The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (2024)

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This easy apple crisp with is the best recipe you'll ever eat! With its rich cake mix topping and no oats plus a secret ingredient, you'll never make another apple crisp recipe again!

The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (1)Pin

Apple crisp is such a pleasing and easy dessert to make. Over the years, I've posted quite a few different apple crisp recipes.

  • Easy Apple Crisp
  • Crunchy Apple Crisp
  • Grace's Apple Crisp

I always have to dig through all of them in order to find this particular one.

This one is, by far, my favorite, coming out perfectly every single time I make it. In fact, I've completely stopped using my other recipes; this one is just too good.

I've made this crisp with pears, with peaches, and with apples, and it's always perfect and delicious. The crisp topping is rich and creamy without being too moist, and the fruit underneath makes a sweet syrup while baking.

This year, we picked ten pounds of sour cherries at the local orchard and made cherry crisp with this recipe. That's my favorite, I think, because the cherries are slightly tart even after you cook them, combined with the sweetness of the cake-y topping makes a phenomenal dessert.

I was a Pampered Chef Kitchen Consultant for a couple of years immediately after moving out of my parents' house. It was The Pampered Chef that taught me to cook.

This recipe comes from my old PC days, although I have made a few modifications over the years. The current iteration is my favorite, of course, and I can bet it will be your favorite too.

The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (2)Pin

What you'll need to make the best apple crisp with cake mix

EQUIPMENT

INGREDIENTS

The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (3)Pin

See printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and more information.

  • Largeapples- You will need to peel, core, and slice the apples into ½-1" thick slices. I have used Granny Smiths in the photos below because they're my favorite cooking apple, but honeycrisps are also very nice. If you have to peel the apples in advance, toss them with a tiny bit of lemon juice so that they don't get brown.
  • Meltedbutter - This is how you make the crumb topping that goes over the apples.
  • Choppedpecans or walnuts - These are optional but give the finished crisp a lovely crunch.
  • Yellow cake mix - Together with the melted butter, this is the foundation of the crisp crust. Using a cake mix makes it so easy because you don't have to measure anything else. You can substitute a white cake mix or a spice cake mix if that's all you have, but I think yellow has the best flavor.
  • Whitesugar - I don't know why you add a tiny bit of sugar to the cake mix, but it was in the original Pampered Chef recipe, so I kept it. You could also use brown sugar if you prefer.
  • Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice - This gives the apples a wonderful, sweet flavor. I usually use pumpkin pie spice but plain cinnamon will also work really well.

How to make the best cake mix apple cobbler

  1. Arrange the granny smith apples slices in a baking dish. Depending on how many pears you've used, anything from a 9x9 to 9x13, round, or oval dish will work or even a similarly sized cast-iron skillet.
    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (4)Pin
  2. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of spice over the apple slices and toss to coat.
    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (5)Pin
  3. In a medium bowl, combine nuts, cake mix, sugar, and remaining cinnamon. Then pour melted butter in, stirring until well mixed.
    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (6)Pin
  4. Mix well, until crumbly.
    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (7)Pin
  5. Sprinkle crust mixture evenly over the apple slices.
    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (8)Pin
  6. Bake in the oven at 350 for 40 minutes or until crumb is toasty and golden brown.
    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (9)Pin
  7. We like our apple crisp served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (10)Pin

A few tips for the best easy apple cobbler:

  • Grace currently has braces and thus cannot eat nuts, so we have to leave them out right now. It's a bummer because I love them.
  • If you need a gluten-free recipe, you can easily use a gluten-free cake mix and it should come out just fine.
  • As I said above, this recipe works beautifully with any kind of fruit. Just fill your pan about ½ way with the uncooked fruit of your choice and top with the crisp topping. Cook until the topping is golden brown and starting to get crispy.
  • Use the cinnamon only if your fruit choice makes sense with it. I use cinnamon or apple pie spice with apples of course, but I also use one or the other with pears. I do not use any spices with peaches, and I use sprinkle a teaspoon or so of almond extract over my cherries.

What to do with leftover apple crisp

Storage can be a bit tricky.

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days, however the crust will get soggy.

If you want the crust to stay crispy, you'll want to keep the crisp in the original baking dish and cover it with foil or plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator and heat up in a 300ºF oven for 10-15 minutes when you want to serve.

What's the difference between apple dump cake and apple crisp?

Typically, for a dump cake, you use a can of apple pie filling and sprinkle the unadulterated cake mix on top, then pour the melted butter over the whole thing. But in truth, there's not a whole lot of difference. I call this recipe apple crisp, but I'm sure there are other people who call it (or something very similar) an apple dump cake.

Try these other delicious fall dessert recipes while you're here:

  • Homemade Apple Crisp - This is a different recipe with an entirely different crisp crust.
  • Crunchy Apple Crisp - Another different recipe with a third different crisp crust.
  • Apple Crisp with Oats - Can you tell we really like apple crisp? This is a fourth recipe with an entirely different crisp crust.
  • The Best Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe
  • Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
  • Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples - You could do pears the same way.
  • - My kids have always loved this fun afternoon snack. You could do the same thing with a pear.

Recipe

The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (11)

Pampered Chef Apple Crisp with Cake Mix

This easy apple crisp is the best recipe you'll ever eat! With its rich topping and no oats plus a secret ingredient, you'll never make another apple crisp recipe again!

4.69 from 16 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.

  • Arrange apples in a 9x9 or similarly sized round baking dish. (I like to make this in a round dish.) Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of cinnamon over apples and toss to coat.

  • In a medium bowl, combine butter, nuts, cake mix, sugar, and remaining cinnamon. Mix well, until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the apples.

  • Bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes or until crumb is golden brown.

  • Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

  • Grace currently has braces and thus cannot eat nuts, so we have to leave them out right now. It's a bummer because I love them.
  • If you need a gluten-free recipe, you can easily use a gluten-free cake mix and it will come out just fine.
  • As I said above, this recipe works beautifully with any kind of fruit. Just fill your pan about ½ way with the uncooked fruit of your choice and top with the crisp topping. Cook until the topping is golden brown and starting to get crispy.
  • Use the cinnamon only if your fruit choice makes sense with it. I use cinnamon or apple pie spice with apples of course, but I also use one or the other with pears. I do not use any spices with peaches, and I use sprinkle a teaspoon or so of almond extract over my cherries.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 430IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

Keyword apple, crisp

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply

  1. Anonymous says

    oh my goodness... this sounds just heavenly! {I can smell it now!} I'm a new reader... nice to "meet" you!

    Reply

  2. Robyn says

    I will be making this IMMEDIATELY. What kind(s) of apples do you recommend?

    Reply

    • Anonymous says

      Whatever you like will work. We got some Johnny Crisp apples at Strite's that were simply divine in it, but really, I've never made a batch that I didn't like. Softer apples almost turn to applesauce when you cook them. Crisper apples hold their shape a bit better. Aside from that, use whatever apples you have. Even a combination will work well, as long as you mix them up when you put them in the pan.

      Reply

  3. Whitney Wingerd -MWS says

    Tara, this sounds v. yummy - may have to try it, thanks for posting!

    Reply

  4. Daria says

    I have mine in the oven right now. It took less than 10minutes to put together from start to finish. SUPER EASY!! I'll let you know how it turns out... but it smells divine, so I'm sure will be great!

    Reply

  5. Lanahowell says

    Ok adding the cake mix is new to me but sounds soooo good! I LOVE apple crisps. I will be making this for sure. Thanks Tara! hope you are well. I've been soo bad about blogging lately, I'm hoping to catch up on everyones blogs soon.

    Reply

    • Anonymous says

      You have a great excuse! How's that baby doing these days?

      Reply

  6. Ann Kroeker says

    The WHOLE cake mix? Really? Okay, I'm game. I mean...who doesn't love cake mix?

    Reply

    • Anonymous says

      Yep, the whole thing. 🙂

      Reply

    • Anonymous says

      Yep, the whole thing. 🙂

      Reply

  7. Ann Kroeker says

    The WHOLE cake mix? Really? Okay, I'm game. I mean...who doesn't love cake mix?

    Reply

  8. Miz Helen says

    I love anything Apple this time of the year. Your recipe for Apple Crisp looks great.
    Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  9. Jenny says

    The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (16)
    I didn’t have any yellow cake mix on hand so I used a vanilla cake mix and then put some brown sugar on top at the end before baking and it was TO DIE FOR. The addition of brown sugar sprinkled on top made it crispy and amazing.

    Reply

The best easy cake mix apple crisp recipe from the Pampered Chef (2024)

FAQs

What are the best apples for apple crisp? ›

Under the simple butter-sugar-flour-and-oat topping is the apple filling scented with cinnamon. Our test kitchen says baking apples, like Rome or Cortland, are the best varieties to use for apple crisp, but Empire, Gala, or Braeburn apples are also good in this recipe.

How do you make Martha Stewart apple crumble? ›

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; transfer to prepared dish. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt until large pieces form. Scatter over filling.

What are the crispy apples for baking? ›

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

What's the difference between apple crumble and apple crisp? ›

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

How do you keep apples from getting mushy in apple crisp? ›

How do you keep Apple crisp from getting soggy? You need enough butter in your topping, try both melted or cold cut into the dry ingredients. Also, there needs to be enough texture to keep it from just flattening into the fruit below.

What is the secret to crunchy crumble? ›

However, we also love adding porridge oats for extra chewiness, as in these recipes for very-berry oat crumble and American-style apple crisp. Chopped and toasted nuts such as pecans, almonds or hazelnuts also make a lovely addition to a traditional crumble, for taste as well as an extra-crunchy texture.

What's the difference between a crisp and a crumble? ›

So what's a crumble vs. a crisp? A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

Why add lemon juice to apple crumble? ›

This is known as oxidation and occurs when the cells within the fruit are exposed to air. Lemon juice helps with this, acting to coat the flesh and protecting it. It also adds extra flavour to your apple crumble recipe and offsets the sweetness of the sugar.

What apples should not be used for apple pie? ›

There are a few apples that don't make the cut. While great for snacking, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious are the most common apples that won't hold up in the oven and will give you a watery-mushy pie, tart or cake.

What is the sweetest crisp apple? ›

While there is an extremely wide variety of apples, all with varying flavors, the sweetest-tasting apple is fuji, followed by gala, honeycrisp, and Red Delicious apples. These apples are great for snacking and eating as is. Granny Smith, McIntosh, and Pink Lady fall on the tart end of the spectrum.

Are Gala apples good for baking apple crisp? ›

Gala apples are my favorite variety for this recipe – I like their sweet/tart flavor and firm texture. But if you have a favorite baking apple, feel free to use it here. Granny smith apples, Honeycrisps, Jonagolds, or a mix would all be excellent.

What are the three best apples for apple pie? ›

The best apples for making apple pie
  • Braeburn. This apple is a descendant of Granny Smith, but slightly sweeter. ...
  • Cortland. ...
  • Crispin (Mutsu). ...
  • Golden Delicious. ...
  • Granny Smith. ...
  • Honeycrisp. ...
  • Jonagold or Jonathan. ...
  • Northern Spy.
Oct 8, 2021

Which apples are Crispier Fuji or Gala? ›

Texture & Use in Recipes: In terms of texture, Fuji apples are also a lot crisper, and less dense than Gala apples. So, they result in a firm bite with juicy flesh while Galas are softer and creamier. Their texture also means that Fujis are better for baking as they hold their shape better than Galas when cooked!

Are Honeycrisp apples good for baking? ›

Honeycrisp. One of the sweetest apples around, this Midwestern favorite is good for anything—including baking. It boasts a distinctive juicy crispness and is firm enough that it won't cook down much. It complements just about any other apple variety to make a stellar pie.

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