The Goal is Scrumptious: Homemade Apple Filling

Have you ever made a dump cake?  It is the PERFECT easy dessert for the busy baker.  My standard dump cake recipe is cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, a yellow cake mix, and butter.  Mmm… dump it, bake it, and enjoy the warm, tart fruit covered in a buttery crust.

I wanted to make this recently, so I checked my pantry.  Alas, no cherry pie filling!

But I had fresh apples.

I mulled it over as I worked in the kitchen.  Apples… dump cake… butter… mmm…

By this point, I was practically salivating.  So I made my own apple filling for the dump cake.  Yes, this defeats the super easy “dump” concept of the cake, but I was up to the challenge, had some time, and was already dreaming of the apple version.  🙂

Both the filling and the dump cake turned out tart and sweet and delicious.  🙂  If you want to make up some homemade apple filling, this recipe is for you!

Homemade Apple Filling

Ingredients:

• 5 c. peeled and diced apples
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. As mixture begins to thicken (about 5 minutes), turn the heat to medium low.
3. Taste (carefully–mixture will be hot), and adjust tartness by adding more sugar or lemon juice.
4. Cook over low or medium low heat until apples are mostly soft (15-20 minutes).  If needed, add additional water (1-2 TBSP at a time) to keep mixture from burning.

Notes: Apples vary in sweetness, so adjust the lemon juice and sugar according to your taste.  (I used Gala apples for this batch.  If you use Granny Smith, you might want to cut the lemon juice a tad or add more sugar.)  The apples may still have a slight crunch, but they should soften all the way in the oven.

I liked this apple filling SO much that I made it again for a caramel apple trifle.  Look for the trifle recipe soon!

May your day be scrumptious!

~Katie