Fruit Layer Cake Bake (Printable)

Layers of fruity pie filling, cake mix, and butter combine for a warm, golden dessert perfect for gatherings.

# What You Need:

→ Fruit Layer

01 - 2 cans (21 oz each) fruit pie filling (cherry, apple, or blueberry)

→ Cake Layer

02 - 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or white cake mix

→ Topping

03 - 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and thinly sliced

# How-To Steps:

01 - Set oven temperature to 350°F.
02 - Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish to prevent sticking.
03 - Evenly spread fruit pie filling across the bottom of the prepared dish.
04 - Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the fruit layer without mixing.
05 - Distribute butter slices evenly over the cake mix to cover as much surface as possible.
06 - Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the fruit filling bubbles at the edges.
07 - Allow to cool slightly before serving warm. Optionally accompany with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It genuinely tastes homemade without the fuss, which somehow makes people think you're secretly a baker.
  • You can throw it together while doing something else, and still feel like you pulled off something impressive.
  • The fruit and cake layers merge into this wonderful, jammy-textured thing that's different from any other dessert.
02 -
  • Do not mix the cake mix into the fruit—I promise this feels wrong, but the dry mix needs to stay on top to create that specific texture as it absorbs moisture from the filling.
  • Your butter needs to be cold and sliced thin so it melts into the cake mix rather than creating a separate butter layer on top.
  • The bubbling at the edges is your visual cue that everything is cooking properly, not a sign that something went wrong.
03 -
  • Cold butter really does matter—it creates a more interesting texture than room temperature or melted butter, so pull it straight from the fridge and slice it while it's firm.
  • If your pie filling seems thick, don't thin it out; that thickness is what keeps the dessert from turning into soup and gives you those jammy, satisfying layers.
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