Yep, that’s right, I said Cinnamon Apple 3 Ingredient Gluten-Free Breakfast Dump Cake. What in the what? Last year, Cassy of Fed & Fit blew our minds with the Campfire Cobbler, a fruit-based “dump cake” made with a cake mix. Honestly, I’d never heard of such a thing, and frankly was in awe. Full credit to this recipe goes to her ingenuity. We’ve since made about a dozen variations of this cake – and other than Cassy’s peach with yellow cake mix original, this Cinnamon Apple with crumble topping is my favorite.
Warning: while the cake only requires THREE ingredients, one is something special you may not already have. We originally found this at a supermarket in Tampa, FL and Finian became obsessed. Much like his mother, a cinnamon crumble appears to be his weakness. I since bought this pack on Amazon, which I didn’t realize was an eight pack. So… we had a few boxes extra I was willing to play with and test.
this is not a paid ad, we genuinely just love this cake mix
Our recipes from the original of Cassy’s with a slightly different bake time, less butter, and the need to layer the butter between the cake mix and separated crumb topping that comes with it. All you need is fruit, the cake mix, and butter – voila!
Fresh vs. Frozen fruit
Our family goes picking at farms and freezes prepped peaches, apples, pears, cheeries, and whatever else we get in 3lb bags in the freezer… just for this recipe. I’m not kidding. Every-time we go to someone’s house for an event, it’s a huge hit. This and our ice cream coolie, Raspberry Coulis are our most-requested desserts to bring. We’ve learned from this, that it works best with previously frozen fruit.
We’ve tried both, and if you’re using fresh then you’ll want to toss the apples in a bit of GF flour or 1/4 of the cake mix before the rest of the steps to help thicken the liquid that will cook off. Using previously frozen and thawed fruit is best because you can drain a bit of the moisture off. Not all of it, but enough so that it’s not soupy when you serve it.
Cinnamon Apple 3 Ingredient Gluten-Free Breakfast Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 3 lbs apples (or any fruit you'd like) from frozen, peeled and sliced into 16ths (for medium size apples)
- 1/2 cup butter or cold ghee (1/2 a stick of our recommended Kerrygold) or sustainable palm oil for vegan/dairy-free
- Krusteaz Gluten-Free Crumb Cake Mix, Cinnamon, 20 Ounce (or mix of your choice, 12-15oz, then add your own crumb topping)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350
- Grease the pan if not using seasoned cast iron (recommended)
- Strain about half the liquid from the thawed fruit; or if fresh toss with 1/4 of the cake mix
- Fill a deep crock or casserole dish with fruit
- Shake cake mixture (not the crumb topping) over the apples, attempting to cover the entire top surface
- Slice the cold stick of butter into 1/4" thin squares (or cube as best you can if using ghee or shortening), in a thin layer over the entire surface
- Then shake the crumb topping over the butter, making the 4th and final layer
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy
Notes
This dish works great for make-ahead. We often prep it and then take to the event and put it on the oven when we arrive so that the freshly-baked aroma is tempting us as we wrap up the meal. It also tastes just as good (maybe even better) next day!
We have tried this in many vessels, and the round 4 qt enamel cast iron works best, allowing the amount of butter to be reduced over the top of the surface. If you're using a larger casserole rectangular dish you'll need to use another 1/2 stick of butter so that the entire surface can be covered.
If you're using fresh, toss them apples (yup, I was waiting for that opportunity) in a bit of GF flour or 1/4 of the cake mix before the rest of the steps to help thicken the liquid that will cook off. Using previously frozen and thawed fruit is best because; you can drain off about half the moisture that way. Not all of it, but enough so that it's not soupy when you serve it.
If you want to use an alternative cake mix, 12-15oz will be best to mirror these directions, then you add your own crumb topping. We have not yet tested a Simple Mills mix, but recommend either their Vanilla Cake or Pumpkin Bread with this recipe.
Note: checkout the Apple Tutorial for our Best Apple Crisp recipe if you want a crumb topping recipe to add your own to a regular box mix
The dish we use and the cake mix are listed on our Amazon Favorites shop, here.
Wondering what kind of apples are best? Checkout our Apple Tutorial here.
Want more info on our Real Life? Healthy recipes, parenting tips, and general lifestyle stuff goes out in our Real Everything newsletter, join here.
Never want to miss a post, sale, or deal? Join my Healthy Inside & Out e-mail list for more info on non-toxic living and safer skincare!
