Joni's Apple Pie Cake

Half cake, half apple pie, all comfort. This shortcut dessert uses a box yellow cake mix and a jar of apple pie filling to get you to something special with minimal effort. The lemon extract is a small but clever addition that brightens up the apple flavor and keeps the cake from tasting one-note sweet.

The real star is that crumb topping. Butter, sugar, and flour blended with a fork into rough crumbs create a streusel layer that bakes up golden and crunchy. A dusting of cinnamon on top before it goes in the oven fills the whole kitchen with that bakery smell.

Don’t expect a tall, fluffy cake here. This bakes up dense and moist, more like a coffee cake with pockets of tender apple throughout. That’s exactly what you want.

Pro Tips

• Use a fork (not your hands) for the streusel so you get uneven crumbs that bake up with varied texture
• Don’t overmix the batter; stir just until the cake mix is incorporated or the cake will be tough
• Check at 40 minutes with a toothpick; ovens vary and overbaking dries this out fast
• Let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing so the apple filling sets and doesn’t ooze everywhere

Variations

• Use cherry or blueberry pie filling instead of apple for a totally different flavor
• Add chopped pecans to the streusel topping for extra crunch
• Drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze over the cooled cake for a bakery finish