5 Easy Dump Cake Recipes for Fall

Fall potlucks and weeknight desserts do not need a mixer marathon. These dump cake recipes keep the method honest: layer fruit or a pumpkin base in a pan, sprinkle dry cake mix, add butter, and bake until the top is golden and the filling bubbles. This collection of fall dump cakes covers chocolate, apple, pumpkin, caramel apple, and pecan pie—cozy flavors for football Sundays and Thanksgiving week without repeating the citrus dump cake already on the site.

If you love a brighter pan dessert, our Lemon Cream Cheese Dump Cake is the sunny cousin; everything below leans apple, spice, chocolate, and pecan for cooler weather.

Table of Contents

1. Chocolate Dump Cake
2. Apple Dump Cake
3. Pumpkin Dump Cake
4. Caramel Apple Dump Cake
5. Pecan Pie Dump Cake
6. Dump Cake Tips
7. Storage & Make-Ahead
8. FAQ

Chocolate Dump Cake

Cherry pie filling and chocolate cake mix bake into a gooey, brownie-cobbler hybrid with pockets of melted chocolate chips. It tastes like black forest cake took the shortcut exit—and nobody at the table complains.

Yield: 12 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 45–55 minutes

Total time: About 1 hour

Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

• Butter or nonstick spray, for the pan
• 2 cans (21 ounces each) cherry pie filling
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 box (15.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into thin pats
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Spread both cans of cherry pie filling evenly in the dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cherries.
3. Sprinkle the dry chocolate cake mix evenly over the top—do not stir. Break up any large dry clumps with your fingers so the surface is level.
4. Arrange the butter pats evenly across the cake mix, covering as much of the dry mix as you can.
5. Bake 45–55 minutes, until the top is set and golden in spots and the filling bubbles at the edges. Cool 15 minutes before scooping.
6. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream if you like.

Apple Dump Cake

Two cans of apple pie filling, a shake of cinnamon, yellow cake mix, and butter—this is the dump cake you make when the orchard run left you craving pie without rolling crust. Soft apples underneath, crisp buttery crumbs on top.

Yield: 12 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 45–55 minutes

Total time: About 1 hour

Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

• Butter or nonstick spray, for the pan
• 2 cans (21 ounces each) apple pie filling
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into thin pats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Spread the apple pie filling in the dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and optional nutmeg; stir gently just in the filling layer so the spice distributes.
3. Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the apples—do not stir the mix into the fruit.
4. Top with butter pats in an even layer. Scatter optional pecans over the butter.
5. Bake 45–55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the apples bubble at the edges. Rest 15 minutes, then serve warm.

Serving idea: A scoop of vanilla ice cream melts into the cinnamon apples like pie à la mode.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

A creamy pumpkin pie–style base gets topped with spice cake mix, butter, and pecans. It slices more like a bar than a scoopable cobbler once cooled, and it earns a permanent spot next to the Thanksgiving pies.

Yield: 12 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 50–60 minutes

Total time: About 1 hour 15 minutes

Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

• Butter or nonstick spray, for the pan
• 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 box (15.25 ounces) spice cake mix (or yellow cake mix)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into thin pats
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Pour into the prepared dish and spread evenly.
3. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin layer—do not stir.
4. Arrange the butter pats over the cake mix. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top.
5. Bake 50–60 minutes, until the center is mostly set (a slight jiggle is okay) and the top is deep golden. Cool at least 20–30 minutes before cutting; the pumpkin layer firms as it cools.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Apple pie filling meets a generous drizzle of caramel before the cake mix and butter go on. The caramel sinks into the apples and peeks through the buttery crumb—fair food energy with weeknight effort.

Yield: 12 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 45–55 minutes

Total time: About 1 hour

Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

• Butter or nonstick spray, for the pan
• 2 cans (21 ounces each) apple pie filling
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce or caramel ice cream topping, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow or spice cake mix
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into thin pats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• Pinch of flaky salt (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Spread the apple pie filling in the dish. Drizzle the 1/2 cup caramel sauce over the apples and sprinkle with cinnamon. Do not stir vigorously—just nudge so caramel is distributed.
3. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly on top—do not stir.
4. Cover with butter pats. Add optional nuts and a pinch of flaky salt.
5. Bake 45–55 minutes, until golden and bubbling at the edges. Cool 15 minutes.
6. Scoop into bowls and add an extra caramel drizzle if you want it sticky-sweet.

Pecan Pie Dump Cake

Brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, and pecans make a gooey pecan-pie layer under yellow cake mix and more pecans. It lands between pie and cake—sticky, buttery, and ideal when you want pecan pie flavor without rolling a crust.

Yield: 12 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 40–50 minutes

Total time: About 1 hour

Oven: 350°F

Ingredients

• Butter or nonstick spray, for the pan
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted (for the filling)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pecan halves or pieces, divided
• 1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into thin pats (for topping)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. In a bowl, whisk the brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt until combined. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the pecans. Pour into the prepared dish and spread evenly.
3. Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the pecan filling—do not stir.
4. Arrange the butter pats over the cake mix. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup pecans on top.
5. Bake 40–50 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are set (the center may still look slightly soft; it firms as it cools). Cool at least 20 minutes before serving so the gooey layer can set.
6. Serve warm with whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Note: The filling uses melted butter; the topping uses cold pats—both amounts are listed separately so nothing gets double-counted.

Dump Cake Tips

• Do not stir the cake mix into the fruit. The dry mix plus melting butter creates the cobbler-like top. Stirring makes a dense batter.
• Cover dry spots. If you see powdery patches after baking, you likely had gaps in the butter. Use thin pats edge to edge, or drizzle melted butter evenly as a backup method (same 3/4 cup).
• Bubble test. Dump cakes are done when the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the sides.
• Rest before serving. Fifteen to thirty minutes of cooling keeps scoops neater—especially pumpkin and pecan pie versions.
• Pan size. A true 9×13-inch dish is best; glass and metal both work (glass may need a few extra minutes).
• Cake mix brands. Standard 15.25-ounce boxes are assumed; if your box is slightly smaller, still use the whole box.

Storage & Make-Ahead

• Room temperature: Cover and keep up to 1 day if your kitchen is cool.
• Refrigerator: Store covered up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave 30–45 seconds, or warm the pan at 300°F for 15–20 minutes.
• Make-ahead for holidays: Bake the morning of or the day before. Pumpkin and pecan pie dump cakes slice cleaner when fully chilled, then rewarm slightly to serve.
• Freezer: Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge; reheat gently so the topping does not dry out.
• Toppings: Add ice cream and extra caramel just before serving.

FAQ

Do you mix dump cake before baking? No. Layer the filling, sprinkle the dry cake mix, add butter, and bake. (Pumpkin dump cake is the exception only for whisking the pumpkin base itself—still do not stir the cake mix into that base.)

Why is the top powdery or dry? Butter did not cover the cake mix evenly. Next time overlap pats more tightly or pour melted butter in slow ribbons across the whole surface.

Can I use melted butter instead of sliced? Yes. Melt the same 3/4 cup and drizzle it as evenly as possible so every area of cake mix gets moistened.

How do I know when dump cake is done? Look for a golden top and bubbling filling at the edges. Pumpkin and pecan versions should look mostly set in the center; they finish firming as they cool.

Can I use fresh apples instead of canned filling? Yes—peel and slice about 6 cups apples, toss with 1/2–3/4 cup sugar and 1–2 teaspoons cinnamon, and add 1–2 tablespoons water or lemon juice so there is enough moisture under the cake mix. Bake time may run toward the longer end.

Is dump cake the same as cobbler? Close cousins. Cobblers often use a biscuit or batter topping mixed separately; dump cakes use dry cake mix and butter for speed.

Should I refrigerate leftovers? Yes after the first day, especially pumpkin and pecan versions with eggs in the base.

Conclusion

These five dump cake recipes keep fall dessert simple: chocolate-cherry comfort, cinnamon apples, pumpkin spice, caramel apple goo, and pecan-pie richness—all from a 9×13 pan and a hot oven. Dump, bake, rest, and scoop. For a lemony change of pace outside peek fall flavors, try the site’s lemon cream cheese version—and keep this list bookmarked for every chill weekend ahead.