Name: Apple Dump Cake From Scratch
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 4 medium apples (about 1,5-2 pounds/ 700-900 g); 1 ½ cup/ 180 g cup all purpose flour; 1,5 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 cup/ 100 g caster sugar; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract (see notes)); 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional); 1/2 cup/ 120 g butter (cold)

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This Apple Dump Cake is probably the easiest baked dessert in the world made without cake mix! Soft and juicy inside, with amazing crust on top - this recipe is worth trying!

If you find this recipe interesting, don't miss also my Peach Dump Cake and also the Old-Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake!

The secrets of this dessert

Preparing Dump Cake from Scratch is not complicated, as you might think. Making the cake mix by yourself is really easy and it will guarantee you a better taste and less unhealthy products in your dessert.

Not using a store bought cake mix is actually the first secret of a delicious Apple Dump Cake.
The second secret is: don't literally "dump" all the ingredients in the pan, otherwise you might end up with sections of dry flour in your cake. You need to cover the fruit completely with the dry ingredients (mixed in advance) and smoothen them on top.
The third step for success of your Dump Cake is to distribute evenly the butter, cut into pieces. This will guarantee you a perfect crust, without holes.

a dump cake served in a plate next to the pan and a red apple

Preparation summary

This recipe is really simple and the preparation takes about 15 minutes:

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl
Peel and cut the apples
Grease the pan where you will bake the cake
Mix the apples with some sugar into the baking pan
Cover the fruit with the dry ingredients and push them into the apples with a spoon, while smoothing out. The idea is the flour to go deep into the apple pieces so that while the cake is baking, no dry areas would remain.
Arrange the butter, cut into pieces, over the dry ingredients.
Bake

Serving and storing

You can serve the dump cake immediately after baking it. It is great to eat it as it is, but could be even better with a scoop of ice cream.

Store the leftovers covered in the fridge. They can be reheated slightly in the microwave or in the oven before served.

apple dump cake served with a scoop of ice cream

Recipe tips

The original pan size I used was 8 x 9 inches/ 20 x 24 cm. You can use 7 x 11 inch pan or a pie baking dish that is not too deep. Just make sure that it allows the apples to be well covered by the dry ingredients, to the point of sticking outside.
Once the butter is heated, use a spoon to spread it evenly around the pan in the oven. That will guarantee you no dry areas would remain in the cake.
If using very sweet and juicy apples, you can reduce the quantity of the brown sugar mixed with the fruit. Otherwise you may find the cake too sweet.
On the other hand if using granny smith or similar sweet and sour apples, you can add 1 tablespoon sugar, especially if you like your desserts on the sweet side.

a woman holding a pan with dump cake and two red apples aside

Next time when you need a quick dessert for your family, you can prepare a delicious Apple Dump Cake From Scratch. It is very quick and easy and most probably you have all the ingredients already in your pantry!

If you need more apple desserts for inspiration, here are some you might like:

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4.42 from 12 votes

Apple Dump Cake From Scratch

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings:

Ingredients

▢ 4 medium apples, about 1,5-2 pounds/ 700-900 g
▢ 1 ½ cup/ 180 g cup all purpose flour
▢ 1,5 teaspoon baking powder
▢ ½ cup/ 100 g caster sugar
▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar, or vanilla extract (see notes)
▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
▢ ½ cup/ 120 g butter, cold

Instructions

Grease well a baking dish with 1,5 l capacity (I used 20 x 24 cm or 8 x 9 inch pan). You can use a small pie dish, as long as it is not too deep.
Preheat the oven to 360° F/ 180° C.
In a bowl combine flour, caster sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla sugar. Mix well and set aside.
Peel and chop the apples into bite sized pieces. Place apples and brown sugar in the pan and mix well with a spoon.
Cover the apples with the dry mixture. Press the dry ingredients with a spoon into the apples and smooth well the top. The dry mixture should go deep into the apples and the fruit should be evenly covered and sticking outside.
Slice the butter thinly and arrange the slices close one to another on top of the dry ingredients.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a golden brown crust is formed. Keep an eye on the cake in the first 10 minutes: if the butter has not spread around the whole top, use a spoon to spread it. Continue the baking normally afterwards.
Serve with or without a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Keep leftovers in airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave before serving.

You can use any kind of apples for this recipe. If using granny smith or other sour variety, you can add 1-2 tablespoon more sugar into the fruit. If using very sweet apples, you can decrease the sugar.

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