There is something mighty comforting about a dessert that comes together from a few shelf-stable ingredients and still comes out of the oven warm, sweet, and fit to carry straight to the table. This simple yellow cake dessert is much like the old dump-style bakes many of us across the Midwest grew up seeing at potlucks and church suppers, where a cake mix and a can or two from the pantry could turn into a bubbling treat with hardly any fuss at all. Using dry, unmixed yellow cake powder right in the baking dish keeps the work light and the reward high.
Serve this warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a spoonful of whipped topping, or a little pour of cold heavy cream if you like a simpler touch. Since this dessert is rich and sweet, it goes especially well after a plain supper like roast chicken, pork chops, or beans and cornbread, and a cup of coffee alongside it makes a fine ending on a cool evening.
3-Ingredient Oven Baked Yellow Cake Dessert
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 box (about 15.25 ounces) dry yellow cake mix
1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8x8-inch or similar medium baking dish.
2. Spread the apple pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the pie filling, covering it from edge to edge without stirring.
4. Drizzle the melted butter as evenly as you can over the top of the dry cake mix, trying to moisten as much of the surface as possible.
5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Variations & Tips
Peach version: Swap the apple pie filling for canned peach pie filling for a sunnier, summertime flavor that still bakes up beautifully under the yellow cake topping.
Butter coverage tip: If you notice dry patches of cake mix before baking, drizzle a little extra melted butter over those spots so the top browns more evenly and you do not wind up with dusty corners.
Spiced flavor: A light sprinkle of cinnamon over the fruit layer adds a cozy touch, especially if you are using apple filling and serving this on a chilly day.
Serving tip: This dessert is best served warm the day it is baked, though leftovers can be covered and reheated in the microwave for a soft, cobbler-like treat the next day.