Turn Boxed Cake Mix Into A Bakery-Worthy Dessert With Only 3 Ingredients

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Baked goods made from scratch have a sort of magical quality that's almost tangible on the taste buds, but we can definitely still get down with a delicious boxed cake mix. Not only are these mixes undeniably convenient, they're also surprisingly versatile. We're not just talking about making cake, cupcakes, and cake pops from the same box, either. We're talking cobbler!

Out of all the three-ingredient desserts you simply have to try (and yes, there are many), cobbler made with cake mix is one that we can't recommend enough. While your classic cobbler recipe typically combines fresh fruit and a biscuit-like dough scattered in dollops across the top, all you need for this version is a couple cans of pie filling, a box of cake mix, and some butter.

This cake mix cobbler is simple: Just spread two cans of your favorite fruity pie filling across the bottom of a glass baking dish, sprinkle dry cake mix on top to create that cobbled effect, then pour a melted stick of butter over the ensemble. Once you pop it into the oven, the cake bakes thanks to the moisture and sugar in the pie filling, then it browns with the help of the butter. Although the final product is slightly different than what you'd expect — gooier, maybe more like a crumble than its crustier cousin — it's quick, easy, and has the buttery-sweet flavor we all want from a cobbler.

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Convenience isn't the only thing we love about a cake mix cobbler. This easy dessert also provides loads of room for customization.

Take this three-ingredient cherry cobbler recipe, for example. It pairs cherry pie filling and white cake mix, which is known for its light vanilla flavor. A three-ingredient peach cobbler recipe, however, calls for yellow cake mix, as the box's addition of egg yolk adds a richness that complements the syrupy sweetness of canned peaches.

You can even experiment with flavor combinations that may be unexpected for a cobbler. How about a chocolate cake mix with mixed-berry pie filling for a decadent twist? Because this iteration isn't technically a cobbler, you may recognize this feat of modern baking by a different name: a dump cake. In case you missed it, this dessert got its name because its construction merely requires that you dump ingredients into a baking dish. (Pro tip: Mixing or stirring of any kind is highly discouraged!)