Description
This effortless Apple Cranberry Dump Cake combines sweet apple pie filling with tart cranberries under a buttery, golden cake crust. It is a scientifically-backed dessert that delivers a perfect contrast of gooey fruit and crunchy shortbread-like topping with minimal effort.
Ingredients
- 21-ounce can apple pie filling
- 14-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced thin
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
- Spread the apple pie filling evenly across the bottom of the pan, then distribute the cranberry sauce on top, mingling them slightly with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the fruit layer without stirring, ensuring the surface is level.
- Arrange the thin butter slices across the entire surface of the cake mix to ensure full coverage, then sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is a deep golden brown.
- Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set and the crust to firm up.
Notes
To ensure no dry spots remain, make sure the butter slices cover as much of the dry cake mix as possible; you can even grate frozen butter for more even distribution. For the best texture, always allow the cake to rest for the full 15 minutes after baking, as this helps the fruit pectin stabilize and makes slicing much easier.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American