Dump cake is exactly what it sounds like. You dump ingredients into a pan and bake. No mixing. No creaming butter. No worrying about overmixing or undermixing. Just layers that bake into something buttery, fruity, and impossible to mess up.
This apple version gives you soft, cinnamon-spiced apples on the bottom, a cake-like middle, and a crispy, buttery top. It’s easier than pie, faster than traditional cake, and tastes like you put in way more effort than you did. Serve it warm with ice cream and nobody will question your methods.
What You’ll Need
For the Apple Layer:
- 6 cups peeled and sliced apples (about 6 medium Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cake Layer:
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
For Serving:
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Tools:
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- Large bowl
- Vegetable peeler
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon
Preparing the Apple Layer
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease your 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
In your large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Mix until every slice is coated.
Spread the apple mixture evenly in the bottom of your prepared baking dish. The apples will shrink as they bake, so don’t worry if the layer looks thick.
Adding the Cake Mix
Pour the dry cake mix evenly over the apples. Spread it out to cover the fruit completely. Don’t stir. Don’t mix. Just let it sit there in an even layer.
Sprinkle the additional teaspoon of cinnamon over the cake mix.
If using nuts, scatter them over the top now.
Adding the Butter
Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the entire surface. You want to cover as much of the dry cake mix as possible. The butter will soak into the mix as it bakes, creating that crispy, buttery top layer.
Some dry patches are fine. They’ll hydrate from the steam released by the apples.
Baking
Bake for 50-55 minutes. The top should be golden brown and crispy. The edges will bubble as the apples release their juice. You might see some darker spots where the butter has pooled—that’s exactly what you want.
The cake is done when the top is set and the apples are tender when you insert a knife through to the bottom.
Cooling and Serving
Let the dump cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. It will still be bubbling around the edges.
Serve warm, scooped into bowls. The bottom will be soft and jammy with apples. The middle will be cakey. The top will be crispy and buttery.
Top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
This makes 12 servings.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to bring back that warm, just-baked quality.
You can also make this with canned apple pie filling if you want to make it even easier. Use two 21 oz cans, skip the sugar and spices in the apple layer, and proceed with dumping the cake mix and butter on top.
For extra richness, use butter pecan or spice cake mix instead of yellow. For a fall twist, add ½ cup of dried cranberries to the apple layer.
The beauty of dump cake is that it’s nearly impossible to mess up. As long as you cover the fruit with cake mix and drench it with butter, you’re going to end up with something delicious.
