Apple Dump Cake

I will admit that I am pretty much a cake mix food snob.  I just don't use them.  I much prefer to make cakes from scratch, especially icing/frosting, because the flavor is just so much better.  The icing/frosting you buy in those containers at the store actually taste like plastic to me, yuck!  However, I know not everyone has the time or ability to make a cake and icing from scratch, so I'm not judging. 


Over the years I've come across several recipes for "dump cakes".  You've seen them too right?  The gist of it is that you combine a dry cake mix with some cooked fruit, and the result is sort of like a fruit buckle.  While my son was on spring break last month I wanted to make something for him to munch on during the week while I was at work.  However, I didn't have much time, so that's when the light bulb went off - make a dump cake.  Perfect opportunity to see if they were any good, and if nothing else it would still give him something to snack on.

I chose to use a pineapple upside down cake mix (without the pineapple part).  I wanted to use a coffee cake mix but I couldn't find one at my grocery store.  Don't they sell those?  Anyway, I thought this turned out pretty good.  I still prefer homemade, but this was good and definitely easy.  If you've never made a dump cake before, I would recommend giving it a try.  With all the cake mixes out there you can definitely get creative!

Apple Dump Cake

8-10 apples, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cake mix, dry (I used pineapple upside down cake mix)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), melted
2 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar mix

Preheat oven to 350. Peel, core and chop your apples and place them into an 8x10 baking dish that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Mix in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Cook apples for 20 minutes, then remove from oven.  Drain most of the juice from the baking dish, leaving about a quarter of the amount still in the dish.  Spoon about 1 tbsp of the remaining juice into a small bowl, and whisk in the cornstarch. Add the cornstarch mixture back into the cooked apples and stir to combine.

Dump the cake mix over top of the apples, and spread it out evenly. Drizzle the melted butter on top of the dry cake mix, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix over top. Bake for about 50 minutes. This is especially good served with vanilla ice cream. ☺