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Patty Catalano
Patty Catalano
Patty is a recipe developer and food writer. She worked Alton Brown’s Research Coordinator and podcast producer and in the Oxmoor House test kitchen. She loves maple syrup, coffee and board games. Patty lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children.
published Nov 12, 2023
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For the easiest Thanksgiving dessert, just dump apple pie filling, cranberry sauce, cake mix, and butter into a dish and bake!
Serves6 to 8Prep10 minutesCook50 minutes to 55 minutesJump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
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Holiday to-do lists are getting longer by the minute, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a store-bought dessert. This four-ingredient cranberry-apple dump cake is the easiest Thanksgiving dessert you’ll ever make.
Simply dump canned (whole berry) cranberry sauce and apple pie filling into a baking dish, sprinkle cake mix on top, dot it with thinly sliced butter, and bake. Everyone at your holiday table will want seconds of the cinnamon-spiced apples and tart cranberries under a buttery crunch of the cobbler-esque topping. Here’s how to make it.
What Ingredients Are in Cranberry-Apple Dump Cake?
- Apple pie filling: Canned apple pie filling has come a long way and contains peeled and sliced apples, sweetener, spices, and a thickener. It’s the perfect jump-start for your holiday desserts.
- Whole berry cranberry sauce: Dump cakes tend to be on the sweeter side, but mixing whole berry cranberry sauce with the apples gives the dessert welcome tartness and a ruby-red color.
- Yellow or white cake mix: Spread the entire box of dry cake mix over the fruit filling in an even layer.
- Unsalted butter: Cover the cake mix with thin slices of unsalted butter, so that when it melts the topping will have a sweet, buttery crunch.
How Do You Make Cranberry-Apple Dump Cake?
- Mix the fruit. Combine 1 can of apple pie filling and 2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce in a baking dish.
- Add cake mix. Yellow or white cake mix pairs nicely with the flavors of apple and cranberry.
- Top with unsalted butter. Cut unsalted butter into thin slices rather than melting it for the best coverage.
- Bake. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden-brown with a crispy crust.
What Is the Biggest Mistake to Avoid When Making Dump Cake?
If this is your first time making a dump cake, it may appear that we’ve forgotten an important instruction — stirring. But stirring is exactly what you do not want to do for this style of dessert. Dump the ingredients into the baking dish in the order listed, sandwiching the dry cake mix between butter and fruit so that it bakes up between a cake and a cobbler.
How Do You Serve Cranberry-Apple Dump Cake?
Serve warm cranberry-apple dump cake with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
How Do You Store Cranberry-Apple Dump Cake?
Once the cake has cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. The topping may soften upon storage, but will crisp up again when reheated in the oven.
Cranberry-Apple Dump Cake Recipe
For the easiest Thanksgiving dessert, just dump apple pie filling, cranberry sauce, cake mix, and butter into a dish and bake!
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 50 minutes to 55 minutes
Serves 6 to 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 (14-ounce) cans
whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 (about 21-ounce) can
apple pie filling
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box
yellow or white cake mix
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks)
cold unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
Vanilla ice cream, optional for serving
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with unsalted butter.
Add 2 (14-ounce) cans whole berry cranberry sauce and 1 (about 21-ounce) can apple pie filling to the baking dish and stir to combine. Layer in the baking dish in the following order on top of the fruit (do not stir together): Sprinkle evenly with 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix. Cut 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter into thin slices and arrange over the cake mix in an even layer, covering the entire surface.
Bake until golden brown, bubbling, and a crispy crust begins to form, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Cake
thanksgiving
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autumn
Dessert
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