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Apple Dump Cake (Easy 9×13 Recipe With Pie Filling)
This apple dump cake is one of the easiest fall desserts you can make: cinnamon-spiced apple pie filling on the bottom, dry yellow cake mix on top, and thin slices of butter that bake into a golden, crisp, cobbler-like crust. There’s no mixing bowl and no mixer, just one 9×13 pan and about 10 minutes of work. It tastes like a cross between apple crisp and apple cobbler, and it’s best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Below you’ll find the ingredients, step-by-step instructions, how to make it with fresh apples instead of canned filling, my tips for avoiding dry spots, and storage. The printable recipe card is at the bottom.
Ingredients for Apple Dump Cake
- Apple pie filling, 2 cans (21 oz / 595 g each). It brings the fruit, sugar and thickener in one step.
- Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon, plus ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional).
- Yellow cake mix, 1 box (15.25 oz / 432 g). Use only the dry mix, not the eggs, oil or water on the box. Spice cake mix and white cake mix also work.
- Unsalted butter, ¾ cup (1½ sticks / 170 g), cold and thinly sliced.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts, ½ cup (55 g), optional, for crunch.
- Light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons, optional, sprinkled on top for extra caramelization.
How to Make Apple Dump Cake (Step by Step)
1. Heat the oven and prepare the pan
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish.
2. Add the apple layer
Spread both cans of apple pie filling in the dish. Cut any very large apple slices in half with a knife right in the pan, then sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg over the fruit and stir gently to spread the spice.
3. Cover with cake mix
Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the apples, breaking up any lumps with your fingers, and gently level it with the back of a spoon. Don’t stir it in. Scatter the pecans on top if you’re using them.
4. Top with butter
Slice the cold butter about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick and arrange the slices over the whole surface, as close together as you can. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, if using.
5. Bake
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges. If you see any dry, powdery patches after 30 minutes, dot them with a little more butter.
6. Rest and serve
Let it cool for at least 15 minutes. The filling is very hot straight from the oven and thickens as it rests. Scoop it into bowls and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Chef Emma’s Tips for the Best Apple Dump Cake
- Cover every bit of cake mix with butter. Uncovered mix bakes into dry, floury spots. Thin, overlapping slices of cold butter give the most even crust; melted butter works but tends to run into channels.
- Don’t stir. The layers are the whole point: syrupy fruit below, crisp topping above.
- Add a pinch of salt. A pinch of salt sprinkled over the fruit balances the sweetness of the filling and cake mix.
- Use a sheet pan underneath. A full 9×13 can bubble over; a rimmed sheet pan on the rack below saves your oven.
- Don’t taste the dry mix. Cake mix contains raw flour, which needs to be baked before eating; see the FDA’s advice on handling flour safely.
How to Make It With Fresh Apples
No pie filling? Use about 6 cups (2 lb / 900 g) of peeled, thinly sliced apples, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or a mix. Toss them in the baking dish with ½ cup (100 g) packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon and a pinch of salt, then add ¼ cup (60 ml) water. Top with the cake mix and butter as above and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife and the juices are thick and bubbling.
Variations
- Caramel apple: drizzle ½ cup caramel sauce over the apples before adding the cake mix, and more over each serving.
- Apple cranberry: stir 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries into the apple layer for a tart holiday version.
- Spice cake: use spice cake mix and skip the extra nutmeg.
- Smaller batch: halve everything and bake in an 8×8-inch (20 cm) pan for 40 to 45 minutes.
Love easy layered desserts? Try our chocolate dump cake, the pumpkin dump cake for fall, or a from-scratch pineapple upside-down cake.
Best Apples for the Fresh Apple Version
- Granny Smith: tart and firm; holds its shape and balances the sweet topping.
- Honeycrisp: sweet-tart and juicy, with slices that stay tender but not mushy.
- Braeburn or Jonagold: well balanced and great in baking.
- A mix: half tart and half sweet apples gives the most interesting flavor.
Avoid soft eating apples such as Red Delicious, which turn mealy in the oven. Slice the apples about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick so they cook through in the same time the topping takes to brown.
Dump Cake vs Cobbler vs Crisp
All three put fruit under a baked topping, but the topping is different. A cobbler has a biscuit or batter topping dropped over the fruit. A crisp has a streusel of flour, butter, sugar and often oats rubbed together by hand. A dump cake is the shortcut: dry cake mix and butter bake into a crunchy, buttery layer with soft cake underneath, with no mixing at all. If you want the dump cake flavor with a crunchier top, sprinkle ½ cup old-fashioned oats over the cake mix before adding the butter.
Making Apple Dump Cake for a Crowd
For a party, you can bake it up to 4 hours ahead and leave it at room temperature, loosely covered, then rewarm it at 325°F (165°C) for 15 minutes before serving. For a bigger group, bake two pans side by side on the same rack, rotating them halfway through, and add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time. A 9×13 pan serves 12 modest scoops, or 8 generous ones with ice cream.
How to Store and Reheat
- Refrigerate leftovers covered and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat single servings in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or warm the pan, covered with foil, at 325°F (165°C) for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Freeze cooled portions in airtight containers for up to 2 to 3 months. The topping softens a little after freezing, but the flavor stays great.
Apple Dump Cake FAQs
Do you mix a dump cake?
No. Each ingredient is layered in the pan. Stirring turns the cake mix into a gummy paste instead of a crisp topping.
Why is my dump cake dry on top?
Some of the cake mix wasn’t covered with butter. Make sure the slices cover the whole surface, and dot any dry spots with extra butter partway through baking.
Can I use melted butter?
Yes. Drizzle ¾ cup melted butter slowly and evenly over the whole surface. Sliced cold butter gives a slightly crisper, more even top.
Can I make apple dump cake in a slow cooker?
Yes. Layer it the same way in a greased 6-quart slow cooker and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours or LOW for 3½ to 4 hours, until the topping is set. Lay a clean towel under the lid to catch condensation.
What can I serve with apple dump cake?
Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, or a cup of coffee.
Apple Dump Cake Recipe Card
Calories are an estimate per serving (1/12 of the pan, with pecans, without ice cream) based on USDA FoodData Central values. Find more easy desserts in our cake recipes.
Apple Dump Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch dish.
- Spread the apple pie filling in the dish, cut any large slices, and sprinkle with the cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the apples without stirring, then add the pecans.
- Cover the surface with thin slices of cold butter and sprinkle with brown sugar if using.
- Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until deep golden and bubbling at the edges.
- Cool at least 15 minutes and serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
