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Apple Dump Cake is a sweet and savory warm apple dessert that is pure goodness! Easy to dump all ingredients together and enjoy an irresistible fall treat.

Apples are in season and these desserts are delicious! For more apple favorites, try this Caramel Apple Slab Pie, Apple Skillet Cake or Old Fashioned Apple Cobbler.

Apple dump cake on a plate with a fork.

Easy Apple Dump Cake

Fall is upon us and apples are falling from trees. This favorite apple dump cake is perfect to enjoy this fall. It is simple to combine all the ingredients and bake. Easy recipe that only has five ingredients. Warm delicious dessert is a family favorite and can feed a crowd!

Gooey apple fruit filling satisfies every sweet tooth out there. Make this with fresh or canned apples this fall season. Add an extra touch by adding toppings or having a few variations with fruit mixtures.

What is the Difference Between a Dump Cake and a Cobbler?

A dump cake is very similar to cobbler dessert. They both have baked fruit dessert topping with a type of crust. Fruit is the main ingredient that can be fresh, frozen or canned and baked in a baking pan all together. Cobblers have more of a crumb topping compared to a dump cake.

Dump cake is a cake with a cake box mixture in the ingredients. Both are a favorite fall dessert and can be made year round. Dutch oven, slow cooker or baked are a few ways that a cobbler is cooked whereas a dump cake is usually cake like and baked in the oven.

Apple Cake Ingredients:

Only five ingredients that are easy to have on hand makes this a simple cake recipe that is heavenly! Sweet and savory in every bite topped with vanilla ice cream or caramel to enhance the dessert even more.

  • Apple Fruit Filling: Pick your favorite cans of apple filling or peel fresh apples.
  • Yellow Cake Mix: Box yellow cake mix is perfect to
  • Cinnamon: Added for flavor and a hint of spice.
  • Pecans: Chopped and mixed together.
  • Butter: This is placed on top of the crust while being baked.

How to Make a Dump Cake from Scratch:

Simply combine the ingredients together and bake until golden brown. This is a perfect dessert to share with friends and family. It is ooey and gooey right out of the oven and ready to be served right away!

  1. Prepare Baking Pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan and place apples evenly into the bottom.
  2. Combine Ingredients: In a medium sized bowl combine the cake mix, cinnamon and chopped pecans. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake.
  3. Bake Dump Cake: Add the cubed butter to the top of the cake.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

The process of making apple dump cake.

Add a Topping to the Apple Dump Cake:

This apple dump cake is perfect by itself of add a few fun and delicious toppings to. Some favorites that we have enjoyed are homemade salted caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream or keeping it simple with whipped cream. Garnish with a few more pecans and your apple dump cake dessert is ready to WOW your friends and family!

Baked apple dump cake in a baking pan with a slice taken out.

Tips and Variations:

You can’t go wrong with this delicious dump cake recipe. It is a Tried and True favorite and loved by all. My kids beg for this recipe every fall season and we love to enjoy it as the temperatures are cooling down and we can warm up to a fresh tasting apple dessert!

  • Cake Mix: Enjoy spice cake mix for a fall/halloween dessert recipe.
  • Fresh Apples: For a different texture and taste use fresh apples that are peeled and sliced for adding to the baking pan.
  • Best Apples: Gala, honey crisp, granny apple or a mixture of all.
  • Spread the Cake: Be sure to evenly spread the cake batter in the cake pan so that the cake bakes evenly.
  • Clumps while Baking: If you have clumps in the cake mix carefully shake and more the cake pan around until it appears more even. Using a fork also helps break up the clumps.

Storing Apple Dump Cake Recipe:

I will be shocked if you have any apple dump cake left overs! If you do, you are in luck because it does store very well to enjoy for another day.

  • Room Temperature: Simply leave the cooked dump cake on the counter for 1 to 2 days long. Warm up using the microwave or oven to reheat.
  • Refrigerate: Place the leftover apple dump cake in a dish and place in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days long. When ready to warm up use a microwave or bake tin the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Freeze: It is best not to freezer this apple cake recipe. Cakes are harder to freeze and this cake tends to fall apart and become crumbly after it has been sitting in the freezer.

Apple dump cake on a white plate with a fork on the side. Topped with ice cream.

More Delicious Apple Recipes:

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Apple Dump Cake

3.75 from 4 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
Apple Dump Cake is a sweet and savory warm apple dessert that is pure goodness! Easy to dump all ingredients together and enjoy an irresistible fall treat. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 Slices

Ingredients 

  • 2 cans Apple fruit filling
  • 1 box Yellow cake mix
  • 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Pecans chopped
  • 1 cup Butter cubed

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and place apples evenly into the bottom.
  • In a medium sized bowl combine the cake mix, cinnamon and chopped pecans. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake.
  • Add the cubed butter to the top of the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Nutrition

Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 449mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 473IUCalcium: 102mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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6 Comments

  1. 1 star
    This cake turned out so lousy….the top did not bake with the bottom and stayed on top. So I just mixed it all together and put it back in the oven for about 15 minutes more. I believe the cake mix should have been on the bottom of the pan and the rest of the ingredients on the top of the cake. Put the butter melted into the cake.

  2. 5 stars
    For the Peach dump cake recipe, when using fresh peaches the tip suggested making a simple syrup from sugar/water. This recipe omits that suggestion for fresh apples. Is that correct? Oh well, we are going to find out.

  3. I love this recipe! This time I used a spice cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix and it was wonderful. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!