The first time I made this Caramel Apple Dump Cake, my entire kitchen smelled like pure autumn comfort—warm apples, buttery cake, and rich caramel all bubbling together in the oven. I remember standing there with a spoon in my hand, completely mesmerized as the caramel sauce melted into the apple filling and the cake mix formed that golden, slightly crisp topping. It felt like the kind of dessert you make when you want something cozy and indulgent without spending hours baking. Each bite reminded me of fall fairs, apple orchards, and chilly days when something warm and sweet makes everything feel a little more magical.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You’re going to fall head-over-heels for this Caramel Apple Dump Cake because it’s incredibly easy, unbelievably delicious, and the kind of dessert that tastes like you spent all day making it—even though you barely have to lift a finger.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (21 oz each) apple pie filling
- ½ to ¾ cup caramel sauce (depending on how gooey you like it)
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) salted butter, sliced into thin pats
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional but recommended)
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
When you’re making a dump cake, the beauty is in how simple the ingredients are, but I’ve learned that the quality really matters. I prefer using a good caramel sauce—something thick and buttery rather than the super-thin ice cream topping. A yellow cake mix gives the perfect sweetness, but spice cake mix works wonderfully if you want a deeper fall flavor. And don’t forget salted butter; it balances the sweetness and helps create that irresistible golden crust on top. If you want even more richness, try adding a drizzle of caramel on top after baking—it’s heavenly.
Equipment Needed
- 9×13 baking dish
- Measuring cup (for the caramel)
- Spoon for spreading the filling
- Sharp knife for slicing butter
- Oven mitts
- Nonstick spray or butter for greasing the dish
I love that this recipe doesn’t require any fancy equipment. A simple baking dish is all you really need, but I always make sure to grease it lightly so clean-up is a breeze. A knife is essential because slicing the butter into evenly sized pats helps everything melt uniformly. If you want to get a perfectly golden topping, you can also use a pastry cutter to slice the butter thinner, but that’s completely optional. Having oven mitts handy is also important because the caramel bubbles fiercely at the edges.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Whenever I start this recipe, the first thing I do is spread the cans of apple pie filling across the bottom of my greased baking dish. I like to use the back of a spoon to make sure the apples are in an even layer so every scoop later has a perfect balance of apples and cake. Sometimes I sprinkle a little cinnamon over the apples because it makes the kitchen smell like a holiday bakery the moment the oven heats up.(See the next page below to continue…)