Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling

My apple cobbler with cake mix and pie filling recipe is an easy way to make one of the best desserts ever. With a base of just three ingredients, this cobbler is super quick and simple. However, if you add a few extra spices, you can elevate this southern style dessert to new heights. One of the best things about this cobbler is the texture because the crumb topping is so different, more like what you would find on a crisp or crumble. If you want to learn how to make an easy and delicious apple cobbler, especially if you need to feed a crowd, keep reading!

Why Use Cake Mix as Apple Cobbler Topping?

When most people think of a cobbler, they think of something like one of my southern style peach cobblers: pie crust on the top, maybe on the bottom as well, and a filling made of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit and sugar. Although an old fashioned apple cobbler with fresh apples and pie crust would be delicious, a cake mix cobbler is good because it is almost effortless.

Instead of measuring out ingredients and rolling out pie dough, all you have to do is open a box of white or yellow cake mix, sprinkle it over the fruit filling, top with butter, and then bake. Super quick and easy.

Another advantage of using cake mix as cobbler topping is that the combination of cake mix and butter makes a delicious crumb topping. Most cobblers have a soft cake or crispy pie crust topping, but making apple cobbler with cake mix gives the cobbler a crumb topping that is very similar to a crisp or crumble.

Can You Make Apple Cobbler with Apple Pie Filling?

Like I said earlier, when most people think of a cobbler, they think of a dessert with a fruit filling made of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit. However, using storebought apple pie filling makes this cobbler extremely easy because there is no peeling apples, measuring sugar, or adding cornstarch. The canned pie filling has apples that have already been peeled and sliced, and the sugar and thickener have been added as well, so all of the work has already been done for you.

The only drawback to making apple cobbler with apple pie filling is that you can’t control the ingredients. Do you prefer dark brown sugar? You want something a bit less sweet? Usually canned pie fillings are not well spiced, so if you want your cobbler to be truly outstanding, you will probably need to add some spices–I will go over that in a bit.

Can You Make Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix and Canned Apples?

Yes, you can definitely use canned apples. As long as the canned apples have sugar and are not runny, they can be substituted in equal amounts for apple pie filling.

Now that you understand the advantages of making apple cobbler with cake mix and pie filling, let’s walk through the recipe. You only need 3 basic ingredients, but a few extras will make your cobbler even better.

Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling: Three Ingredient Apple Cobbler

If you make apple cobbler with cake mix and pie filling, you only truly need three ingredients: cake mix, pie filling, and butter since the cake mix and pie filling already have sugar. Although it would be good with just the basics, adding a few other things will make your cobbler truly delicious. Let’s walk through the recipe to show you how to make this easy apple cobbler.

Dumping Pie Filling into Pan

The first step in learning how to make apple cobbler with cake mix is putting the pie filling in the casserole dish. A 15.25 oz box of cake mix makes enough crust for a 9 x 13 pan, so you need 2 20 oz cans of apple pie filling. Most storebought apple pie filling in the United States is sold in 20 oz cans, but be sure to read the label.

After first coating the casserole dish with butter, pour in the apple pie filling and spread it out evenly. If some of the apple slices look bigger than the others, cut them into smaller pieces.

Just like everything else, storebought apple pie filling is meant to appeal to as many people as possible, so it is usually pretty plain. It will be good if you use the pie filling as is, but I recommend adding a few other things to give your apple cobbler a bit more flavor:

• Extra brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Ginger
• Lemon Juice

You may want to use all, a few, or none of these extra spices and brown sugar, but I think that they helped to make the storebought apple pie filling taste more homemade. Once the filling is spread out evenly in the 9 x 13 pan, just sprinkle the spices and brown sugar over the apple filling and then lightly mix in to incorporate. Super simple.

Making the Apple Cobber Cake Mix Topping

Once the apple pie filling and spices are in the pan, it is time to make the cake mix topping. This is a dump cake style cobbler, so all you have to do is sprinkle a standard 15.25 oz box of cake mix over the top of the filling and then spread it out evenly without pressing down too much.

I recommend white or yellow cake mix since those flavors are fairly neutral and won’t compete with the apple filling too much, but I think that a spice cake mix could work as well. If you get creative with the cake mix flavor, let me know how your cobbler turns out.

Adding the Butter to Make the Crumb Topping

Next, you need to add butter to the cake mix so that it forms a crumb topping as the cobbler bakes.

Although it seems like a lot, you need 2 sticks of butter for this recipe. Since you are not mixing the cake mix with water, milk, or some other liquid to make a batter, you need the butter to moisten the cake mix as the cobbler bakes. You could probably get away with 1.5 sticks, but less than that, and I think that your cobbler would have a few dry patches.

Can you use melted butter to make the crumb topping?

When I made my apple cobbler, I did what I saw most other YouTube chefs do. I sliced the 2 sticks of butter very thinly, pretty much as thinly as I could, and then I laid the butter slices on top of the raw cake mix, spacing them out as evenly as possible.

As the cobbler baked in the oven, the butter melted down into the cake mix, moistening it and giving it the fat it needed to turn into a crispy crumb topping during the baking process. The melting butter moved more down than out, so it is important to put the butter slices close together, being careful to not leave a section of the cobbler with no butter at all. If a section of the cobbler has no butter, it will turn out dry, so making sure that the butter is evenly distributed is important.

Slicing butter into thin pieces and then placing those pieces on top of the cobbler takes a few minutes, so you might want to know if melting the butter and pouring it on top of the apple cobbler is an option. I did some a few people on YouTube just pour on the melted butter, but I think you would have to be careful to not accidentally more too much in one area and not enough in another.

Although I think you could melt the butter and pour it on top of the cake mix, I recommend cutting the butter into slices

Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling Bake Time In the Oven

Once the butter is on top of the cake mix, it is time to bake the apple cobbler in the oven. I baked mine at 350 F, uncovered, for 1.5 hours (90 minutes), longer than bake my other cobblers. The first time you make this, I recommend checking it at the 60 and 75 minute marks to see if a section of the cobbler is browning too much. You may have to rotate the pan or cover part of the cobbler with foil to make sure that the surface browns evenly.

When the apple cobbler is done baking, take it out and let it cool down at least 15 minute before serving so that it holds it shape a bit more when served. Cake mix cobblers with pie filling do not hold their shape like pie crust cobblers, do using a big spatula to scoop out portions if likely the best way.

Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling in a 9 x 13 Pan: Perfect for a Crowd

If you are cooking for a lot of people, this apple cobbler with cake mix and pie filling recipe is perfect. 1 standard 15.25 oz box of cake mix, 2 cans of pie filling, and 2 sticks of butter is enough for a 9 x 13 cobbler.

If you were to make a large old fashioned cobbler, you would need at least 2 pie crusts. You would also have to peel and prep at least 2 pounds of fresh apples to make the filling. That would be a lot of work, so if you need to make apple cobbler for a crowd, this cake mix and pie filling version is great.

With pre-measured ingredients you probably already have at home, you can quickly make a 9 x 13 apple cobbler that would be perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinner, a family reunion, or other event.

Can You Make Apple Cobbler Ahead of Time?

If you are making apple cobbler for a crowd, you may consider making it ahead of time, perhaps the day before.

I think you could make it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator, but the cake mix topping would lose some crispiness. When I made my cobbler, I tried a piece the following day. Although it still tasted great, it was a bit less crispy, the moisture from the filling having softened the crumb topping slightly.

You could get away with making this apple cobbler ahead of time, but no more than the day before. I think that freezing and thawing would definitely change the crust texture, so I wouldn’t recommend it. In all honesty, this apple cobbler with cake mix is so quick to make, I recommend making it the day of so that you don’t sacrifice the texture. If you are going to cheat on your diet, you want to eat your calories wisely, haha.

Recipe Review

Appearance: 7 / 10

This apple cobbler with cake mix and pie crust definitely looked good. The butter melted into the cake mix and turned it a nice brown color, and the sight of a large 9 x 13 pan of dessert was very inviting.

However, when compared to my old fashioned cobbler with pie crust, this quick dump cake mix cobbler was not as visually appealing. In all honesty, it definitely looked like I had “dumped” the ingredients on top of each other and baked.

Taste: 8 / 10

This apple cobbler tasted very good…but it wasn’t my favorite.

Really, it was a bit too sweet. Although I love desserts, I do not like overly sweet desserts. The storebought canned filling actually wasn’t quite sweet enough for me, so that is why I added the bit of brown sugar.

Normal pie crust usually has just a teaspoon of sugar, so if you use it as a crust for your cobbler, you aren’t adding extra sugar.

However, cake mix has sugar, so with the cake mix and pie filling combined, this cobbler was a bit too sweet for me.

I have had followers on YouTube comment that they enjoyed this cobbler recipe, so I don’t think that everyone will have the same complaint as me. Honestly, I think that the vast majority of people will love it–but if you are sensitive to sweet things, this might be too sweet for you.

I also wanted to add that I was glad I added the extra spices. I think they helped to cut through the sweetness in a way. Like I said earlier in the article, I highly recommend adding them.

Texture: 10 / 10

The one thing that really stood out about this apple cobbler with cake mix and pie filling as the texture. I really liked the crispy crumb topping that formed on the top–it was more like what you would find on an apple crisp or crumble. Having a bit of crunch in my mouth as I chewed the soft apple filling was nice.

Ease: 9 / 10

This apple cobbler was super easy to make since all I had to do was “dump” the pie filling, cake mix, and butter into a 9 x 13 dish and bake. Without a doubt, this is a lot easier to make than an old fashioned cobbler with cobbler.

However, taking the time to slice the 2 sticks of butter into small pieces and then place them on top of the cobbler takes a few minutes, so that is the only “hard” thing about this recipe.

A Chef’s Review

This cake mix cobbler was the first dump cake I ever made. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say that it was good. Although it wasn’t quite as flavorful as a normal, old fashioned cobbler, the fact that all you have to do is “dump” the ingredients into the pan makes this a great dessert.

I think that the extra lemon juice and spices really made this good. Along with pumpkin dump cake, it’s the perfect fall dessert and would be a nice addition to a Thanksgiving table.

Possible Changes to the Recipe

Can I use canned apples?

Like I said earlier in this article, you can substitute equal parts of canned apples for apple pie filling. I think that this cobbler would be a great way to use up homemade canned apples, especially if your canned apples are not super sweet. That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about your cobbler being too sweet.

Can I make this in a crock pot?

Although I baked my apple cobbler in the oven, I think you could definitely make this in a crock pot as well. The only thing is that your cobbler may not get as crispy on top since the dry heat of an oven tends to make things crispier.

However, if you want something that you can mix together and then come back a few hours later to serve, a crock pot version of this recipe would be perfect.

Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix?

While researching this recipe, I found a lot of blog comment sections in which people said that they have made Dutch oven apple cobbler with cake mix and pie filling while camping. This recipe would be perfect for camping: all you have to do is open packages and “dump” out the ingredients, so you do not need to take separate containers of sugar or flour, or measuring cups, with you to the camp site.

I am not quite sure why, but food cooked outside usually tastes better, so making apple cobbler in a Dutch oven while camping sounds like a great idea!

Other Apple Dessert Recipes

If you liked this apple cake mix cobbler, then be sure to check out my other apple desserts:

Apple Cobbler with Pie Crust

Applesauce Pie Recipe

Stove Top Apple Dumplings

Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling Recipe

Apple Cobbler with Cake Mix and Pie Filling

January 30, 2022

by Parnell The Chef

Ingredients

• 1 15.25 oz box of cake mix (I recommend white or yellow. I used white)
• 2 20 oz cans apple pie filling
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (60g) — I recommend light brown, but I used dark brown

Instructions

1. Lightly butter a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
2. Pour 2 cans of apple pie filling into pan and spread out evenly. Cut up any abnormally large pieces of apple.
3. If using extra brown sugar and spices, sprinkle them on top of the apple pie filling, then stir in lightly to combine.
4. Sprinkle cake mix on top of pie filling as evenly as possible, then spread out and make level, being careful to not push down.
5. Cut 2 sticks of butter into very thin slices, and then lay the slices on top of the cake mix. Cover as much of the surface of the cobbler as possible.
6. Bake at 350 F for 1.5 hours (90 minutes).
7. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, then serve.

https://parnellthechef.com/apple-cobbler-with-cake-mix-and-pie-filling/

YouTube Video

Be sure to watch my YouTube video tutorial:

Links

Blog with comment section about making this dessert in Dutch ovens while camping:

https://www.justapinch.com/blog/articles/read/229937/history-of-the-dump-cake/

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