Caramel Apple Dump Cake

This Caramel Apple Dump Cake is the easiest fall dessert ever – just layer 4 basic ingredients into a cake pan (only 5mins prep time!) and bake it. Serve with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle with caramel topping for an extra treat!

I’m going to say it: Baking from scratch can be such a hassle with a million different ingredients to be measured out. Like I said in my Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread – it just isn’t happening for me these days.

Baking desserts can also be quite expensive, but a dump cake is the perfect solution for both dilemmas: It’s ready for the oven in just 5 minutes without measuring out a single spice. And it’s incredibly budget-friendly, especially if you’re buying store brand ingredients or make use of a good sale.

Ingredients you’ll need

This is just an overview, for the exact amounts scroll down to the recipe card.

Ingredient notes

• Apple pie filling: I actually used home-canned from our own apple trees and put it into two empty cans for the photo 😂 You can use any store-bought filling or homemade filling and the cake will work perfectly fine.
• Cake mix: Use any boxed cake mix that goes well with fall flavors – spice cake, white or yellow all work.
• Butter or margarine: If you’re using margarine to save money, make sure to use stick margarine and not margarine spread. Stick margarine is meant for baking and works much better.
• Caramel topping: I just used a basic bottled caramel ice cream topping my store carries. I don’t use too much, because the cake gets too sweet for my taste – but feel free to double or triple the amount for a more intense caramel flavor.

Step by step photos

This recipe is so ridiculously easy: You just place the apple pie filling in a greased 9×13 inch pan and swirl through the caramel topping. Try to get the apples to lay as evenly as possible – else you’ll have trouble with spots of dry cake mix.

Then, sprinkle the cake mix over the apples. Again, try to get it as even as possible.

Finally drizzle the melted butter or margarine over the cake mix – you don’t have to entirely cover it, it will bubble up and over to catch all of the cake mix as it bakes.

Then just place the pan in the hot oven at 350°F and bake until golden. This will take around 35-40 minutes – make sure to check often towards the end of the baking time to avoid a burnt top.

Recipe tips

• Dry patches of cake mix: This is a common issue with dump cakes, but I’ve got a great solution! Check the cake after 25 minutes of baking time – if you still see spots of raw cake mix, you’ll want to quickly remove the cake from the oven, carefully drizzle/brush a tablespoon of oil over the dry patches and quickly return the cake back to the oven. Finish baking for 10-15 minutes, and you won’t have any dry cake mix ruining your cake.
• Variations: Instead of the caramel sauce, you can also add 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries to the apple pie filling. Sometimes I sprinkle chopped pecans over the top as well!

Serving tips

I recommend letting the cake cool down for 10-15 minutes before serving it warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

My kids always drizzle more caramel topping over their servings as well, but I find it quite sweet enough without 😉

Storage tips

Leftovers keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days. Just cover the pan with a clean tea towel and leave it on the counter. You can also refrigerate the leftover cake for up to 4 days (wrap it with cling film first). Warm individual servings in bursts in the microwave.

Leftovers keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days. Just cover the pan with a clean tea towel and leave it on the counter. You can also refrigerate the leftover cake for up to 4 days (wrap it with cling film first). Warm individual servings in bursts in the microwave.

Watch the recipe video

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