Apple Spice Dump Cake

Make the Cake

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Heat oven to 350 F / 180 C / Gas 4. 

3. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan.

4. Spread the pie filling evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

5. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the apple filling.

6. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over cake mix layer and then top with the chopped nuts.

7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, make the optional caramel sauce.

Make the Caramel Sauce

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine brown sugar, evaporated milk or half-and-half, 4 tablespoons butter, and a pinch of salt.

3. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes.

4. Add the vanilla and cook for 1 or 2 minutes longer.

5. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. It will thicken as it cools.

How to Serve

1. Serve the cake warm drizzled with the caramel sauce and a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream—or all 3 for a decadent treat.

Tips

1. Leftover cake can be stored in the refrigerator for four to five days and eaten warm or cold. To rewarm, cover the cake with foil and pop it in a 350 F / 180 C / Gas 4 oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. The cake also freezes well. Slice it into squares and freeze the individual squares on a parchment-lined sheet pan. When they are completely frozen, transfer them to freezer-safe bags or containers. The whole cake also can be frozen in this manner. Freeze for up to four months.
3. To reheat, thaw the cake at room temperature for about an hour and reheat in a heated 350 F / 180 C / Gas 4 oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until it's warm.
4. Store leftover caramel sauce in a clean jar and refrigerate. Rewarm when you want to use it or let it come to room temperature.

Variations

• Double the pie filling for a fruitier cobbler-like cake.
• For spiced peach dump cake, make it with peach pie filling instead of apple.
• Omit the nuts entirely.

More Homey Desserts

Fresh fruit and an easy scratch-made cake batter are used in this gooey caramel apple cake with caramel topping, while cherry pie filling and an easy biscuit-dough crust are the main elements of these easy individual cherry cobblers. Fresh or frozen blueberries and easy biscuit dough can be turned into blueberry cobbler, and peach cobbler with crumb topping is made with fresh, frozen, or canned peaches. For those with egg allergies, this baked apple pudding cake is the answer.