Apple Pie Cake

4.48 from 367 votes

This Apple Pie Cake bakes cinnamon spiced apples right into a yellow cake batter and finishes with a buttery crumb topping, all in one 9 by 13 pan. Cake mix keeps it quick and cold butter keeps the crumb properly crumbly.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple pie cake, cake, dessert, pie

Servings:

Calories: 420kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake

1 box yellow cake mix I used Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix
1½ cups water
⅓ cup oil
3 eggs

Apple Mixture

6 medium apples about 2 pounds peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping

¾ cup all purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter cut into small pieces

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with baking spray.
Add the 1 box yellow cake mix, 1½ cups water, ⅓ cup oil, and 3 eggs to the bowl of your mixer and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it level.
In a medium bowl, toss the 6 medium apples with the 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until coated. Scatter them evenly over the batter, right to the edges.
In another bowl, stir together the ¾ cup all purpose flour, ½ cup brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cut in the ½ cup cold butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with some pea sized lumps. Scatter it evenly over the apples.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. It's done when the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, the topping is deeply golden, and the center is set with no wobble. If the top browns before the middle sets, tent it loosely with foil.
Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing, and 2 is better. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.

Video

Notes

Cold butter for the crumb. Straight from the fridge, cut small. Warm butter makes paste instead of crumbs.
Weigh the apples. About 2 pounds peeled and sliced. Too much fruit stops the cake setting properly.
Slice them ¼ inch thick. Thicker pieces won't cook through in the time the cake needs.
Apples: firm and tart hold their shape. Granny Smith is the reliable pick. Softer varieties like McIntosh break down into something jammier.
The toothpick test doesn't work here. You'll hit apple. Go by the edges, the color, and whether the center is set.
Cool before cutting. It keeps setting as it cools and warm slices fall apart.
Optional add ins: chopped walnuts or pecans in the crumb.
Serving: vanilla ice cream. Not negotiable in my house.

Nutrition