Caramel Apple Dump Cake

This caramel apple dump cake is one of the easiest (and most delicious) desserts you’ll ever make. It takes just a few minutes to throw together and only requires four ingredients! It’s a hit for fall parties and summer barbecues!

Confession 1: I’m not a huge fan of apple desserts.

Confession 2: I managed to eat two pieces of this caramel apple dump cake for breakfast despite that fact. This cake is really, really good.

Top it with some ice cream and more caramel and you have the perfect dessert for anything from a Fourth of July BBQ to an impromptu fall dinner party. It’s super versatile and totally impossible to resist!

Why you’ll love this caramel apple dump cake:

• It comes together in 10 minutes with just a few ingredients and no mixer—not even a mixing bowl! You mix the topping right in the pan.
• It’s delicious the day it’s made, but it’s also delicious chilled out of the fridge, so it’s the perfect dessert to make ahead.
• The ingredients are all easy to find at any grocery store and you probably have most of them in your kitchen already.
• This is literally one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make—just dump a few ingredients into a baking dish and you’re ready to go. It’s a great alternative to apple pie if you’re in a rush!

Ingredients

• apple pie filling
• caramel sauce
• cake mix
• salted butter

• You’ll need two 20-ounce cans of pie filling; 21-ounce cans are fine if that’s all you can find!
• I used Smucker’s caramel sauce but you can use any brand you like (homemade is fine too). Even salted caramel sauce would be delicious.
• I used Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix. Any brand of white or yellow cake mix is fine to use, just be sure it’s about 15 to 16 ounces. Even spice cake mix would be delicious.
• Note that the recipe calls for salted butter! If you only have unsalted, stir a 1/2-teaspoon of salt into the melted butter. You need the salt to bring out the caramel and apple flavors.

How to make your cake

• Pour apple pie filling into a baking dish
• Top with caramel sauce
• Sprinkle cake mix evenly over that

• Pour melted butter on top of the cake mix
• Mix the cake mix and butter a little to form a batter on top of the apples
• Bake for about 30 minutes

You can serve the cake warm or cool it to room temp, refrigerate overnight, and serve it cold. (Or pop slices in the microwave, top with ice cream, and eat for breakfast. You do you!)

The ice cream and extra caramel sauce on top are optional but I highly recommend :).

Notes and tips for making your cake

• If you like a lot of cinnamon in your apple desserts, feel free to mix some into the apple pie filling before putting the apples in the pan. (The filling will already have cinnamon added, so taste the apples first and add more as necessary. I’d start with a 1/2-teaspoon.)
• Be sure to use salted butter in the topping. (Or add salt to unsalted butter—see the recipe card for proportions.) The salt is necessary to make the apple and caramel flavors pop. Without it, the cake just tastes like sugar.
• When you mix the cake mix and butter together, don’t stir in the apples. Use your spatula to just sort of scrape the two together to form a batter; it’s fine if you mix the caramel in a little bit.
• When I make cakes like this one for backyard barbecues or potlucks, I like to buy those disposable aluminum baking pans at the grocery store. That way there’s no cleanup at all and if you’re taking the dessert to a potluck you don’t have to worry about getting your pan back. The baking time will remain the same if you use a disposable dish or your regular glass one.

How to store your cake

This cake can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 4 or 5 days. Be sure to cool the cake completely before covering and storing it so the cake doesn’t sweat.

You can also freeze individual slices in airtight containers for about a month. (Again, you’ll need to cool your cake completely before freezing it.)

Pop the cake in the microwave to defrost.

A few more recipes you might enjoy
Apple Cheesecake
Strawberry Dump Cake
Fresh Peach Dump Cake
Apple Blueberry Crisp

Did you make this caramel apple dump cake? That’s great! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on IG–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your delicious creations!

5 from 10 votes

Print

Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Caramel apple dump cake is a quick and easy dessert that's a hit any time of year!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 14

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

• 2 20-ounce cans apple pie filling*
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce + more for garnish
• 1 15.25-ounce box white or yellow cake mix**
• 1 cup salted butter melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Pour the apple pie filling into the pan and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Pour the 1/2 cup of caramel sauce over that.
3. Sprinkle the cake mix powder evenly over the apples and caramel, then pour the butter evenly over all of it. Use a rubber spatula to stir the cake mix and butter together a bit to form a batter; don't stir in the apples, you’re just mixing the topping. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and set in the middle. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then serve topped with ice cream or whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• *21-ounce cans are fine if that’s what you can find
• **I used Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix. You can use any white or yellow cake mix that’s roughly 15 ounces. I think even spice cake mix would be delicious.
• Note that the recipes calls for salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter you can mix a half teaspoon of salt into the melted butter and use it. No problem!
• Uneaten cake can be stored in the fridge, covered, for 4 or 5 days. I like to refrigerate it overnight before serving so I can slice it neatly but that’s up to you.
• You can also freeze slices in airtight containers for about a month. Defrost in the microwave.
• When I make cakes like this one for backyard barbecues or potlucks, I like to buy those disposable aluminum baking pans at the grocery store. That way there’s no cleanup at all and if you’re taking the dessert to a potluck you don’t have to worry about getting your pan back. The baking time will remain the same if you use a disposable dish or your regular glass one.
• If you like a lot of cinnamon with your apples, feel free to mix some into the apple pie filling. (It will already have cinnamon added, so taste the apples first and add more as necessary. I’d start with a 1/2-teaspoon.)
• See the body of this post for step by step photos.