The Apple Dump Cake I’m Making All Autumn Long

Living in the Pacific Northwest, there’s no shortage of locally grown fresh produce. And as the temperatures begin to cool down, it’s all about apples, especially when you live on the Oregon border right next door to the top apple-growing state in the country. 

I love to get creative with apple desserts, using a variety of apples for different flavor profiles. One of my favorite treats to make to highlight this fruit is a crowd-pleasing yet easy apple dump cake.

Dump cake gets its name from just how simple it is to make. All you do is dump ingredients into a baking dish, pop it in the oven, and dig in while it’s warm. Vanilla ice cream is an ideal pairing. 

This apple dump cake uses fresh apples, a bit of sugar and spice, white cake mix, and melted butter. With just five ingredients, you’ll have a comforting dessert in just over an hour.

The Best Apples for Apple Dump Cake

To me, any apples I have on hand are the best apples for baking. However, certain types just work better in dessert recipes. I love to pair apples with excellent crunch and good flavor with cinnamon and sugar. For this recipe, my go-to is Honeycrisp, which has a nice balance of tart and sweet. Granny Smith is another great apple option with a tart flavor profile, along with Gala and Braeburn.

Get Creative With Variations

The beauty of this cake is that it’s as easy as can be—even simpler than an apple crisp. But the five ingredients can also serve as a base for inspiration. 

You can spice things up by using a spice cake mix or yellow cake mix instead of white cake mix. Try swapping granulated sugar for brown sugar, resulting in a deeper, caramel-like flavor. Love caramel apples? Pour caramel sauce over the apples before baking, or use it as a topping once you’ve added a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Layer the dump cake:

Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/2-inch chunks and transfer to the baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the apples.

Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the apples. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix, evenly covering as much of the cake mix as possible.

Bake:

Bake the cake until the top is lightly golden and the apples are tender, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.

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