This apple dump cake layers apple pie filling under a cinnamon-sugar cake mix topping and thin slices of butter. Five pantry ingredients, no mixer, and it bakes up golden and bubbly in about 40 minutes.

I adapted this apple cake recipe from my classic dump cake recipe and added seasonal ingredients for the best fall flavor.

Easy apple dump cake recipe with whipped cream served on a on a white plate.

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Key Takeaways: Apple Dump Cake

  • Flavor and texture: Warm cinnamon-spiced apples stay soft and jammy underneath while the cake mix bakes into a crisp golden crust on top.
  • Method: No mixer and no peeling. Stir three dry ingredients together, dump everything in the pan, and let the oven do the work.
  • Easy cake mix recipe: Five pantry staples, starting with a can of apple pie filling and a box of yellow cake mix.
  • Also works in: A crockpot on low for 3 to 4 hours, or a Dutch oven over coals if you’re camping.

Why I Love This Recipe

When I want apple pie flavor without the work, this is what I make. There’s no crust to roll and no apples to peel, so it comes together in a fraction of the time and the buttery cake mix topping bakes up more like an apple cobbler than a pie.

I usually grab canned filling, but a jar of my homemade apple pie filling makes it taste like you spent all afternoon on it.

This is my fall version. All summer I make the same thing with peaches in my peach dump cake, and the blueberry dump cake is the one I bring to potlucks because it feeds a crowd out of one pan.

XO - Jamielyn

Ingredient Notes

Apple dump cake ingredients including apple pie filling, butter, cake mix and cinnamon.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Apple pie filling: I love the ease of using the premade apple filling, whether it’s canned apple pie filling or homemade.
  • Yellow cake mix: The cake mix is a super easy way to skip mixing a lot of ingredients.
  • Brown sugar: Just a little extra sweetness to play off the apples.
  • Cinnamon: This spice warms up any fall dessert.
  • Butter: I like using salted as it enhances the flavors, and the butter gives the cake mix the liquid it needs to bake.

Variations

Don’t stop at this apple cinnamon dump cake, try these other dump cake desserts, too! You really can’t go wrong with a can of pie filling and cake mix.

How to Make Apple Dump Cake

Yellow cake mix, brown sugar and cinnamon in a glass bowl before stirring together.

Step 1: Start by stirring the dry cake mix, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. It takes about ten seconds and it’s the one step people skip, but mixing the cinnamon sugar through the dry mix first is what keeps you from getting one cinnamon-heavy corner and three bland ones.

Canned apple pie filling spread in the bottom of a white 9x9-inch baking dish.

Step 2: Pour the whole can of apple pie filling into a 9×9-inch dish and spread it to the corners. Nothing needs to be drained, the syrup in the can is part of what cooks into the bottom layer.

Thin pats of butter spaced evenly across the cake mix topping before baking.

Step 3: Sprinkle the cake mix mixture evenly over the apples in a thin, even layer. Then slice your butter into thin pats and lay them across the top in a grid, close enough that they nearly touch. You want somewhere around twenty pieces across a 9×9 pan. This is the whole recipe. Every bare patch of cake mix is a spot that will come out powdery, so take the extra minute here and cover the surface.

Baked apple dump cake in a white dish with a golden brown cinnamon cake topping.

Step 4: Bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes. You’re looking for a top that’s golden brown all over with the apple filling bubbling up around the edges. If you pull it out and spot a dry, floury patch, melt a tablespoon of butter, drizzle it over that spot and give it another five minutes in the oven.

Easy apple dump cake in a white baking dish showing the golden cake mix topping.

Baking Tips

  • Pan size changes the texture. A 9×9 gives you a thick, cobbler-style dessert. A 9×13 works too, it just spreads thinner and the topping-to-apple ratio shifts toward the crust.
  • Melted butter is the shortcut. If you don’t want to slice pats, melt the butter and drizzle it evenly over the cake mix instead. You lose a little of the craggy texture on top but you’ll never get a dry spot.
  • Don’t stir it. It’s tempting to mix the layers together before baking. Don’t. The whole thing depends on the dry mix sitting on top of the wet filling.
  • Let it rest before serving. Give it 15 to 20 minutes out of the oven. Straight from the pan it’s soupy, and it thickens up as it cools.
  • Add nuts for crunch. A quarter cup of chopped pecans over the butter before baking toasts as it bakes. Candied pecans work too if you want them sweeter.

Topping Ideas

Apple Dump Cake FAQs

Can I make crockpot apple dump cake?

This recipe can easily be made in your slow cooker as well. Pour the apple filling into the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle the cake mixture on top and then add the butter slices. Cook on low heat for 3 to 4 hours (or on high heat for 2 to 3 hours).

Can I use fresh apples instead of canned?

Absolutely! Simply replace the canned apples with 3 apples that have been peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes and mixed with 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. 

Does apple dump cake need to be refrigerated?

While this dessert tastes best fresh from the oven, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Just cool completely, cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container before storing the fridge.

Can I use a different flavor cake mix?

While yellow cake mix is the preferred option, white cake mix or spice cake mix could work! Use gluten-free if needed.

Close up photo of apple dump cake topped with whipped cream on a white plate.

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Love apple recipes? You’ll also love these apple pie cupcakes recipe, Dutch apple pie and apple turnovers.

More Easy Apple Desserts

Apple dump cake on a white plate.

Apple Dump Cake

4.96 from 45 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12
This apple dump cake takes 5 minutes to assemble with apple pie filling, yellow cake mix, cinnamon sugar and sliced butter. It bakes into a golden, buttery fall dessert!
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Ingredients 

  • 1 (28-ounce) can apple pie filling
  • 1 (18-ounce) yellow cake mix
  • 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 10-12 Tablespoons salted butter , thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans , optional

For serving: Vanilla ice cream or Whipped cream, Caramel sauce

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
  • Add pie filling to dish. Pour the 28 ounce can of apple pie filling onto the bottom of a 9×9-inch pan. You could also use a 9×13-inch pan if you don't want it as thick.
  • Add cake mix and butter. In a medium bowl, stir together the boxed cake mix, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the apples. Slice 10 Tablespoons of butter into thin pats, then cut each one in half so you end up with about 20 pieces. Lay them across the top in a grid, close enough that they nearly touch. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped pecans, if desired.
  • Bake. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. 
  • Serve. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Using fresh apples: You can use fresh apples. Peel and core 3 apples. Then cut into 1/2″ cubes. Mix with 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. 
Crockpot method: Pour the fruit in the bottom of the crockpot. Dump the cake mix on top and add the sliced butter. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. If the pot is oven-safe you could broil a few minutes to brown the top.
Dutch oven method for camping: Line the pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Add the fruit filling, then pour the cake mix on top and then the sliced butter. Cover with lid and cook on hot coals for about 30 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 416mg, Potassium: 65mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 309IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.