This old-fashioned caramel apple dump cake starts with fresh Granny Smith apples, caramelized in a skillet with butter and brown sugar, then baked under a crumbly cake mix topping. Also called apple cobbler with cake mix, it's ready in just over an hour and serves 12. Finish it with a drizzle of caramel sauce or dulce de leche and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Quick Fall dessert
I don't know about you, but in this house, when apple season hits, the combination of apples and caramel is something we consider to be at the top of our list. Case in point: our mouth-watering bread pudding with caramel and apples.
The dessert I'm sharing today is an easy recipe to tackle those cravings and a great recipe we make often.
Dump cakes are one of the easiest desserts that consist of a layer of fruit pie filling and a topping made with boxed cake mix and butter. All pantry staples. And very, very delicious.
This version is made from scratch with fresh apples, and that's where the caramel comes from (besides the sauce): the apples cook for a few minutes in butter and brown sugar until they turn golden at the edges. It takes about 15 minutes more than opening a can, and it's worth every one of them. If you're short on time, my classic apple dump cake with pie filling is the 3-ingredient shortcut.
- Make ahead: just like a cobbler or an old-fashioned apple crisp, you can make this dessert up to 2 days ahead of when you're planning to serve it and keep it covered and refrigerated. Or even frozen for a few weeks. Simply defrost and warm it in the oven before eating it.
- Perfect for a crowd: if you have guests or a large family, it's a very easy apple dessert to put together that can be easily doubled and is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.
Fresh apples or canned filling?
Both work, but they make two different desserts.
- Fresh apples (this recipe): firmer slices, a brighter, tangier filling and real caramel flavor from cooking them in butter and brown sugar. About 15 extra minutes.
- Canned apple pie filling: softer, sweeter and very quick; it's the original dump cake idea. To swap here, use two 21 oz cans in place of the fresh filling, skip the skillet step and keep everything else the same.
Testing notes
Paula's baking tips that make a difference.
Don't cut very thin apple wedges unless you want your filling to lack texture. The apples will soften too much. The dessert will taste really good, but it will be more monotonous.
Cake mixes: white and yellow cake are the most common flavors for topping an apple dump cake, but you can also use a spice cake mix or even a chocolate one if you're a little more adventurous (like with the chocolate apple crisp recipe).
Butter: the original recipe calls for putting thin slices of butter on top of the cake mix. After several tries, I find that melted butter is the best option to fully moisten the cake mix, resulting in a doughy and crumbly topping. If you want to go the original way, there are images in the chocolate cherry dump cake post.
Flavorings: we use a mix of ground cinnamon and vanilla extract, but feel free to use apple pie spice mix. Also, a lemon or orange zest grating in the filling will add an extra citrus tone if that's your thing.
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Ingredients
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Dry cake mix: or boxed cake mix, the type you find in the supermarket or grocery store, whatever brand you want.
Best apples for this dump cake: Granny Smith is my first choice. It's tart enough to balance the cake mix and caramel, and firm enough to hold its shape in the oven. Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Pink Lady work well too or a mix of tart and sweet. Skip soft apples like McIntosh or Red Delicious, which turn to mush.
Brown sugar: works very well with apples and adds to the caramel flavor. You can also use white sugar.
How to make caramel apple dump cake with fresh apples
How to cut the apples
Making the apple filling from scratch lets you adjust the flavor and thickness.
Slice the apple wedges as thick or thin as you want, but I recommend medium-thick wedges that keep their shape more, especially since you cook them first.
Cook the apples
You lightly cook them first in butter and sugar: it adds flavor as the apples caramelize a little.
Don't let them turn mushy or soften too much; they still have to be baked in the oven.
Apple filling layer
The partially cooked apples are dumped onto the baking dish, sprinkled with cinnamon, and drizzled with a cornstarch slurry, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Mix the topping ingredients
Put the cake mix in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Mix both ingredients until crumbly. It will have some floury spots.
Cobbler-style topping
Sprinkle the topping mixture over the cooked apples, not covering them completely. You want to leave some spots uncovered for the juices to bubble and the topping to bake faster.
Baking
The baked dump cake is golden and bubbly. Let it cool down on a wire rack until warm enough to serve.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
Make sure the topping is fully baked. It might be golden and dry but still a little raw inside. So lift it carefully here and there and make sure it's not wet.
The caramel sauce
A drizzle of it rounds up this incredible dessert.
- Homemade caramel sauce: it's very easy to make at home. Or use a purchased topping like Ghirardelli caramel-flavored sauce.
- Dulce de leche: if you never tried this delectable sweet jam, you certainly should! I use it regularly since it's our most popular spread here in Argentina. I use my dulce de leche recipe from scratch or this easy 1-ingredient dulce de leche, but you can easily buy it online. Links are in the recipe card below.
- How much should you add? Oh, as much as you want, probably! I drizzle about half a cup on top of the cake and then pass a small jar with more sauce so everyone can flood the bowl with as much caramel or dulce de leche as they want.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make caramel apple dump cake ahead or freeze it?
Yes. Bake it up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or freeze it for a few weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm it in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Do I have to cook the apples first?
No, raw apples work, but the result is different; a little lackluster from my testing. A few minutes in the skillet with butter and brown sugar is what gives the filling its caramel flavor, and it helps the slices bake evenly.
Caramel Apple Dump Cake with Fresh Apples
Ingredients
Homemade fresh apple filling:
- 4 pounds Granny Smith apples, about 10 medium
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, or white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
Cake mix topping:
- 15.25 ounces yellow or white cake mix, 1 box
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and lukewarm, not hot
For serving:
- 1 cup caramel sauce , purchased or homemade caramel or dulce de leche
Instructions
- Have a 9x13-inch ovenproof dish ready in which you will serve the dump cake. I like ceramic dishes, but glass ones also work. It will be served directly from the baking dish, so choose one you like to take to the table.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Make the apple filling:
- You will need to cook the apples in batches, or they will crowd the skillet and steam rather than caramelize.
- Peel, core, and cut 4 pounds Granny Smith apples into medium wedges.
- Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sprinkle ¼ cup light brown sugar on top. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula and cook for about 3 minutes, until they begin to brown and caramelize here and there. Do not let them turn too dark or too soft. Remove from heat and arrange them in the prepared dish.
- Sprinkle the apples with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and drizzle 3 tablespoons lemon juice and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Mix 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch with ⅓ cup water in a small bowl until no lumps remain, and pour over the apples. It will not cover them. You can stir everything lightly before adding the topping.
For the topping:
- Mix 15.25 ounces yellow or white cake mix with ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and lukewarm, not hot, adding the remaining ¼ cup unsalted butter a little at a time until crumbly. Different brands of cake mix absorb moisture differently, and the butter temperature also plays a role. Don't let it get overly wet, or it will seep into the filling and not bake crisp and dry.
- Sprinkle the topping mixture over the apples. It will not cover the filling completely and will be very rustic-looking, which is fine. Don't stir or mix it with the apples.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and dry on top and the filling bubbles around the edges, making sure the filling is fully baked inside. Check by lifting the topping here and there. Bake it longer, if necessary.
- Serve warm, drizzled with 1 cup caramel sauce or dulce de leche or with whipped cream/scoop of ice cream in addition to the sauce if you want a very rich dessert.
- Refrigerate leftovers covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
Lynne says
I would love to make this but I don't see the oven temperature to bake it? Thanks.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Lynne, it's 350°F. Happy baking!
Paula Montenegro says
I hope you do Maca, it's so easy to put together and so delicious!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Love apple season -- they're so good in desserts (savory dishes too, but they really shine in desserts). Fantastic looking cake. Thanks!
angiesrecipes says
This looks like a streusel cake, but better because of extra caramel sauce 🙂