Who says caramel apple flavors can only be found on a stick? This easy recipe for Caramel Apple Dump Cake comes together in just 5 minutes and is an irresistible blend of flavors that channel apple cobbler, caramel apples, caramel apple bark — and it’s even a bit gooey like caramel apple dip.
Why You’ll Love It
Yes, it has attributes other than just being easy to make!
- Semi-Homemade- I have a sweet tooth, but I’m also a lazy baker. I don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, so making something that is semi-homemade, but elevated is right up my alley.
- Fall Flavors- Many recipes simply use ground cinnamon. I take it up a notch with nutmeg, which is basically cinnamon’s best friend. This can be omitted or even increased based on personal preference.
- Gooey Caramel Layer– Instead of just drizzling the final product with caramel sauce, we bake a layer right on and drizzle.
- Versatile- This recipe for caramel apple dump cake can be made ahead of time and even frozen whole. It can be served at room temperature, chilled or warm, making it the ultimate in unfussy cakes.
- Ease– Have I told you this is the easiest dessert? And when it comes to dump cake recipes, this one tops my list of the best tasting, too.
Ingredients
The ingredient list is short and sweet for this easy cake. You might already have everything you need on hand!
- Apple Pie Filling– The name of the game is ease so I used canned apple pie filling which means it is already sweetened and spiced. Feel free to make homemade apple pie filling too if you happen to have a ton left for an apple-picking adventure.
- Caramel Sauce- Again, grab a jar at the grocery store (it is generally near the frozen food/ice cream aisle) or whip up a quick batch of homemade caramel sauce. Dulce de leche is another good option, which is a deeper caramelized version of caramel made from sweetened condensed milk.
- Cake Mix – Yellow cake mix makes for the deepest flavor, but you can honestly use any type you wish. You can also use a different cake mix, see some of my suggestions below.
- Spices– Cinnamon and nutmeg are all you need.
- Salted Butter– I use salted in this recipe because the salt helps to balance all the sugar and also takes one less ingredient making it even faster to assemble. If you only have unsalted, just add a pinch of fine sea salt or coarse kosher salt to the melted butter.
- Vanilla Extract– Also helps to create a rich and warm cake blend. Vanilla paste can be used if you are feeling extra.
Variations
Even though this is a super easy cake recipe, there are plenty of ways to customize it and make it your own.
- Add Bourbon– A match made in flavor heaven, caramel, and apple flavors pair perfectly with bourbon. Use my bourbon caramel pecan sauce instead of standard caramel.
- Go nuts! Adding nuts is an easy way to make the texture more interesting. Add 1/2 cup of chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans to the apple layer or top with homemade candied walnuts before baking or while garnishing.
- Spices- We used a simple mix of cinnamon and nutmeg, but take it up a notch by using apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice instead.
- Cake Sponge– Rich and buttery, yellow cake mix is golden and delicious, but white cake mix, vanilla cake mix, and even spice cake mix can all be used. I’ve even wanted to experiment with chocolate cake mix.
- Fruit Fillings– The apple pie filling can also be pumpkin (pumpkin dump cake) or other types of fruit filling. We have a recipe for cherry dump cake and peach dump cake too!
How to Make Caramel Apple Dump Cake
Do you have 5 minutes? Then you have enough time to make this cake! Get started!
- Fill the dish with apples and sauce. Pour both cans of apple filling into the bottom of the baking dish and then drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Combine. Blend together the dry cake mix and spices in the cake mix bag so you don’t dirty any more dishes. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just give it a few quick stirs. Evenly sprinkle the cake mix on top of the apples and caramel.
- Add butter and vanilla. In a microwave-safe bowl melt the butter and then whisk in the vanilla and pour over the top of the cake mix, getting as much moistened as possible.
- Bake. Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake the cake until bubbly and golden brown. Remove and let is cool for at least 20 minutes, this helps the whole cake thicken and marry. Do not rush this step.
- Garnish. Add your favorite toppings like vanilla or caramel ice cream and serve for your new family favorite.
What to Serve With Caramel Apple Dump Cake
This cake tastes great right out of the dish, but I also like toppings! Here are my favorites.
- Whipped cream
- More caramel sauce
- Powdered sugar
- Chopped Snickers bar
- Toffee Bits
- Candied walnuts
- Fresh apple slices
- Dutch honey syrup
- Scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Honey
Common Questions About Caramel Apple Dump Cake
The biggest mistake to avoid when you’re crafting your dump cake is to mix everything together. You want the butter to be on top so that it creates the luscious crust that makes it so delicious.
You can refrigerate a fruity dump cake but it’s not necessary. It can be stored for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Since it’s filled with fruit, it can be a little more challenging to tell if a dump cake is finished as opposed to a traditional cake. But what you need to look for is a golden brown crust and bubbly edges.
Storage
You can simply cover this easy apple dump cake at room temperature for up to 5 days once it’s been covered with plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container.
Refrigerator
Refrigerate this cake for up to a week in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap or aluminum foil
Freezer
This perfect fall dessert can also be frozen. Follow my steps for freezing whole cakes and casseroles or freeze in single servings.
More Easy Cake Recipes
We do love cake as long as they are easy cake recipes. And here are a few more.
Caramel Apple Dump Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 21-ounce cans apple pie filling
- 3/4 cup caramel sauce , plus more for serving
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup salted butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ice cream , for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread the apple pie filling into the bottom of the baking dish.
- Drizzle with the caramel sauce.
- Cut the top of the yellow cake mix bag open and add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir it around inside the bag. Evenly sprinkle the cake mix on top of the apples and caramel.
- Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Whisk with vanilla extract. Pour the butter mixture on top of the dry cake mix, trying to moisten as much as possible.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
- Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with ice cream and more caramel sauce.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
Absolutely simple yet amazing! My family loved it and was upset when it was all gone! I don’t like baked fruits in my baked goods(I’ll pluck all the fruit out) but this might be the only dessert were I will actually eat the fruit. We’ve always made dump cake with the pecans and pineapple & cherries but this will definitely be added to the menu as my favorite dump cake! Thank you
This is my second time making this. I’m a cook, not a baker, so this is perfect for me! ( I don’t measure and constantly improvise.) My oven runs hot, so I know to check early. Well, this time I didn’t check soon enough, and spice cake was HARD. Just before I would have thrown out the whole thing, I decided to try it like a crisp. I broke up the hard pieces of cake, spooned everything into a bowl, and topped it with vanilla soy milk. It was so good that I’m making it that way intentionally this time!
Hi Julie- well that sounds delicious and I might make a batch of hard solid cake too. Thanks for coming back to let us know!
We really enjoyed this recipe. I used peaches with a white cake mix. Then spread whipped cream on top. Took to work and it vanished. So, for a coworkers birthday Im making the Carmel Apple with the yellow cake mix. I’m going to top it with cool whip then put cut up soft Carmel’s on top. Also drizzle with left over Carmel. I would add a picture but not sure how to do it.
Thank you so much for coming back to let us know! at this time we don’t have a way to include images, but I’ll let the tech team know and see if they can make it happen!
I really like this recipe. I used peaches with a white cake mix. Then spread whipped cream on top. Took to work and it vanished. So, for a coworker birthday I made the Carmel Apple with the yellow cake mix. I’m going to top it with cool whip then put cut up soft Carmel’s on top. Also drizzle with left over Carmel. I would add a picture but not sure how to do it.
This is what my fall dreams are made of! Deliciously warm, gooey caramel apple flavor paired with vanilla ice cream – YUM!