To apple pie or not to apple pie?

Now who doesn't love a good apple pie? There is nothing like going over to grandmas and having a slice with a scoop of ice cream! But lets be honest, sometimes it can be quite dreadful making an apple pie when making the crust from scratch. Well in our household we are all about cooking smarter not harder, so I introduce to you the apple pie cake! (recipe from bettycrocker.com)

Its all the deliciousness of apple pie with half the work (but certainly not half the reward!) I make this all the time and it pairs nicely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients:
Topping -
 1 cup flour
 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
 1/4 tsp salt
 1/2 cup butter (cut into small pieces)
Apple Mixture-
 6 apples, thinly sliced (the recipe says to peel them but we like the crunchier texture)
 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
 1 tsp ground cinnamon
 2 tsp lemon juice
Cake -
 1 box yellow cake mix
 1 1/3 cups water
 1/3 cup oil
 3 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pay.

In medium bowl you will begin to prepare the crumble topping. (I use this for a lot of my pie toppings) Mix flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and salt. With a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, stir together the apple mixture ingredients. I like to use pink lady apples or green apples for the recipe. Its recommended to peel the apples but we like the consistency of it with the skin on (and its less time!)

In a large bowl, beat the cake ingredients on low for 30 seconds and then medium for 2 or until well blended.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan, then place apple mixture evenly over cake mix.

Lastly, pour the crumble layer over the cake. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely and serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!