This is our easy apple spice dump cake recipe with boxed coffee cake mix and pie filling for dessert. Made with just 3 ingredients, you just pour it in your dish and bake! Guests will go crazy over this served with a scoop of ice cream.
This is our latest creation of easy dump cake recipes my girls loved the other evening! I guess you could call it a cross between an apple pie filling dump cake and a sort of coffee cake dump cake, but either way it’s a gooey bite of deliciousness.
Let’s be honest. I love dump cake recipes because they only require 3-5 ingredients which I can usually keep in my cupboards so if company shows up unexpectedly I have it all on hand to throw together. This happened just the other day and I luckily had all the ingredients to make this and our pumpkin pudding cake too since they brought a bunch of their kids too!
Now with the filling you can use any flavor you like but apples is what we chose. Once you get the hang of how it is done you can then swap it out for a number of different combinations. You can make your own homemade pressure cooker apple pie filling or buy canned.
Ingredient Notes
Apple pie filling is how you make it easy, add fruit, and that gooey liquid that will be needed to moisten the dry mix out of the box. Fresh apples aren’t recommended, if you wanted to use canned fruit follow our Peach Cobbler using Cake Mix instead.
Can you use fresh apples instead of pie filling?
Not with these directions. There isn’t enough moisture for the dry boxed cake mix to absorb without the fruit glaze in the can. You can make Apple Cake with Cake Mix but it would need more liquid in the batter to get tender and moist.
Dry boxed coffee cake mix is what you need for this one. Krusteaux box of cinnamon swirl is what I bought and would recommend for this. It comes complete with a brown sugar topping mix you’ll want too. Yellow cake mix won’t taste the same at all. Spice cake mix is great in our pumpkin pudding cake. If that’s all you have I’d make this version of dump cake.
Melted butter will moisten the batter too. You could use dairy free plant based sticks if need be.
Can you add nuts?
Yes, I typically add about 1/2 cup crushed nuts on top because they are great to add texture and flavor. I used walnuts but candied pecans would be good too.
And you will need a casserole dish, 9×13″ size, with some cooking spray to make it non stick. Ice cream, whipped topping or whipped cream is great on top. You could omit the extras at the end and just make it a 3 ingredient dump cake too. Mix and match the flavors of the mix with different fruits and see which is your favorite combination.
How Long to Bake Apple Spice Dump Cake
You will want to cook this for about 50 minutes. That is enough time for the batter to bake up to slightly fluffy and done in the center. It will integrate the fruit filling into the cake itself as the batter seeps in between the cracks all on it’s own. Test the center near the end to ensure there is no raw batter before removing.
How do you know when it is done?
The middle is no longer wet and when a toothpick is inserted there should be wet fruit and moist crumbs of cake attached. There shouldn’t be raw dough on it, if so add another 5 minutes and test again. It’s rather cheap to feed a bunch of people too which is usually important when you’re on a budget. After you try this here are a few more desserts you will enjoy:
Tips for Success
There is NO need for a mixing bowl when making this type of dessert, unlike our applesauce spice cake. You just sprinkle, layer and bake. You can see how it is somewhat layered inside of your 13×9 pan. I used a glass one but you could spray an aluminum baking pan too. As with any dump cake there isn’t a lot of mixing, it just bakes all together in the oven.
There is usually just a little powder left on top from the muffin mix. Don’t worry too much about that. Once it is served up it’s not a big deal. Same thing happens from time to time with our Instant Pot dump cake.
Serve up immediately with a bit of vanilla ice cream on top too for the perfect dessert. Same directions go for Blueberry pie filling cupcakes flavor etc. It’s plenty for 8-12 people easily. Bring it to a potluck or for a holiday get together.
FAQ
I guess you could describe it as such. Very moist would be a better description but either way you won’t be able to slice it like a traditional cake. Instead, allow it to cool slightly to solidify more, 10 minutes will do, and then use a large serving spoon to scoop out individual portions to serve.
Yes, if the cake has fresh fruit, fruit filling, or fruit puree, it’s safest to refrigerate it. The moisture and natural sugars in fruit can lead to spoilage or even mold if left at room temperature too long. This is especially true for cakes with things like strawberries, peaches, or cream-based fruit fillings.
If the cake only has baked in fruit (like banana bread or apple cake), it can typically stay at room temperature for 1–2 days, as long as it’s well covered. After that, refrigeration helps extend freshness.
If you have smaller portions, I would add a dollop of whipped cream of vanilla ice cream to add a bit of moisture and microwave on a plate for 45 seconds. If you have an entire cake for example, then heat it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until warm.
Easy Apple Spice Dump Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×13 pan
Ingredients
- 1 box coffee cake mix, 21 oz., I used Krusteaz
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 can pie filling, apple, 21 oz
Instructions
- Spray a 13×9 baking pan.
- Pour apple pie filling on bottom and spread out evenly.
- Remove brown sugar packet from box, set aside. Sprinkle coffee cake mix portion of your cinnamon swirl cake mix on top of the apple pie filling and spread out evenly.
- Melt your butter and pour evenly on top of this dry mix.
- Then open the brown sugar bag in your cake mix box and sprinkle that on top spreading out evenly.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup crushed nuts on the top (if desired) and put into oven preheated to 350 degrees.
- Bake until golden brown on top and middle is starting to firm up, approx 50 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other easy desserts you’ll love
Just like with our Cinnamon roll breakfast casserole this too is semi-homemade though everyone may think it is from scratch really. Using ready made main ingredients saves time and time for you.
Want to make this even faster and not turn your oven on? You can make something similar in a slow cooker with this Crockpot apple dump cake recipe!! Another one with pie filling is our cherry pineapple dump cake which is great served warm with some sort of topping. Even with something like our Pumpkin pie dump cake which is amazing.
This is delish! I use an 8×8 and it always comes out perfect. Everyone always asks for the recipe and says they prefer this over regular apple pie ❤️ Thanks for sharing this recipe!