Boxed Dump Cake Gets A Fall Twist With This Fresh Addition

There's just something special about an easy dump cake you can make year-round, and these desserts are much tastier than the process of making them would lead you to believe. Typically consisting of little more than store-bought pie filling or canned fruit, boxed cake mix, and butter, the fruit or pie filling becomes rich and caramelized as it bakes. The juices from the fruit bubble upward into the cake mix, melt the butter, and turn it into a beautifully cakey crust that gently sinks into the fruit.

Of course, if you're making a seasonally appropriate dump cake, it would be a shame not to take advantage of the abundance of beautiful, fresh apples available at grocery stores and farmers markets. Using fresh apples instead of canned pie filling adds a wonderfully fresh flavor and texture to dump cake, turning it into something that feels a bit more homemade and special.

While you'll never get neat slices from a dump cake, you don't need to, as it's usually served by the scoop in a bowl with vanilla ice cream. They come together in just a few minutes, taste indulgent enough to feel special, and are endlessly versatile for any season of the year. When making your creation, pick up a spice cake mix and make your own apple pie filling to enjoy as the leaves turn from various shades of green to a riot of fiery color.

When you're swapping in fresh apples in place of canned pie filling for a dump cake, it's important to understand that the moisture from the syrup and juice in the canned fruit or pie filling hydrates the cake mix and mingles with the butter to create a crust on top of the gooey fruit layer. While raw apples caramelize when baked, simply dumping them into a baking dish with a coating of dry cake mix could result in a burnt, powdery mess, as the raw apples won't release liquid quickly enough to cook the cake.

This means you'll either need to add moisture to the cake by using the mix as intended, or soften the apples in a saucepan with some brown sugar and butter. Fresh apples can soften hard brown sugar, and the idea is to help them become nice and syrupy while still being a touch firm on the inside. This creates enough moisture for the cake to bake properly without losing the taste and texture of the fresh apples. You might also add a splash of apple cider or juice to the saucepan if your apples look too dry.

Alternatively, you can add more moisture by upgrading your dump cake with a cream cheese layer. It can go on top of the cake mix and serve as decadent insulation, creating an apple cheesecake version of this dessert. By using the best apples for baked goods, any dump cake you make will have a fresh taste and comforting sweetness.