‘No Fail’: Just 5 ingredients. I’ve made this for New Year more times than I can count.

Serve warm, optionally drizzled with extra caramel sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Variations & Tips
• Nutty Crunch: Sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts over the dry cake mix before adding the melted butter. It adds a nice crunch and makes it feel a little more like an apple crisp. • Extra-Spiced Version: Swap the plain cinnamon for 1–2 teaspoons of apple pie spice or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves. This is especially good if you’re serving it around the holidays. • Less Sweet Option: Use one can of regular apple pie filling and one can of no-sugar-added apple pie filling, or stir in 1–2 chopped tart apples (like Granny Smith) with the canned filling to balance the sweetness. • Different Cake Mixes: Try spice cake mix for a deeper fall flavor, or white cake mix for a lighter, more vanilla-forward dessert. You can also use gluten-free yellow cake mix if you need this to be gluten-friendly (just double-check your other ingredient labels). • Slow Cooker Method: If your oven is busy, you can make this in a slow cooker. Grease the insert, layer the ingredients the same way, cover, and cook on LOW for about 3–4 hours or on HIGH for 2–2 1/2 hours, until the top is set and mostly cooked through. • Make-Ahead Tips: This dessert is best the day it’s baked, but leftovers reheat well. Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 20–30 seconds. If you’re prepping ahead for a busy day, you can assemble the dry components (cake mix and cinnamon in a zip-top bag) and keep the canned apples and caramel in the pantry so you can dump and bake in minutes. • Smaller Batch: If you’re cooking for one or two, halve the recipe and bake it in an 8×8-inch dish. The bake time will be similar—just start checking around the 30-minute mark.