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Apple Dump Cake

Classic apple dump cake using canned apple pie filling and a delicious spice cake mix! A great cheater dessert that tastes like Autumn!

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Despite its less than enthralling name, dump is an incredibly easy and delicious dessert. Halfway between a cake and a cobbler, this apple dump cake is a fantastic all-purpose, cheater dessert fit for any occasion.

For more similar recipes, why not make a simple Blueberry Cobbler or my Bisquick™ Peach Cobbler Recipe

apple dump cake in a bowl with ice cream on top

Apple Dump Cake

Getting its name from the fact that you, quite literally, dump all of the ingredients together into a pan and bake it, this recipe goes back to the 1980’s (at least!) and is a great dessert to bring to a potluck.

Instead of a traditional cobbler that would use just the filling and then put a doughy flour and butter mixture on top, this recipe uses the convenient hack of a pre-prepared spice cake mix and plenty of grated butter to achieve the desired texture.

It might not be the most traditional way to make a dessert, but it is surely a heck of a lot easier than many others and still incredibly tasty as well.

apple dump cake ingredients

Apple Dump Cake Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts.

• Apple pie filling

• Apple pie spice

• Cinnamon

• Spice cake mix

• Walnuts

• Salted butter

apple dump cake in a white baking pan

How To Make Apple Dump Cake

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the spice cake mix with all of the other spices

• In a 9×13 pan, add the pie filling until it covers the whole bottom of the pan

• Sprinkle the spice cake and spice mixture over the top until it is covered completely

• Grate the cold butter over the top of the cake mix in an even layer

• Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crunchy and the filling is bubbling around the edges

• Remove from the oven, cool slightly, and serve with ice cream

apple dump cake in a bowl with ice cream on top

Why Do You Grate a Bunch of Butter On Top?

This apple dump cake recipe uses a bit of a weird trick of grating a lot of very cold butter over the top of the spice mix, rather than making dough out of butter, sugar, and flour like you normally would for a cobbler.

The reason this works so well is that the butter melts gradually in the oven, mixing slowly with the boxed spice cake mix and spices. This butter then forms its own little irregular patches of crumbly, doughy goodness all over the top of the dump cake.

The butter then begins to brown, caramelizing all of the spices and making this incredible crust on top that is even better than the actual cake filling itself.

apple dump cake ingredients in a white dish

Do You Have To Make This With Apples?

This recipe is definitely focused on apples, but there is no one saying that you absolutely have to only make an apple dump cake.

If you wanted to, you could easily swap out any other kind of fruit you want.

For a simple cherry dump cake, replace the apple pie filling and spices with an equal amount of cherry pie filling, alongside some more appropriate spices, like more allspice and nutmeg, rather than adding extra cinnamon.

You could do peaches or even cranberries – just make sure to try and pair the spices to your chosen fruit to get the best result.

Looking for more delicious Cake recipes? Try these out:

Chocolate Root Beer Soda Cake

Upside Down Apple Cake

Lemon Cherry Crunch Cake

Enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

Don’t forget to PIN THIS RECIPE to your DESSERT RECIPES Board and remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!

Classic apple dump cake using canned apple pie filling and a delicious spice cake mix! A great cheater dessert that tastes like Autumn!

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Apple Dump Cake

Classic apple dump cake using canned apple pie filling and a delicious spice cake mix! A great cheater dessert that tastes like Autumn!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 487kcal

Ingredients 

  • 2 cans Apple Pie Filling
  • 1 tsp Apple Pie Spice
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 box Spice Cake Mix
  • 1/4 cup Walnuts chopped
  • 3/4 cup salted butter cold

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the spice cake mix with the other spices (cinnamon and apple pie spice), mixing well.
  • In a 9×13 pan, add the pie filling until it covers the whole bottom of the pan. Now, carefully sprinkle the spice cake / spices mixture over the top, until it is covered completely.
  • Grate the butter over the top of the cake mix in an even layer.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and crunchy and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Remove, cool slightly and then serve warm, with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

  • this is a basic dump cake recipe, you can mix and match for different cake flavors! 

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @TheKitchenMagpie or tag #thekitchenmagpie!

Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

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  1. Barbara says

    Could u use fresh apples instead of canned ? How many would u use . Thank u

    • Jeffrey M DValentine says

      Absolutely Barbara! layer about 4 cups of chopped apples on the bottom. Add cinnamon & sugar (or put the apples in a gallon size bag add cinnamon & sugar and shake and then place on the bottom). Add the cake mix., then drizzle 3/4 cup of melted butter on top and bake

  2. Jackie says

    Hi. Can this be dumped in a crock pot? If so, on what temp and for how long?

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