Are You Kidding Me Cake is a soft, fluffy fruit cake made from just three things: a box of cake mix, a can of pie filling and three eggs. The fruit bakes right into a moist, tender crumb, and it is the cake to make when you need a dessert for a potluck, a church supper or a lunchbox in under an hour.
How to make Are You Kidding Me Cake: stir one 21-ounce can of pie filling and 3 beaten eggs into one 15.25-ounce box of dry cake mix, spread it in a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Three ingredients. No oil, no water and no measuring cups beyond the can and the box.
- Five minutes of prep. One bowl and a spatula, and the oven does the rest.
- Endless flavors. Any cake mix works with any pie filling, so you can match the season or the pantry.
- No frosting needed. The fruit keeps it moist and sweet, so it travels well in a lunchbox.
Ingredient Notes
Cake mix. Use one standard 15.25-ounce box of any flavor. Yellow cake mix is the classic all-rounder. Use only the dry mix; skip the oil, water and eggs printed on the box.
Pie filling. One 21-ounce can of any flavor: cherry, blueberry, apple, strawberry and more. The filling replaces all the liquid in the batter.
Eggs. Three large eggs, beaten. Beat them before they go in so they mix evenly into the filling.
Cream cheese (optional). An 8-ounce block at room temperature, cut into chunks, turns this into a richer cake with tangy pockets all through it.
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) cake mix, any flavor, dry
- 1 can (21 ounces) pie filling, any flavor
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 8 ounces cream cheese, optional, room temperature, cut into chunks
How to Make Are You Kidding Me Cake
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. For easy lifting, line it with parchment paper too.
2. Chop chunky filling. If your pie filling has big pieces, such as apple slices, chop them into smaller pieces. Do not turn it into a puree.
3. Mix the batter. In a large bowl, stir the pie filling and beaten eggs together, then stir in the dry cake mix until well mixed and no lumps remain. Do not overwork it.
4. Fill the pan. Spread the thick batter evenly in the pan, all the way to the corners.
5. Add cream cheese (optional). Poke the cream cheese chunks deep into the batter, scattering them over the whole pan.
6. Bake. Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick in the center tests done.
7. Cool and cut. Cool the cake on a wire rack, then cut it into squares.
Pick Your Pairing
The fun of this cake is matching the box and the can. These pairings are a good place to start:
| Cake mix | Pie filling |
|---|---|
| Butter pecan | Apple |
| Devil’s food | Cherry |
| Lemon | Blueberry |
| Pineapple | Blueberry |
| Strawberry | Strawberry or blueberry |
| Yellow | Any flavor |
Whatever you pick, look at the fruit before you stir. Smooth fillings like cherry and blueberry go straight in. Chunky ones, especially apple, need a quick chop so the fruit spreads through the whole cake instead of sitting in big slabs. Stop well before it turns to mush; you still want little pieces of fruit in every bite.
The lemon and blueberry pairing with cream cheese chunks is the one to try first if you cannot decide. The bits of cream cheese add a punch of tangy flavor against the sweet fruit.
Tips for Success
How much should I stir the batter?
Only until it is well mixed and no dry lumps of cake mix remain, then stop. Do not overwork it.
Why did my cream cheese end up on top?
The chunks sat on the surface. Push each one deep into the batter after it is in the pan.
How do I know it is done?
Trust the toothpick, not just the clock. Check the center at 35 minutes; ovens vary, so give it a few more minutes if the toothpick shows wet batter.
Storage & Reheating
Once cool, keep the cake in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you made the cream cheese version, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, as USDA FSIS advises for perishable food. Serve it cold or let a square sit out for a few minutes first.
What to Serve With It
Serve each square with a spoonful of extra pie filling and a dollop of whipped cream. For more easy fruit desserts, try the pecan pie dump cake or the slow cooker caramel apple dump cake. Blueberry fans will love Bea’s blueberry sheet cake and the lemon blueberry cake. The slow cooker pineapple cream cake and the Easter cake mix cookie bars are two more easy cake mix bakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make a 3 ingredient cake?
Mix one box of dry cake mix with one can of pie filling and 3 beaten eggs, spread it in a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes. That is the whole recipe, and any flavor of cake mix works with any flavor of pie filling.
Why is it called “Are You Kidding Me”?
Because that is what people say when you tell them how you made it. A moist, fruity cake from three pantry ingredients sounds too easy to be true.
Can I add cream cheese?
Yes. Cut an 8-ounce block of room-temperature cream cheese into chunks and push them deep into the batter once it is in the pan. Keep the leftovers in the fridge.
Final Notes
I always give apple filling a quick chop before it goes in, because smaller pieces spread the fruit through every square. If you bake one, tell me in the comments which cake mix and pie filling you paired.
Are You Kidding Me Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 box cake mix 15.25 ounces, any flavor, dry
- 1 can pie filling 21 ounces, any flavor
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 8 ounces cream cheese optional, room temperature, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- If the pie filling has big pieces, such as apple, chop them smaller. Do not puree it.
- Stir the pie filling and beaten eggs together, then stir in the dry cake mix until well mixed and no lumps remain. Do not overwork it.
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Poke the cream cheese chunks deep into the batter, scattered over the whole pan.
- Bake 35 minutes, until golden brown and done when tested with a toothpick in the center.
- Cool on a wire rack, then cut into squares.
Notes
Nutrition
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