Ingredients
Scale
- WITH FRESH APPLES:
- 5–6 medium apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work well), peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- WITH CANNED APPLES:
- 1 (20 oz) can apple pie filling
- 1 (11 oz) jar caramel sauce (or homemade caramel)
- 1 box yellow cake mix (15.25 oz)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional, for crunch)
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- PREPARE THE APPLE FILLING: For fresh apples, toss the apple slices with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a large bowl until well coated, then spread them evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. For canned apples, skip the sugar and lemon and simply pour the canned apple pie filling into the dish, spreading it out evenly.
- ADD THE CARAMEL LAYER: Drizzle the caramel sauce evenly over the apples. For extra cinnamon flavor, sprinkle a little cinnamon over the caramel layer if desired.
- TOP WITH CAKE MIX: For a classic dump cake, sprinkle the entire box of dry cake mix evenly over the caramel and apples. Alternatively, to create a layered effect, sprinkle half of the cake mix over the apples, add the caramel sauce, then top with the remaining cake mix.
- ADD THE BUTTER: Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the cake mix. For more even coverage, you can also slice cold butter and place it in an even layer across the top. If using, sprinkle chopped nuts over the top for added texture and flavor.
- BAKE: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crisp and the apple layer is bubbling underneath.
- COOL AND SERVE: Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream if desired.