus the work. It’s the perfect way to enjoy fall apples! 🍁
Easy Apple Dump Cake Recipe
- Dump cakes by their nature are easy, one-bowl, no-mixer specials! Toss the apples with sugar and spices in your mixing bowl, sprinkle on the cake mix, drizzle with butter, and let the oven do the rest. You’re never going to find an easier apple cake than this one! In terms of ease, this Crustless Apple Pie is also so simple!
- 5 key ingredients. I love it when the ingredients list is very brief and this apple dessert recipe is as brief as it gets with just five key ingredients, and one of them is cake mix.
- Holiday dessert made simple. I have a couple apple pie recipes, including this Caramel Apple Crumble Pie and this Classic Apple Pie that are fall favorites for Thanksgiving but if you’re tasked with making or bringing a Thanksgiving dessert, this is a cinch.
- Add some extras. Diced pecans or walnuts sprinkled on before baking will add crunch and the jury’s out on if nuts belong in desserts – or not. But I can tell you that my homemade salted caramel sauce always makes its way on top along with some vanilla ice cream or whipped topping. Any store bought caramel sauce works just fine.
Ingredients in Apple Dump Cake
- Apples: You’ll need to peel, core, and slice fresh apples for this easy apple dessert. Honeycrisp apples make a sweeter cake, while Granny Smith gives it a more tart apple flavor. Other firm red apples such as Braeburn, Gala, or Fiji also work.
- Light brown sugar: Use a little more with tart apples and a little less with naturally sweeter red apples. It melts into the fruit and creates a syrupy filling as the cake bakes. At most, I use about 1/2 cup.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: These warming spices give the apples classic fall flavor. If you want to use pumpkin pie spice, it’s a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves most notably and would be a nice twist, as would apple pie spice.
- Yellow cake mix: You do need to use it and so if it’s not available in your area or you don’t like to use cake mix, this isn’t the recipe for you. Make this Apple Cobbler instead. Cake mixes vary from brand to brand in terms of the exact number of ounces per box, but popular brands like Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, or Pillsbury are all fine. You can also use spice cake mix or even white cake mix in a pinch.
- Unsalted butter: Melt the butter and drizzle it as evenly as possible. Don’t sub with oil here, use real butter.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make a Caramel Apple Dump Cake
- Preheat the oven and toss the sliced apples with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and evenly scatter them in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the apples without stirring.
- Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top. Tip: Don’t Stir It! The dry cake mix and melted butter need to stay undisturbed because it’s what creates the craggy, crispy top rather than a soft cake batter.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Serve after slightly cooled with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, whipped cream, salted caramel sauce for a caramel apple dump cake, or serve as desired.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
easy Dump and Poke cakes
Apple Dump Cake
🍎🍏 The easiest apple cake you'll ever make because you don't even need to stir it! Just dump cinnamon-sugar coated apples and cake mix into a pan, pour melted butter over the top, and bake this 5-ingredient dessert. This ultra simple apple dessert reminds me of apple cobbler minus the work. It's the perfect way to enjoy fall apples! 🍁
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into thin wedges (about 5–6 medium apples; Granny Smith and green apples will create a more tart dessert; use Honeycrisp, Gala, Braeburn, or other firm red apples for a bit sweeter dessert; mix and match apples as desired)
- ⅓ to ½ cup light brown sugar, packed(depending on apple variety and desired sweetness)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix, or similar sized cake mix (spice cake cake mix may be substituted)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted (2 sticks)
- Vanilla ice cream, optional and for serving
- Whipped topping or whipped cream, optional and for serving
- Salted caramel sauce or caramel sauce, optional and for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.Baking Pan Tips – You can use either glass or metal but the cake will cook quicker in metal and be more prone to getting darker so keep an eye on it sooner rather than later. Glass heats through more slowly so your baking time will likely be longer than if you had baked it in a metal pan.
- To a large bowl, add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and toss to combine.Spice Tips – If desired, you can add a bit of allspice, ground ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or your favorite warming spice(s).
- Evenly scatter the apples over the baking pan.Tip – If you'd like to add nuts, adding about 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans now is fine. Scatter them evenly over the apples.
- Evenly sprinkle the dry cake mix over the apples; do not stir or mix. Just sprinkle it as evenly as you can, and pat it lightly with your fingers.
- Melt the butter in a 2-cup glass measuring cup or similar sized small bowl in the microwave (cover the top with paper towel or plasticwrap so it doesn't splatter).
- Evenly drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix, making sure to go slowly and moisten as much of the dry cake mix with the butter as possible, making sure not to neglect the corners and sides. Tip – Don’t mix the butter and cake mix. Letting the butter soak into the cake mix creates the crispy topping.
- Bake uncovered for about 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are set and bubbly, and the top is as golden browned as desired. Rotate pan once midway through baking to ensure even browning. Baking Tips – Since all climates, ovens, and cake pans (exact size, material, and thickness) vary a bit, so will baking time. Make sure to keep an eye on it starting at about 30 minutes especially if baking in a metal pan. This cake is going to be gooey underneath the top layer which should be crisped and golden but a toothpick test won't really work; go by how it looks on top and if it's set, bubbly, and golden.
- Allow the cake to cool sufficiently so you don't burn yourself, and then serve it warm.
- Optionally, but recommended, serve with ice cream, whipped topping or whipped cream, and salted caramel sauce or your favorite ice cream sundae sauce.
Notes
Storage: Leftovers will keep airtight for up to 3-4 days. If I’m only have a bit left and will consume it within 24 hours, I keep it airtight on the countertop. However, for longer durations, store airtight in the fridge. I like to zap it for 10-20 seconds in the microwave or just long enough to warm it slightly.
Note that both covering the pan and storing this cake (either at room temp or in the fridge) will cause the topping to turn softer rather than staying crisp. It’s just what happens with leftovers. You could technically pop it into a 300F oven to crisp it up but not sure it’s really worth the effort.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 487cal, Carbohydrates: 67g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 400mg, Potassium: 146mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 42g, Vitamin A: 761IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 137mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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