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Anyone can make this Easy Apple Dump Cake for a crowd-friendly fall dessert. It’s perfect for beginner bakers or when you just need something quick to whip up at the last minute.
“Dump Cakes” are a 3-ingredient midwestern classic that are universally loved for their ease and flavor. Traditionally, the base is canned fruit pie filling, which is topped with yellow cake mix and melted butter. It bakes up to be a bubbly, golden mix that’s somewhere in between a cobbler and a cake. I tweaked the process a bit to make it gluten-free friendly, but the assembly is still a breeze! It’s an easy, one-bowl take on a classic that’s just perfect with vanilla ice cream.
It’s also a great use of seasonal apples, especially if you picked up a few too many after apple picking at an orchard. However, this cake would also be great with diced pears instead, or even a combination of the two! Once you see how easy and delicious it is, I have a feeling you’re going to want to make it over and over again.
Ingredients
- Honeycrisp Apples
- Coconut Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Ice Cream, For Serving
Step-by-Step:
step one: preheat the oven and prep the baking dish
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using the butter wrapper, grease a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
step two: make the apple layer
In a medium bowl, add the diced apples, coconut sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine until the apples are evenly coated. Transfer to the pan and spread into an even layer.
step three: make the cake batter
In the same bowl you mixed the apples in, add the cake mix, melted butter, yogurt, and milk. Stir until combined. The batter will be very thick. Using a spoon, dollop the batter all over the fruit, distributing it as evenly as possible.
Step Four: bake the cake
Transfer to the oven and bake on the middle rack for 45 to 50 minutes, until the apples are bubbly on the bottom and the “cake” is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting. Slice into 12 squares.
step five: serve!
Serve warm topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
recipes faqs:
Yes! While I think this cake is best served warm, you can make it up to 24 hours in advance. If you want to reheat it, just cover it with foil and bake at 325°F for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through.
Absolutely! Just swap in your favorite dairy-free butter, yogurt, and nut milk for the cake batter.
Yes! If you do not have this, you can use 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a pinch of both ground ginger and nutmeg.
I hope y’all love this Easy Apple Dump Cake! Comment below and let me know what you think!
looking for more fall sweets? try these!
Easy Apple Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 6 cups peeled and diced Honeycrisp apples, about 3 large apples
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 (21-ounce) box gluten free yellow cake mix, such as King Arthur
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup whole milk (or unsweetened nut milk of your choice)
- vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using the butter wrapper, grease a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the diced apples, coconut sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine until the apples are evenly coated. Transfer to the pan and spread into an even layer.
- In the same bowl you mixed the apples in, add the cake mix, melted butter, yogurt, and milk. Stir until combined. The batter will be very thick. Using a spoon, dollop the batter all over the fruit, distributing it as evenly as possible.
- Transfer to the oven and bake on the middle rack for 45 to 50 minutes, until the apples are bubbly on the bottom and the “cake” is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting. Slice into 12 squares.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
Can you substitute brown sugar for coconut sugar if there is a nut allergy?
Yes, that should work!
Hi, Alex – do you have any make-ahead or storage recommendations for this recipe? Looking forward to making this week!
Let the cake cool completely then cover tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Place in fridge for up to 3 days! Can reheat in microwave or in oven at a low temperature (and covered in foil) for a few minutes.
This was so yummy! Made it last minute for a lunch with friends and it was a crowd favorite. My husband even said it was the best thing I’ve baked! Perfect for the Fall Season!
This was absolutely delicious! I made it just like Alex said, and it turned out perfectly.
Way too sweet for me and a bit artificially flavored. I don’t usually use box mix. The apples are also. heavily spiced.
So sorry to hear this!
So easy and delicious! Used the recommended king Arthur’s cake mix and it baked up perfectly. The only change I made was to use Spicewallas Apple Pie spice instead of pumpkin pie spice (which I highly recommend!). Definitely don’t skip the scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Looks delicious. Is it better to use gluten free cake make over a regular cake mix?
It’s totally a personal preference! This was developed with gluten-free cake mix, but you could definitely use regular cake mix!