Easier Than Pie

Trust me, there's no one more surprised than I am that this isn't another pumpkin dessert blog. We finished up the pumpkin toffee bars earlier in the weekend, and I was immediately ready to go for round two of pumpkin spice madness, but I actually don't buy my canned pumpkin in bulk. Shocking, I know. Instead I decided to give my husband a break and bake something else. I know, poor guy, having to put up with my baking all the time. But in all seriousness, I wanted something that was quick and easy. It's still 90 every day with over 85% humidity and the thought of having the oven on for longer than 30 minutes is well, sweltering and makes me want to cry a little. I mean, it's raining right now, and true to my Garbage-loving musical inclinations, I really am only happy when it rains. But much less so when the rain somehow makes it even more hot and humid than it was before it started. Florida even ruins rain for me, so I clearly am harboring some feelings that need to be eaten. And since my usual motto is that "These feelings would go great with pie," I wanted to whip up something that would satisfy my lust for fall foods but take literally no effort on my part. And thus, the apple pie dump cake was created.

It was still hot out, but I felt so much better about it.

The beauty of the dump cake is that you literally just dump your two ingredients in a pan and shove it in the oven. But since I am both complicated and a perfectionist, I used more than two ingredients and employed the use of my stand mixer. But I still promise it's easy. And it's actually super low-cal. My entire cake makes 15 servings at only 126 calories a slice (sans toppings). It's a bit more than that after I pile the Cool Whip Free and caramel sauce on top, but what's an extra 80 calories when I burn that many simply standing outside and sweating in the Florida heat for five minutes. Florida summer: nature's natural weight loss remedy. You can definitely eat this without toppings. Honestly, without the toppings, this would make a great brunch staple. Fluffy angel food cake meets tart and sweet apple filling and a sprinkling of delicious cinnamon-sugar on top. Drooling yet? You should be. And if you think caramel sauce and Cool Whip can be eaten at any time of day, I both applaud you and recommend this can be eaten with any meal at any time.

Six ingredients to pure crisp, apple-y fall bliss.

Six ingredients?! I know, downright absurd for a dump cake. But when you consider I'm calling this an apple pie dump cake, thus fusing together pie and cake, I think you can forgive me for asking you to find six very simple ingredients instead of two. After all, I'm just trying to make the world a better place via dessert. I think we'd all be a lot happier (or at least less inclined to talk) with our mouths full of cake. Gather up:

• 1 box of angel food cake (the just add water kind)
• 1 can of apple pie filling (I used lite for lower cal and sugar content)
• Cinnamon and sugar
• Caramel Sauce
• Cool Whip Free

This is literally the hardest step.

 Start by preheating your oven to 350 and greasing a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Now bear with me, here's where things get extremely complicated. Dump your cake mix and can of pie filling into a bowl and mix on low until ingredients are blended. Whew. Thanks for coming with me on that wild ride.

Did I mention I'm serving this cake with a heavy side of sarcasm?

 Plop your batter into your pan and smooth out with a rubber spatula. Tap on the counter to release air bubbles.

And also serving it with a side of cinnamon sugar.

 Then sprinkle a little bit of sugar and a lotta bit of cinnamon on top of your batter. Apple + cinnamon = the other great fall comfort food. Bake your cake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. The top should be slightly firm (not completely hard) and golden:

I wanted to dive in with a shovel.

Mmmm cinnamon sugar is like crack to me. I refrained from licking the entire cake though, so I'm getting better with my addiction.

Once cooked, set on a cooling rack and let it cool off a bit before serving. I let it cool all afternoon and reheated in the microwave for a few seconds to get the apples nice and gooey again and just because I feel like anything apple cinnamon should be served warmed. 

And then this yummy melty Cool Whip happens.

And I was not wrong...topped with a dollop of  Cool Whip Free and some warm caramel drizzle, this transported me to one of my favorite cider mills in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where we could watch them press the apples to make cider while eating a fresh apple cinnamon donut. And yes, I do have a favorite cider mill. If you don't, go find one that can bring you into a state of childlike glee that fall has arrived (in most of the United States). You can bide the time with this cake though because it is the perfect amalgamation of apple pie and angel food cake. Sweet and tart with that melt-in-your-mouth consistency of angel food cake and a slight crunch from the cinnamon sugar topping. The metaphorical icing on the cake is that its done in a whopping 35 minutes from start to finish. It will make your house smell like fresh cinnamon donuts and turn even the staunchest of summer lovers into a fall fanatic. I mean, you might want to top theirs with ice cream though. Baby steps. With October just around the corner, you can bet I'll be back soon with a plethora of spooky treats. 'Til next time, my fellow eaters!