These 3-Ingredient Cakes are So Easy It’s Almost Scary

/19 Comments/in , /by Mary Hunt
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Just in time for the holidays, quite possibly the easiest, most versatile, amazingly delicious boxed cake mix hack ever to be discovered. I can’t take credit for this, it’s a basic hack I ran into while cruising the Internet—wait, I mean while doing exhaustive research!

I tried it. Again and again. I switched things up, came up with ways to hack the hack and well, it’s amazing. And did I say easy? It’s almost scary, like how can this work? But it does. And as a bonus, this is super budget-friendly, especially when the ingredients are on sale.

3-Ingredient Cake

  • 1 cake mix
  • 1 can pie filling
  • 3 eggs

That’s it. Mix and match your choice of cake mix with pie filling, dump both plus 3 eggs in a mixing bowl, mix, pour into a bundt pan, loaf pan, or baking pan of choice, bake it, and there you go. Amazing!

My first attempt I used a white cake mix and canned peach pie filling. Amazing! Perfect ratio, moist, and super delicious according to my discriminating, dessert-friendly husband.

(Find the complete recipe card below.)

slice peach bundt cake

Cake Mix Choices Galore

It’s amazing how many choices we have in the cake mix aisle of the typical supermarket! Find them on sale and it’s even better. Here’s a sampling:

Pie Filling Choices

Canned pie filling is available in a number of choices as well.

pie filling choices

Possible Match-Ups

Here are a few match-up ideas. peach matchup

Easy as 1-2-3. I can’t wait to learn the combinations you create!

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4.29 from 7 votes

3-Ingredient Cake

Quite possibly the easiest, most versatile, amazingly delicious boxed cake hack ever to be discovered. I can't take credit for this, it's a basic hack I ran into while cruising the Internet—wait, I mean while doing exhaustive research!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Baking, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Author: Mary Hunt

Ingredients

  • 1 15.25 oz. cake mix your choice flavor, see NOTES
  • 1 20 oz. can pie filling your choice flavor; about 2 1/3 cups filling
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup sour cream OR optional
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Prepare cake pan of choice with grease and a dusting of flour.
  • Empty cake mix, pie filling, eggs into a mixing bowl.
  • Using an electric mixer, mix well, until completely incorporated.
  • Pour into prepared pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until testing with a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake!
  • Allow cool for 10 mins, then carefully turn out onto serving platter or plate.
  • Finish as desired (dusting of powdered sugar, glaze, icing, sprinkles, go nuts!)

Notes

1. Cake mix is an ingredient in this recipe. Ignore the ingredients required on the back of the box. 
2. Canned pie filling comes in 15 oz. , 20 oz., and also 21 oz. sizes depending on the brand, etc. This recipe works best the larger size, which measure out at about 2 1/3 cups of canned pie filling.
3. If going for a pumpkin cake, make sure you are using "pumpkin pie filling" or "pumpkin pie mix," NOT pumpkin puree, which has not been tested. Not saying it might work, but you're on your own there 🙂
4. While sour cream or vegetable oil are optional, either (I wouldn't use both in the same cake) will give a very moist and lovely result. However, neither are necessary to make a great 3-ingredient cake! 

 

 

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19 replies
  1. Di says:

    2 stars
    Sorry but am not impressed. I used a French vanilla cake mix, 1/4 c. oil, 3 eggs and frozen fruit I thawed & mashed. Added a little sugar because it was unsweetened. The cake is way too moist

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      The recipe is not adaptable to substituting the canned pie filling with “frozen fruit with a little sugar”. The recipe does not call for oil. It’s not fair to give a recipe 2 stars when you don’t follow the recipe, is it? I encourage you to try again, but this time follow the instructions exactly using canned pie filling and leave out the oil. I “Way too moist” would result from the water in the frozen fruit and the oil.

      Reply
    • vlcs411 says:

      4 stars
      Because you didnt follow the recipe!! So you cannot say not impressed when you totally changed it. Pie filling and frozen fruit with sugar is not the same. When subbing ingredients go for those more closely the same and that wasnt it!!easy and good. my go to is usually spice cake mix or devils food with a can of pumpkin puree which always turns out great and then I vary the topping – caramel sauce or powdered sugar or melted choc chips or fresh fruit. This was just as easy.

      Reply
  2. Jana says:

    I’ve made this twice now, once with white cake mix and fresh strawberries that I chopped and macerated for a bit – fabulous! I don’t like canned pie filling so I use fresh or frozen fruit in the quantity mentioned (2 1/3 cups). Tonight I used another white cake mix and added a pint jar of blueberry jam that I had canned without pectin that needed to be used along with more frozen berries that I reduced down. Again a great cake! Thank you Mary, I love being able to turn a boxed mix into a beautiful dessert! Looking forward to more combos!!

    Reply
  3. Joan says:

    5 stars
    Dear Mary,
    This is wonderful! I used spice cake, apple filling and added the oil. I topped it with streusel in a 9×13 pan. It was a GIANT hit with my husband and at the church potluck!
    Thank you for your household tips, these wonderful recipes, financial savvy and cleaning recipes (the every day shower spray is THE BEST).
    When asked where I got this or that, my family now knows I am going to answer “Mary Hunt”! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Donna Freedman says:

    5 stars
    I’m thinking cherry pie filling and vanilla cake or pound cake…The closest I could get to cherry pie. I bet the color would be lovely, too.

    Reply
  5. Not a fan. says:

    I used white cake mix, strawberry pie filling, eggs and the sour cream option. No one liked it. Ended up in the garbage disposal.

    Reply
  6. Joanne says:

    I’m going to experiment with a Krusteaz GLUTEN FREE vanilla cake mix, pumpkin spices and apple filling. Crossing my fingers that it isn’t too dry. If anything, it will be a crumbly mess that I’ll spoon into bowls and cover with a warm vanilla sauce…..yum!

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Joanne, add either the sour cream or veg oil, which are optional in the recipe. Either will ensure make a very moist and yummy cake!

      Reply
      • Joanne says:

        Thanks, Mary! The GF mix is 18 oz., so the cake is very dense and tall! Could have used more apple filling, but it is moist and tastes delicious! I’ll know for next time! Love your site!

  8. Michelle C. says:

    I’ve made these for years. If you really want to dress it up, use cinnamon sugar to dust the pan, pour in half the batter, sprinkle a layer of cinnamon sugar then top with remaining batter and cinnamon sugar the top. This is especially good with apple or peach.

    Reply
  9. Kay says:

    Mary,
    Love the convenience of this recipe, however, could you please check your nutrition counts for it? I sincerely doubt that even just a one-twelfth slice of any of the variations has only ONE measly CARB in it!!! Thanks.

    Reply

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