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This easy apple cake is filled with cinnamon and apples. Top it off with ice cream and caramel sauce for the perfect fall treat!
Apple desserts like this easy apple cake always sound amazing during the fall when apples are in their prime. Some of our favorites to make are Apple Cobbler, Apple Pie, and Apple Chips!
Apple Pie in Cake Form
Cakes are perfect any time of year! This easy apple cake just might be the easiest, most delicious fall recipe around! It has a tender crumb that’s extra moist, and it’s filled with juicy pieces of apple.
Best of all, the recipe comes together in no time because we’re using cake mix and apple pie filling. So if you need a quick and easy dessert, this apple cake is for you!
When it comes to apple recipes, I think everyone typically thinks about making Apple Crisp or Apple Pie. But sometimes switching things up is a very yummy thing. There are so many more possibilities when baking with apples.
Just Beat and Bake!
For this apple cake recipe you only need 5 ingredients and one of these is a cake mix. So it is very quick and easy to make!
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F (or 325°F if using a dark-colored pan). Grease & flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
BATTER. Add the cake mix, cinnamon, oil, and eggs to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until it’s smooth and then hand stir in the apple pie filling (so it doesn’t get crushed by the mixer).
BAKE. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow it to cool.
ENJOY! When ready to serve, top with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce.
apple cake Muffins
To make this apple spice cake into muffins rather than one large cake, simply follow the recipe exactly the same, but pour batter into muffin tins, filling each cup ⅔ of the way.
Bake at 375° F for 19-23 minutes or until lightly browned.
Recipe Tips
Change up your apple pie cake with the cake mix used, or add in nuts! Either way, this cake is a must-make.
Cake mix. A box of yellow cake mix is about 15.25 oz. The box will list other ingredients on the back, but you don’t need to add them in addition to what is listed on the recipe card.
Use spice cake mix for an extra flavorful cake. I’d probably leave out the cinnamon though if you’re using spice cake because there’s lots of cinnamon in the cake mix already.
Apples. Sometimes I chop the apples in the pie filling into smaller pieces first, but that’s totally optional.
Nuts. Add a little more texture to the apple cinnamon cake by folding in some chopped walnut. You can also sprinkle chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds on top of the cake before baking it.
Storing Apple Cake
STORE. Once the caramel apple cake has cooled, store it in an airtight container in one of the following places:
- Countertop: 2-3 days
- Fridge: up to 5 days
- Freezer: 3 months. Wrap the cake with plastic wrap whole or in individual slices, then place in an airtight container or wrap it again with aluminum foil and freeze.
Recipe FAQ
When baking desserts the instructions say to flour the pan: Spray the pan with cooking spray or coat it with butter. Scoop ¼ of all-purpose flour into the pan and tip the pan allowing the flour to coat the bottom and sides. Discard excess flour. The dusting of flour helps keep the cake from sticking to the pan after it has been baked.
You can use fresh apples like Gala apples, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold, or Granny Smith apples to make your own Apple Pie Filling. Allow it to cool and thicken, then measure out 21 ounces to use in this easy apple cake recipe.
For More Apple Desserts, Check Out:
- Apple Pancakes
- Best Apple Pie
- Mini Applesauce Muffins
- Caramel Apple Nachos
- Apple Crisp
- Caramel Apple Fudge
Easy Apple Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling
- caramel sauce & ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (or 325°F if using a dark-colored pan).
- Grease & flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Add the cake mix, cinnamon, oil, and eggs to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until it's smooth and then hand stir in the apple pie filling (so it doesn’t get crushed by the mixer).
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow it to cool.
- When ready to serve, top with ice cream and caramel sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I added two tablespoons of Caramel Syrup to mix and cup of walnuts and used a spice cake mix. It was yummy. 350 for 30 min.
Is this best served at room temperature, warm, or from refrigerator? I haven’t made it yet, but will be made a day before a get together and will have leftovers.
yummy
Can I mix apples in by hand? Every time I use mixer they disappear and I like bigger chunks of apple. Otherwise cake is delicious
Question: I’m wondering if the apples get nice and mushy, since they get beaten with a mixer? I don’t like “chunks” of apples. 😉. Thank you for a reply!
They do get a little that way. You could always chop them a bit more before mixing them in so they break down even more if you don’t like chunks. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Can you use a bundt pan for this rcipe? Thank you
Jonna
I haven’t tried this cake in a bundt pan, but you certainly could give it a try. Just make sure you don’t overfill the bundt pan. You’ll want to leave some room for it to grow and not spill over. Baking times would most likely need to be adjusted too. I’m not sure exactly how long to bake in a bundt pan, so keep an eye on it and when a toothpick comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs, it’s done! You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you give it a try!
When do you add apples?
The apples (found in the apple pie filling) are added with the rest of the ingredients before mixing. You can dump everything into a bowl and then mix with an electric mixer. Easy and quick!