This delicious easy apple cake recipe is a snap to make! Also known as apple dump cake, it takes just one bowl and one baking pan and you are on your way to apple goodness.
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Why we love this recipe
Oh, this simple apple cake! It is one of my go-to dessert recipes, and not just because it mixes up in one bowl and bakes up in one pan.
It is also known as apple dump cake, which means exactly that. You dump all the flavorful ingredients together in that one bowl, you pop them into one baking pan, and your work is done.
Now one thing that I should confess right up front…this cake does not include fresh apples. Don’t get me wrong, I am as big a fresh apple fan as the next girl, but sometimes you aren’t in the mood for standing around for ages peeling and coring and slicing a million apples.
These are the times when it is perfectly, perfectly acceptable to reach for a can of apple pie filling. And for this particular cake, apple pie filling adds that element of sweetness and texture that makes it that much more delicious. I’m seriously not kidding here.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient additions and substitutions
- Nuts: You can leave out the nuts if you don’t like them, or if you are taking this cake to a party where you want to be respectful of nut allergies. You can also swap in pecans for the walnuts if you like those better.
- Raisins: Same with the raisins – you can either leave them out, or you can swap in dried cranberries.
- Caramel Sauce: We love this cake just the way it is, but if you pour some caramel sauce over the top you will go straight to apple cake heaven. Look for the caramel sauce near the frozen food section (because it goes so well with ice cream!)
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make this recipe
Step 2: Mix together all the ingredients called for except for the raisins and the walnuts until everything is nice and combined.
Step 3: Mix in the raisins and the walnuts until everything is fully combined.
Step 4: Scrape the batter into a 9 inch casserole or springform pan. It will be nice and thick.
Step 5: Bake until your cake is a deep golden brown, about an hour. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let it cool and then slice it up!
Recipe FAQs
I wish I could say yes, but you do need that apple pie filling because of the sauce that comes with it in the can. I promise it will taste like fresh apples!
Apple pie filling is in the baking aisle of your friendly neighborhood supermarket.
A springform pan is a pan that has a round bottom that is separate from the sides. The sides close with a lever that closes everything up, and then when you are ready to take whatever you are baking out of the pan, move the lever to open up the sides. No more trying to wrestle something sticky out of the pan!
Pop your question (or comment, or suggestion) in the Comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your dessert?
Not that a slice of this cake (especially when covered in caramel sauce) isn’t delectable on its own, but it’s especially nice with a cup of fresh mint tea.
Other apple recipes we love
Looking for more cake inspiration? Here is our complete collection of cake recipes!
Could you leave us some stars?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
PrintEasy Apple Cake
This delicious easy apple cake recipe is a snap to make! Also known as apple dump cake, it takes just one bowl and one baking pan and you are on your way to apple goodness.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- One 21 ounce can apple pie filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Grease a 9 inch round casserole or springform pan and preheat oven to 350.
- Mix together all ingredients except raisins and nuts until well-combined. Stir in nuts and raisins and transfer mixture to baking dish.
- Bake until deep golden brown, about an hour and 15 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out almost clean – start testing after cake has baked for an hour.
- Let cool, and serve with caramel sauce.
Notes
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- Nuts: You can leave out the nuts if you don’t like them, or if you are taking this cake to a party where you want to be respectful of nut allergies. You can also swap in pecans for the walnuts if you like those better.
-
- Raisins: Same with the raisins – you can either leave them out, or you can swap in dried cranberries.
-
- Caramel Sauce: We love this cake just the way it is, but if you pour some caramel sauce over the top you will go straight to apple cake heaven. Look for the caramel sauce near the frozen food section (because it goes so well with ice cream!)
Fran Olson says
Oh yay, this looks easy enough for me to try. Going to make it into muffins, though, so I don’t have a whole big cake lying around tempting me. Thanks!
Oooh, apple cake muffins! Let me know how those come out – I’ve never tried them that way.
Fran Olson says
Apple dump muffins are a WIN! Made them last night, cutting up the apples a bit so they weren’t too big, cooked in about 15 minutes. Had one still hot with caramel for dessert, wow. Cut one open for the toaster oven with butter for breakfast, yum. Then warmed some up and brought them as a treat for the golf boys on this chilly fall morning, and they were a huge hit with coffee! I am not a baker by any means, but I’ll make these again and again!
Yahoo! I’m going to add the directions for making muffins to the original recipe as an alternative! Thanks for being an awesome recipe tester! xoxo
Fran Olson says
I used paper muffin cups, which I gave a quick spray. Since the cake is on the (deliciously) sticky side, made things much easier. :-)
Very sensible of you! :) I’m definitely going to give the muffin version of these a spin. :)