If You Have Pie Filling, Cake Mix, And Chewy Caramels, You Have An Early Fall Treat In Under An Hour

It's sad to see summer go, but the excitement of autumn softens the blow; especially considering the season's many sweet, spiced, and warming treats. When you're ready to start indulging in fall flavors, the anticipation is palpable. Luckily, there's a genius dessert that keeps the time between thinking about it and enjoying it at a minimum. The recipe is easy, requires few steps and ingredients, and is so decadently delicious you'll definitely be putting this into your autumn treat rotation.

We're talking about the caramel apple dump cake. Dump cakes are so-named because you truly just dump the ingredients in and bake, and this fall dessert only needs four ingredients. We'll start by grabbing a box of cake mix, and then you're just a few steps away from transforming that boxed cake mix into a dreamy apple dessert. Next we'll gather canned apple pie filling, butter, and a bag of caramels. Pour the pie filling and unwrapped caramels into a butter-greased baking dish and mix to incorporate them. Cover the filling and candies with the cake mix and place slices of butter on top of that. Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, checking for when the cake on top is golden brown. Just like that, you'll have a decadent fall dessert with sweet spiced apples, ooey-gooey caramel, and buttery cake. It's all the fall flavors and textures you want in every bite.

The beauty of this cake is you might have all of the necessary ingredients in your pantry already. But if you're out shopping or you have some different cake mixes to choose from, it's worth considering how to make this dessert at its best as well as how to riff on it when you make it again.

The pie filling is pretty straightforward. For the caramels, remember you need chewy, not hard. This is the one ingredient that requires some prep as you'll need to unwrap every candy. For the cake, consider the best boxed cake mixes from your go-to brands. Of the different types of cake, yellow cake is a good pick for this dessert because it's buttery but still neutral enough to let the apples, cinnamon, and caramel shine.

The more you make this dump cake, the more you might want to play with the flavors. Use French vanilla cake mix to add in vanilla notes, which would pair especially well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream when the cake is served. Spice cake is another great selection for this autumnal dessert but you can just as easily add in your own spices by sprinkling the pie filling with ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. When serving the cake, add a drizzle of caramel or butterscotch sauce to the scoop of ice cream (toffee sauce with apple cake is especially decadent). Try topping that with chopped nuts and garnishing with a cinnamon stick and fresh apple slices. For detailed steps on making this cake, check out jen_l_kitchen's Instagram video below.