Slow Cooker Apple Dump Cake is one of the easiest desserts you will ever make. Just add canned apple pie filling with only 3 other ingredients to the slow cooker, and somehow a warm, bakery-quality dessert comes out every single time. It’s rich, buttery, perfectly sweet, and filled with soft cinnamon apples that taste like homemade comfort in every bite.
This easy Slow Cooker Apple Dump Cake recipe is perfect for busy days, holiday gatherings, or whenever you need a simple, no-fuss dessert that everyone will love.
Ingredients
- Apple pie filling
- Quantity: 2 (20-21 oz) cans
- Notes: none
- Yellow cake mix (or spice cake mix)
- Quantity: 1 (15.25 oz) package
- Notes: yellow cake mix (or spice cake mix)
- Unsalted butter, melted down.
- Quantity: 1/2 cup (1 stick)
- Notes: melted down
- Ground cinnamon (not obligatory; however, it is highly advisable)
- Quantity: 1 teaspoon
- Notes: not obligatory; however, it is highly advisable
Directions
Preparation of the slow cooker
Grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray or either thin layer of butter to allow food not to stick.
Add the apple filling
Add the canned apple pie filling to the slow cooker and evenly spread the butter. In case of use, sprinkle the cinnamon grounded over the apples and stir until it is mixed.
Add the dry cake mix
Sprinkle the dry cake mix on the top of the filling of the apple pie. Shake–shake–but see that the mix is spread all over the apples as evenly as you can spread it.
Add the butter
Add the melted butter slowly drizzled on top of the dry cake mix and do your best to cover most of the surface. There is nothing wrong with some of it drying out, as it will wet itself upon cooking.
Cook
place the slow cooker with the lid and cook on HIGH 23 hours or on LOW 45 hours until the top is firm and has been mostly golden and the edges are bubbly. It will be more like the texture of a soft cobbler instead of a firm cake.
Serve
Turn off the slow cooker and allow the dessert to rest, uncovered, and approximately 10-15 minutes to become slightly thickened. Pour into bowls and serve hot, with ice cream or whipped cream, should you wish.
Variations & Tips
Spice Cake Twist
Replace the yellow cake mix with a spice cake mix to add an additional warm cozy taste. It is particularly pleasant during the fall and the entire house smells like cinnamon and cloves.
Nutty Crunch
When your family is in the mood to crunch, sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts that are chopped onto the dry cake before drizzling the butter. This gives it some texture and makes it seem more of a bakery type of cobbler.
Caramel Apple Version
Drizzle the top of the apple pie filling with 1/4 to 1/3 cup caramel sauce and then drizzle the cake mix over the caramel sauce. It transforms the dessert into a caramel apple cobbler which kids (or adults) become mad about.
Less-Sweet Alternative
In case canned pie filling is too sweet, add 1-2 chopped fresh apples to the canned pie filling to provide some crunch and tang. You can also use a pie filling with no flavor or less sugar if you can find one.
Picky Eater Hint
To young children that do not like to look at large pieces of fruit, mash the filling of the apple pie lightly with a fork and then put into the slow cooker. The apples will be soft and almost applesauce like underneath the cake.
Servings Individual
In case you possess oven-safe ramekins that fit into your slow cooker, you can place one or two of those in these ramekins and divide the ingredients among them and make a few individual desserts. It is something to do on family nights-each person has his or her own little apple cake.
* Make-Ahead Tip
It is possible to assemble the layers in the insert part of the slow cooker, and then wrap it and store it in the refrigerator several hours before cooking. Just let th
e insert sit at room temperature approximately 15-20 minutes then the slow cooker can be turned on so that it is not heated too fast rather than cold to hot.