Caramel Apple Dump Cake
This Caramel Apple Dump Cake is a rich, gooey fall dessert. It's packed full of apple pie filling, soft caramels, cinnamon, and topped with yellow cake mix and butter. The butter and cake mix is baked into a buttery, crunchy crust and the soft caramels just melt into the filling. Top this dump cake with pecans and whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
This caramel apple dump cake recipe will make the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or any fall gathering. It's so quick and easy.
Want more Apple Recipes? Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie, Applesauce Cake, Caramel Apple Crisp and Mini Apple Crumble Cheesecakes
What is a Dump Cake?
Good question! Dump cake is not really a cake, but more of a cobbler made with cake mix. Everything is dumped into a pan and baked. There are no mixing bowls needed and the cake mix isn't stirred in.
A Dump Cake usually has a fruit pie filling, sometimes paired with a small amount of fresh fruit, and is topped with a cake mix and butter.
Dump Cake Ingredients
Dump cakes usually don't require a bunch of ingredients as you can tell.
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- Apple Pie Filling - Use your favorite brand. You'll need two cans to fill the 9x13 baking pan.
- Ground Cinnamon - The pie filling didn't give me the punch of cinnamon I was looking for in my filling, so I added a little extra.
- Soft Caramels - Seriously. Don't use the Kraft caramels, go to the candy section and grab the Werther's Originals Soft Caramels. You'll thank me.
- Cake Mix - I love using yellow cake mix for my recipes, but feel free to get adventurous with your cake mix flavors. I think a spice cake mix would taste delicious.
- Butter - I used salted butter for my recipe, but you can use unsalted if you prefer. The salt helps balance out all of the sweetness from the pie filling and caramel.
How to make Apple Dump Cake
Making this caramel apple dump cake takes minutes.
Spray your 9x13 baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
Spread the apple pie filling in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon and chopped caramels on top. Stir to incorporate the cinnamon and caramel pieces.
Once the filling is combined, sprinkle the yellow cake mix on top. Flatten the cake mix out as best as you can. Drizzle the melted butter on top and place in the oven to bake.
Do you have to refrigerate Dump Cake
You can serve the caramel apple dump cake fresh out of the oven with whipped cream or ice cream. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How long does Caramel Apple Dump Cake Last
It will last 5 days in the fridge if it's covered with plastic wrap or tin foil.
How to freeze Dump Cake
Place the dump cake in an freezer-safe airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, place it in the refrigerator overnight. You can warm it up in the microwave after it has thawed if you prefer your dump cake served warm.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes. Desserts are always best when served fresh, but it does keep in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I use fresh apples?
You could add in about ½ cup of freshly chopped apples, but I wouldn't recommend fully replacing the canned apple pie filling.
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Caramel Apple Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 2 20 ounce cans apple pie filling
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 7 to 8 pieces Werther's Soft Caramels chopped
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- ¾ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
- Add the two cans of apple pie filling to the baking dish and the cinnamon. Stir until the cinnamon is incorporated and then spread out to evenly cover the bottom of the pan.
- Spread the chopped pieces of soft caramel on top of the apple pie filling.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with the yellow cake mix. Flatten it out with a spatula so the butter evenly sits on top of the cake mix.
- Pour the butter on top of the cake mix.
- Place the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let cool.
- Scoop and serve!
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
