Thumbing through some old cookbooks I stumbled upon this recipe for Apple Scrunch that just caught my attention. I love a recipe with a peculiar title and if that weren’t enough, it seemed amazingly easy.

Now, in all honesty, this is just a dump cake. But I hate calling anything a “dump” cake. There’s just something about that word that makes me shudder. So that made me love Apple Scrunch even more.

So what’s a scrunch? I have absolutely no idea. A quick Google search returned some results, but they all were so different that I couldn’t even say that a scrunch is a particular type of recipe. The recipes were kind of all over the place. Many included creating a granola or oat-based cookie of sorts and then layering it with fresh fruit and some cream-based layer – almost trifle-like.

While this recipe is a bit different from that, it sure turned out great.  And it kept me from having to tell folks I was making a dump cake – so there. Regardless of what you end up calling this, I’m confident “delicious” is one of the words you’ll use to describe it. It’s the perfect quick and easy dessert recipe. The flavors of apple and warm spices in the pie filling make it perfect for fall. I just know y’all are going to love this — and love how easy it is.

Just like apple pie, I loved this served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Depending on the weather, serve this versatile dessert with a cold topping or hot drink. (Southern Bite)

Prep time:  5 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 2 (21-ounce) cans apple pie filling
• 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow or butter cake mix
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

 Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Spread the pie filling in the bottom of the prepared dish, then sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over.
3. Drizzle the melted butter over the top.
4. Use a butter knife to make a few large swirls to mix some of the ingredients together, but don’t overdo it.
5. Sprinkle the pecans over the top, then bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown and set.

 This recipe originally appeared on SouthernBite.com. For more great recipes, visit the website or check out ”The Southern Bite Cookbook.”