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Apple Dump Cake

Apple dump cake with a deeply golden, crispy butter-topped finish and bubbling apple filling. This easy bake layers apple pie filling, dry cake mix, sliced butter, and optional chopped nuts for a warm, spoonable dessert.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple pie filling
  • 2 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
Yellow or spice cake mix
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or spice cake mix
Unsalted butter
  • 1 cup unsalted butter thinly sliced
Pecans or walnuts
  • 0.5 cup pecans or walnuts optional, chopped
Vanilla ice cream
  • 1 vanilla ice cream for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prepare and assemble
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 baking dish. Make sure the oven reaches temperature before baking.
  2. Spread apple pie filling across the bottom of the dish and stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Keep the layer even so the filling bubbles uniformly around the edges.
  3. Dump the dry cake mix evenly over the apple filling and do not stir. Aim for a level, dry top with no gaps in the mix.
  4. Arrange thin slices of unsalted butter in a single layer over the entire surface of the dry cake mix. Cover every inch so the top crisps and browns.
  5. Scatter chopped pecans or walnuts over the top if using. Distribute them lightly for added crunch without clumping.
Bake and serve
  1. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is deeply golden and crispy and the apple filling is bubbling around the edges. Watch for a crisp, browned surface and active bubbling at the perimeter.
  2. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Let the ice cream melt slightly so it soaks into the cake-crumble edges.

Notes

For best crunch, don’t stir after adding the cake mix—leave the butter to melt through as it bakes. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat in short bursts in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended because the topping can soften after thawing. For a lighter option, use low-fat or reduced-calorie butter and a no-sugar-added apple pie filling (texture will still be cake-mix crisp, but slightly less rich).