This Dump and Bake Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe just might be the easiest and most delicious dessert that you will have all fall! Toss a few pantry staples into a baking dish with some fresh, sliced apples and pop it in the oven. Your house will smell amazing, and you will have a warm, bubbling, sweet treat in no time with this easy cake mix recipe!
Apple season starts early here in Central Virginia and it’s definitely my favorite time of the year! By the first week in August, the kids and I were out picking apples at our neighbor’s orchard so that we could fill our bellies with applesauce, slow cooker apple butter, apple pie smoothies, and simple fall desserts.
I actually received this recipe last year from my sons’ preschool teacher. The boys’ class made this as a group one morning during their Apple unit and Gibbs and Casey jumped in the car at lunchtime raving about it. They were so excited that they had made their own dessert AND that it actually tasted delicious. Trust me: this recipe is so easy that even 3-and-4-year-olds can do it!
The early apple varieties in our part of the country include Ginger Gold and Rambo apples, so that’s what we used here. Just about any type would work, though, so feel free to use whatever you have nearby (and a mixture of a few different varieties is nice).
Once the apples are sliced and placed in the bottom of a dish, it’s just a matter of sprinkling a boxed cake mix, oats, spices, and butter over the top. No stirring necessary!
After some time in the oven, the top will become a crispy and fragrant golden crust over tender, sweet apples. Drizzle with caramel sauce and garnish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream — in my opinion, autumn doesn’t get any better than that!
Dump and Bake Caramel Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients:
- 7-8 apples, (peeled or unpeeled is fine) sliced
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
- ½ cup Old-Fashioned oats
- 1 stick butter, melted (plus additional, as necessary)
- 2-3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar blend
- For serving: caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread sliced apples evenly in bottom of prepared dish.
- Sprinkle dry cake mix over the apples.
- Sprinkle oats over apple mixture.
- Drizzle with melted butter.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until apples are soft and top is golden brown.
- If some of the cake mix still looks dry, place a pat of butter over top of any remaining dry spots and put dish back in the oven until butter melts and top browns.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving, but this is best served warm!
- Top with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and/or caramel sauce.
If you’re looking for even more tasty apple recipes, try an Apple Pie Smoothie, some Slow Cooker Apple Butter, or some Brown Sugar Cinnamon Apple Dumplings.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy fresh apples?
- Easy Apple Harvest Mason Jar Salads - September 5, 2020
- Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Streusel Peach Cake Recipe - August 11, 2020
- Strawberry Jell-O Poke Cake Recipe - May 15, 2020
My husband’s favorite dessert is apple crisp. My mother-in-law gave this recipe to me when got engaged 49 years ago. I thought to change things I would try this new recipe. What goes better with apple crisp, caramel sauce.
Love, love apples. Enjoying all of these apple recipes, keep them coming.
Since we are only two, I cut this recipe in half, baked it in a 8 inch pan and it was delish! Thanks for posting it.
I made this with a gluten free cake mix for my gluten free daughter and we all loved it
I Love apple crisps and will be trying this with either granny smith apples or winesape apples. Loved the thought of caramel sauce with it, what could be better than sweet and tart?
Phyllis from Ga.