This Slow Cooker Apple Dump Cake (aka Cake Mix Apple Cobbler) is the perfect fall dessert. Whether your fall is still hot or it’s starting to get chilly, you don’t have to turn on the oven to make this delicious cake mix dump cake.
It also comes together in a matter of minutes, and then your slow cooker does all the work until it’s cooked to perfection and ready to serve with a big dollop of ice cream on top.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Slow Cooker Cake Mix Apple Cobbler, you will need the following ingredients:
- Apple Pie Filling (we just used one 20 ounce can).
- Yellow Cake Mix (just the unprepared mix)
- Butter
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Slow Cooker
- Can Opener
- Spoon
How to Make Slow Cooker Cake Mix Apple Cobbler
- Dump the can of Apple Pie Filling evenly into the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Evenly sprinkle the yellow cake mix over the apple pie filling.
- Spoon the butter onto the cake mix – DON’T mix the cake mix and butter around. The moisture will make it cook.
- Cook on High for 4 hours in your slow cooker.
Storing and Other Variations
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Instant Pot Modification
To make this recipe in the Instant Pot, follow these instructions:
- Dump your apple pie filling into a pan that fits inside of you Instant Pot. I use this one HERE.
- Pour 2 cups of yellow cake mix on top of your apple pie filling
- Melt 4 Tablespoons of butter and pour it on top of your cake mix. DO NOT MIX IT!
- Pour 1 cup of water into your instant pot. Put a trivet in, then place your pan on top.
- Put your lid on, push manual and cook for 25 minutes. (Make sure the knob is on sealing)
- When it is done, push the knob to venting (quick release). Serve while it is still hot!

Now you can serve this with cinnamon, ice cream, whipping cream, or anything else you want! I personally like it right when it is done cooking, (so it is VERY HOT) and putting some vanilla ice cream on top. Melted ice cream on this is AMAZING! ha ha!
Enjoy More Delicious Apple Pie Recipes
Pies and tarts are perfect for any occasion. Check out our comprehensive list of pie and tart recipes!
- Apple Pie Filling
- Apple Hand Pies
- Classic Apple Pie
- Disney’s Apple Caramel Pie
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Easy Apple Cobbler
- Easy Apple Tart with Puff Pasty

Slow Cooker Cake Mix Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix
- 1 20 ounce can Apple Pie Filling
- 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
Equipment
- Spoon
Instructions
- Dump the can of Apple Pie Filling evenly into the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Evenly sprinkle the yellow cake mix over the apple pie filling.
- Spoon the butter onto the cake mix – DON'T mix the cake mix and butter around. The moisture will make it cook.
- Cook on High for 4 hours in your slow cooker.



















love that this cooks in the crockpot!
Wow! This sounds so delicious….especially on this rainy day!
Do you think peaches would work the same? This looks so delicious!!
We make this all the time in the oven!!! Love that this can be done in the slow cooker too!!!
Do you mix up the cake mix as usual then pour it on top? This sounds yummy!
Oh….I bet this would be good with Cherry pie filling too!! LOVE IT!!
you just made this pregnant lady super hungryyyy
what size slow cooker did you use?
Oh my goodness, this sounds amazing! I have a box of yellow cake mix ready to go . . . I’m definitely buying a can of apple pie filling on my next grocery shop!
Do you prepare the cake mix according to the box directions, or do you put the “powder” mix over the apples? This looks amazing!! 🙂
I’m wondering if you could do this with canned peaches for a peach cobbler? If you have any input that would be wonderful!
That’s exactly what I would like to know. 🙂
You leave the cake mix dry, no ingredients added.
Dry cake powder mix
My family makes a version of this and we call it “Dump Cake” Our version is baked in the oven using a can of crushed pineapple mixed with a can of cherry pie filling in a baking dish, sprinkle the dry cake mix on top and put the pats of butter on the dry mix. bake in the oven until golden on top and eat warm.
Dump cake!! You can make this using any kind of fruit~our favorite is pumpkin! So good!
I have an old slow cooker that is 7 quart.
Thanks bttrfleye! Yes a dry cake powder mix!
-Kristen
Oh man… peaches sound amazing!!!! I think it would work just fine! It might not be as gooey but I bet it would still be delicious!
-Kristen
Umm, thanks, but what size slow cooker/crock pot did you use? I have a couple different sizes(2qt, 4qt, and 6qt) and would like to know which one might work best.
There is only 2 of us – will this keep in the fridge for a few days and does it warm up ok? If you have ever had any leftovers that is – I’m sure it would be easy to eat it all!!!
Making this tonight for church sunday social, hope everyone likes it. I’m using peach, but I have more ingredients to make again next week for my husband’s bday, and will be doing apple. It seems like it’s burning around the edges but the house smells sooooooooooooooooooo good!
OMG this was a disaster! it burned all around the edges and there was like 2 servings of this, now I have nothing to take to church 🙁 I did and followed this recipe as is, except for adding peaches. that’s too bad because it really smelled good too!
I want to make this tonight at work, what size crock pot do I use?
I’m making this for my daughters team party tonight. Have you ever doubled this in your crockpot?
Yikes! I’m making this for a ladies Bible Study tomorrow. Hope mine turns out. Now I’m really nervous! 🙁
I cook this all the time in the oven at 350 until u no longer c the powder and get a nice golden color FYI don’t drain ur fruit and use the big can
Has anyone used a substitute for the butter, or at least part of it, so you don’t have so much fat in this? It sounds soooo delicious, but not too guilt free!
4 hours on high was WAAAAAY too long. Barely made it to 1.5 hours before we started smelling the “burn” from the crockpot. It was really tasty, but next time, I will cook on low.
Can I use a can of Sprite Zero instead of all that butter? I have heard of other cobbler/dump cakes that do the same – just not in the slow cooker…
So I accidentally prepared the cake mix instead of just adding it to the top without checking for a recipe. It’s in the oven now and I hope it tastes okay! I love this website!
Yes peach works the same way. We do this while camping. Start it , take a horseback ride, come in and desert is done.
I think this would be really good using a spice cake mix!
I’ve done this with cherry in a 4 qt (it was oval shaped). I think the 6 qt is too big and the 2 qt too small? I think it was about 1 1/2 inches of fruit and then maybe 1/2 inch of crumbly stuff on top.
I think she meant low instead of high?
This was yummy!
Would it work to double the recipe, or would that be better to do in the oven, like in a 9×13? Liz
I believe that this recipe needs to be amended per all the comments made, cake mix not to be prepared as normal, size of crockpot used, can of Sprite instead of butter…possibly spraying the crockpot with nonstick spray (as in the oven version) and cooking on LOW rather than HIGH which might alleviate the burned comments. It is a good recipe per oven version which uses two cans of pie filling in a 9 x 13 pan.
I made this last night for a dinner party last night. This was the easiest cake ever and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. Ice cream was great on top.
This sounds wonderful, and it sounds so easy to make.
Did anyone ever get the answer to whether or not you can use sprite instead of butter?
From reading over the comments it sounds like it will work with sprite. We have never used sprite, so we’re just going off of the comments. Best of luck to you! Let us know how it goes! -The Six Sisters
I made this tonight! I used a 6.5qt slowcooker and cooked it on low for 4 hours. It made enough for me and my boyfriend to have a nice big bowl each with some vanilla bean icecream. I would suggest if you’re making it for a family of 4 or 5 to use 3 20oz canned apple pie filling & 2 cake mixes. (there is more cake part than apple) and then of course cook it longer (maybe 5 or 5 1/2 hrs? Mine burnt a little around the edges but I didn’t mind, we just didn’t eat that part. It was a quick simple and filling dessert. We usually don’t have time to make dessert (ha or dinner for that matter!) because of our 3 1/2 month old, but I like that it took me 3 minutes tops to throw this all together. Thanks for the recipe!
Am trying it as we speak with peaches; but 4 hours seem too much because the sugar from the peaches started to burn. I’ll see how it turns out. I turned it down to warm.
yummy that sounds really good i think that might work even better!!!! 🙂
Most cake mixes come with pudding in the mix so it’s extra moist, would that be okay here? Also, would this be okay for someone with an allergy to eggs?
Your cake mix with the pudding should be just fine. This recipe does not call for eggs, so I would imagine it would be fine for someone with an egg allergy. Check the ingredients in the cake mix.
I made this recipe in my crockpot – but it burned after 2 hours. I think it should be made in a slow cooker instead of a crockpot, especially when you bake it on “high”
Do you put the lid on the slow cooker?
Be sure to put the lid on the slow cooker while this cooks.
I cooked this on high for 3 hours in my crockpot and it burned.
Can fresh apples be used and how many
Has anyone made this with cherry pie filling and chocolate cake mix? Would like to try it, but would like to know if anyone else has tried it and the results.
4 hours on high was too long! I added brown sugar andcinnamon and it xame out pretty good
I made this recipe yesterday for a legion auxiliary dinner meeting and it was a big hit. Not a scrap left! I used my white oval crock pot that is probably 5-5 1/2 qts. I used 3 – 20 oz cans of apple pie filling and one yellow cake mix. I used probably 8-9 tbs of butter melted on top. I also sprayed the sides and bottom of crock pot very good with baking spray. I cooked it on high for 4 1/2 hrs. It did not burn and turned out just perfect.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Ethel. I’m glad it turned out perfectly for your meeting!
Ok I put these exact ingredients in a really big crock pot. I think it’s one of the biggest ones you can get and I put it on high. In about an hour and a half, I noticed it started to burn on the edges so I turned it off and ate it. It’s awesome. I put a few more about 9 tablespoons of butter though and it was so buttery-licious.
Our Nursing Home Residents had a blast making this. We doubled the ingredients and went with peach. The long wait mixed with the aroma made the anticipation even better. They LOVED it. I am making this for my family this Thanksgiving. Thank you!
Has anyone ever tried this with a gluten-free cake mix?
Sorry, we have not made this with a gluten free cake mix.
I make this all the time…cherry pie filling and dark chocolate cake mix and about 4 to 5 tablespoons of butter on top….I also use a crock pot liner and cook on high for an hour then trun to low for another 2 or 3 hours….turns out great and tastes like cherry covered brownies
I use this all the time in my crock pot….try apple pie filling with spice cake….cherry pie filling with chocolate cake mix….berry pie filling with white cake mix….I always use a crock pot liner cook on high for an hour then turn down to low for 2 or 3 hours…never turns out bad…I also put in the freezer and eat small portions as needed
The instructions arn’t very specific on the cake mix do you pour it straight out of the box onto the apple pie filling? Or do you take the cake mix and mix it per instructions on box first?
Ok, Thank You for such a fast reply
I went ahead and tried it with a Betty Crocker Gluten-Free yellow cake mix. I just upped the butter since GF mixes usually require more liquid. I think I did a full stick of butter. It turned out great!
Yay!! So glad it worked for you!! 🙂
I just came upon another 3-Ingredient slow cooker recipe. The other one calls for 2 21oz. cans of pie filling….just wondering which one would work better.
You dump the dry cake mix over the apple pie filling.
I would use spice cake mix and add pecans!
I tweaked this recipe a little due to others reviews. I used 2 cans of apple filling, spice cake mix, a little extra butter and heavily greased my crockpot to prevent burning and sticking. I cooked on low for 4 hours and it was amazing!!
I use caramel apple cake mix-its fantastic with this!!!
It states ‘slow cooker’. I guess there’s a difference.
This is how I make it – in the oven at 350o – never fails. You can use any canned fruit with yellow cake mix. Made this back in the 40’s. Quick, easy and delicious!!
Im making it for thanksgiving tomorrow and i was wondering if it would work doubled up?! Our family eats alot 🙂
Not sure if a double recipe would work in one crock pot. You would need a big crock pot and have to adjust the cooking time. Hope this helps!
Chocolate cake mix with the cherry pie filling is great.
What size crock pot do you use?
The sisters all have different sizes, but 7 quart is the most common and will work for this recipe. Just watch it closely no matter what size you use.
The This would make any woman happy, pregnant or not!
Made this in instant pot and cake part was dry and uncooked with a butter soaked rubbery top layer. Definitely not worth making in instant pot. I used a 6 qt instant pot, 7 in cake pan, 20 oz can cherry pie filling, 2 cups dry cake mix and 6 Tbsp melted margerine. Followed directions for IP and results were extremely poor.
Love this in my instant pot. Would angel food cake work as well with raspberry pie filling ?
You can substitute other pie filling flavors in place of the apple. Raspberry sounds delicious.
Agreed!
Do you melt the butter or just put in whole? And how much?
You melt the butter and spoon it over the top. It’s step 3 in the recipe.
Hello I made this using peach pie filling and cherry cake mix. It was delicious while it was warm but the next day the top part (cake) was hard and crusty. Is it suppose to be that way?
It’s always going to be softer the first day when it is served warm.
It is really good !!! And so easy to make !! Using Cherry pie filling instead is great also and peaches
Sounds so good !!!
Has anybody done a apple peach cobbler ?? Just wondering
What temperature is crock pot set to? Cook for 4 hrs? I assume low setting?
What would you recommend I use since I can’t do butter? I was thinking either shortening or coconut oil or maybe vegetable oil. This could be our dessert on Thanksgiving! Thanks for this recipe! In a way I’m glad that the stores aren’t open now like they used to be or I’d probably go there and get the stuff to make this now! Tomorrow maybe!
Yes, those are good substitutes for butter, applesauce is supposed to also be a good sub for butter in baking. We have only made this recipe using butter. Let us know how it goes.
I made it and it was horrible!
I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t turn out, Jill! Anything in particular that made it distasteful for you?
Do you use the apple pie filling with the sugar in it or the kind that is just simply apples.
We use the prepared apple pie filling which has sugar added.