Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

Save Recipe

Print

The Easiest Apple Dump Cake

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

  • Author: Kylie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2.5 sticks (1.25 cups) butter + more for greasing pan
  • 2 (21-ounce) cans apple pie filling
  • 1/2 cup caramel sauce + more for drizzling
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 15.25-ounce box yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

  1. BROWN BUTTER. Cut butter into slices and add to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until it’s golden brown and smells nutty. Let cool on the counter while you prep the rest of the ingredients. 
  2. HEAT OVEN. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 white baking dish with butter.
  3. APPLES. Add apple pie filling, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and caramel sauce to the prepared dish and mix until well combined.
  4. CAKE MIX. Sprinkle cake mix over the apples. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread it in an even layer. 
  5. BUTTER. Drizzle browned butter over the cake mix, covering as much surface area as possible.
  6. PECANS. Combine pecans, brown sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar pecan mixture over the butter in an even layer.
  7. BAKE. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the cake is set and golden brown and the edges are bubbly. 
  8. REST + SERVE. Let cake rest for about 5-10 minutes. The longer it sits, the more it will set up. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. Enjoy!
  9. SHARE THE LOVE. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

    • Keep an eye on the brown butter. Once it starts foaming and you see little brown bits on the bottom of the pan, it’s almost there. A light-colored saucepan makes it way easier to see the color change (compared to a non-stick or stainless steel pan).

    • Scrape in those brown bits. All those toasty little specks at the bottom of the pan are pure flavor, so make sure they go into the dish with the butter.

    • Don’t stir the layers. It feels wrong, I know! But the magic of dump cake is in the layers. Mix the apples right in the pan, and after that, no more stirring.

    • Cover as much cake mix as you can with butter. Any spots that don’t get butter can stay dry and powdery after baking. Drizzle slowly and work your way around the whole pan, especially the corners. The pecan topping helps cover any small spots that didn’t get butter.

    • Trust the long bake time. This one bakes a little longer than a typical dump cake because of the extra butter and the pecan topping. You’re looking for a golden, set top and bubbly edges all the way around.

    • Your pan matters. I tested this in a ceramic baking dish. If you’re using a metal pan, start checking it 10 to 15 minutes early since metal bakes faster.

    • Give it a few minutes to rest. It might be saucy (and hot inside!) straight from the oven. The longer it sits, the more it sets up, so if you like cleaner scoops, give it a little extra time.

    • Make it your own. Walnuts work great in place of pecans, and a box of spice cake mix makes it even more cozy and fall-ish. Skip the caramel if you don’t have any. Or just use melted butter instead of brown butter if you’re in a rush. Use this recipe as a blueprint and add your own personal touch!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/12 of the cake
  • Calories: 511
  • Sugar: 42.5 g
  • Sodium: 290.6 mg
  • Fat: 28.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 66.8 g
  • Fiber: 2.2 g
  • Protein: 2.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 50.6 mg

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/apple-dump-cake/