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Home / Recipes
1 hour 30 minutes
4.55 from 151 votes
05.02.19
Updated: 08.05.19

Apple Pie Cake

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Apple Pie Cake – Is it pie or is it cake? It’s both! This sweet, cinnamon-y, moist pastry is a year round hit, no matter the season!

slice of Apple Pie Cake on a plate sprinkled with powdered sugar

Pie or cake? Is this the eternal question in anyone else kitchen or just mine? Luckily through my own tireless efforts and much taste testing (a real grind I know) I have the answer to your dessert dilemma.  This apple pie cake recipe combines the best of both worlds; soft spongy cake meets syrupy apple pie filling and the rest is history. Whether you have vanilla ice cream on hand or not, this is the sweet treat to end your day with.

I simply love this pie cake, that’s what I’ll call it from now on, pie cake. It’s so simple to make, and yes I did use a yellow cake mix just because this is supposed to be a quick cake, so I’m all about taking shortcuts during times like this. This pie cake has 3 layers, the yellow cake, the apples and the topping. It’s simply divine!

2 process shots showing how to assemble Apple Pie Cake

Ingredients In Apple Pie Cake

Be sure to check out my recipe card at the bottom of the page for more detailed measurements and instructions.

Apple mixture
  • Apples – I used Macintosh apples as they’re in season at the moment here in Canada, however any kind will do! Be sure to slice them thin and bite sized.
  • Brown sugar – I used brown sugar for this recipe as I want to develop a nice dark color for my apple ‘filling’. It will also give a note of caramel to the dish.
  • Lemon juice – This will prevent the sliced apples from oxidizing before they’re put in the oven, it also gives a nice tart note to the dish.
Cake
  • Boxed yellow cake mix – This is meant to be a quick cake and you all know by now that when the time calls for it, I’m not shy about taking shortcuts. If gluten free is available feel free to use that instead.
  • Water – This particular cake mix called for water but if yours calls for milk use that instead.
  • Oil – A light flavorless oil, canola is always a good go to, is important for ensuring your cake turns out moist.
  • Eggs – This will bind our batter.
Topping
  • Flour – I used all purpose, gluten free flour will also work fine.
  • Brown sugar – The molasses in the brown sugar will melt down in the oven, forming a beautiful thin crust of sugar over top of the cake.
  • Salt –  Say it with me now: every good dessert is only as good as it’s sugar to salt balance.
  • Butter – As we want this topping to be crumbly, butter will be cut in with a fork.

Apple Pie Cake before and out of the oven

How To Make Apple Pie Cake

This apple pie cake recipe has 3 layers; the yellow cake layer, apple pie mixture, and the heavenly topping. Each will be poured over the last in your cake pan.

Prepare your oven: Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray.

Prepare the cake mix: Prepare the yellow cake according to package instructions: add cake mix, the 3 eggs, water, and oil to the bowl of your mixer and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan.

Combine apple mixture: In a medium bowl, toss together the apple mixture ingredients before spreading them evenly over the cake batter.

Make the topping: In a medium bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, and salt for your topping. Cut the butter in using a fork to ensure that the topping becomes crumbly as the butter is worked in. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples evenly.

Finish the pie cake: Bake anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving. If you’re feeling fancy, feel free to sprinkle the dessert liberally with powdered sugar before serving.

Storing Apple Pie Cake

The best method of storage is to refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 3-4 days. If freezing be sure to let it cool to room temperature before wrapping in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

A slice of Apple Pie Cake with icing sugar on top

Craving More Desserts? Try These:

  • Apple Pie Taquitos
  • Churro Apple Pie Cookies
  • Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake Bars
  • Classic Apple Pie
  • Quick Apple Turnovers
  • Chocolate Swiss Roll 

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Apple Pie Cake

4.55 from 151 votes
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 30 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 12
Print Pin Rate
Apple Pie Cake - Is it pie or is it cake? It's both! For those times when you can't decide if you want pie or cake, this apple pie cake will satisfy both cravings!

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 box yellow cake mix I used Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 3 eggs

Apple Mixture

  • 6 apples peeled, cored and sliced
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar packed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Topping

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and spray a 13x9 inch pan with baking spray.
  • Prepare the yellow cake according to package instructions: add cake mix, 3 eggs, water and oil to the bowl of your mixer and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan.
  • In a medium bowl, toss together the apple mixture ingredients together and spread over the cake batter.
  • In a medium bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar and salt for the topping and cut in the butter using a fork or pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
  • Sprinkle topping over the apples and cake batter, evenly.
  • Bake anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if preferred.

Video

Recipe Notes

For the cake please follow the instructions on your cake mix box. The ingredients listed and instructions were as per the instructions on the cake mix I used, but they could vary.
The best method of storage is to refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 3-4 days. If freezing be sure to let it cool to room temperature before wrapping in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 434kcal (22%)Carbohydrates: 61g (20%)Protein: 4.5g (9%)Fat: 20.1g (31%)Saturated Fat: 6.8g (43%)Cholesterol: 62mg (21%)Sodium: 412mg (18%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 36.6g (41%)
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Keyword:apple pie cake, cake, dessert, pie
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet jo

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Jill says

    November 23, 2019 at 2:37 pm

    Can I substitute non dairy butter like earth balance to keep it dairy free?

    Reply
    • jo says

      November 24, 2019 at 10:12 am

      I haven’t tried it myself, so I cannot tell you with certainty, but I think it should be ok.

      Reply
  2. Joe V says

    November 6, 2019 at 2:00 pm

    I made this cake not sure about quantity of apples could you possibly give quantity in cups even if its appx. I used honeycrisp apples and they were fairly large

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      November 7, 2019 at 9:58 am

      You’ll need about 4.5 cups.

      Reply
  3. SDeb says

    October 10, 2019 at 4:00 pm

    It’s in the oven baking and the whole house smells wonderful. I won’t be tasting it until tomorrow, so I’ll come back and let you know how I liked it.

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      October 11, 2019 at 9:51 am

      Let us know! 🙂

      Reply
      • Deb says

        October 11, 2019 at 8:29 pm

        This was very delicious. It was a bit crumbly but this had a wonderful almost butter taste to it. All I had was some quite small Granny Smith’s and I could have used another 2-3 apples. I live at 4500 ft elevation so I had to add a little extra flour and I decreased the oil by one tbs. I baked it for 50 minutes checking the cake every every 5 minutes after 30 mins had passed.. It needs some tinkering but it is really delicious. I had some heavy cream for whipping but it really doesn’t need it. I will add some extra cinnamon next time too.

  4. kelly says

    October 10, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    Can you put oats in the crumble top? Would you change the other ingredients to the topping if you did?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      October 11, 2019 at 9:53 am

      For sure feel free to add some oats!

      Reply
  5. Jenny says

    October 9, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    I can’t wait to try this! Do you know if I could substitute the cake mix for a gluten free cake mix? Would I need to change up the ingredients at all?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      October 10, 2019 at 10:31 am

      You can give it a go! Compare the ingredients on your box of cake mix to a regular box.

      Reply
  6. Jenni F says

    September 30, 2019 at 2:57 pm

    Can I use melted butter instead of oil ,for a richer taste ?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      October 1, 2019 at 10:32 am

      Yes you can!

      Reply
  7. peggy says

    September 2, 2019 at 9:14 pm

    can you use canned apples

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      September 3, 2019 at 10:15 am

      Yes you can! I’d still add some cinnamon and lemon juice for flavor but you can skip the brown sugar. Keep in mind that canned apples may give you a bit of a different texture versus fresh.

      Reply
  8. Joann says

    August 8, 2019 at 9:13 am

    what kind of apples do you use?

    Reply
    • Nicole Beaulieu says

      August 8, 2019 at 10:48 am

      We used Granny Smith. Any type you have on hand will work!

      Reply
  9. Jeanne Ostnes says

    April 11, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    I made 3 dozen cupcakes with this recipe. They came out wonderfully in the paper cups and baked for 25 minutes. I used the grey non stick pan, 12 at a time. I am at sea level. Thank you.

    Reply
  10. Guest says

    March 19, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    The cake was excellent in texture and taste. Followed exact and at high altitude. Imho suggest only making it if it will be eaten by large crowd on day one because day two it became unpleasantly moist and day three it was soup for trash. Grin. Thank you

    Reply
  11. Susan says

    February 27, 2019 at 5:59 pm

    Everyone loved the cake. Maybe needed more cinnamon for me. It is probably more like a breakfast cake. Maybe drizzle some icing over it vs powdered sugar.

    Reply
  12. Frances Kucka says

    February 1, 2019 at 6:27 am

    I am baking this cake right now and I got scared when the cake oozed up over the filling. It has now covered it completely. Then I looked at your final picture and now believe this is not unusual. Hope I’m right. LOL Sounded delicious, can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      February 1, 2019 at 10:59 am

      Ha! That’s what’s supposed to happen. 🙂

      Reply
  13. Susan says

    January 29, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    I want so badly to make this cake but 35 min to 1hr is a hugh difference in baking time.

    Reply
    • Nicole Beaulieu says

      January 30, 2019 at 10:06 am

      Since this uses a boxed cake mix, each brand will have different baking times. This is the best estimate we can give you without knowing which type you have, but use the box as a guideline!

      Reply
  14. Diana LaCour says

    December 21, 2018 at 11:09 pm

    Can I use white cake mix?

    Reply
    • Nicole Beaulieu says

      December 24, 2018 at 11:12 am

      Yes you can!

      Reply
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