Dessert. Tonight. It's a Piece of Cake.

Time is short. You need a dessert. By tonight. Going to the store for a bag of Apple and Cinnamon Newtons is easy but not very original. Baking "Mom's Apple Pie" from scratch produces a tasty alternative, but it requires lots of effort.

If you want to produce a respectable dessert at short notice, this apple cake is for you. 1) It is easy. 2) It takes less effort to assemble than a homemade apple pie. 3) It allows you to say you baked it. 4) It tastes much better than a bag of store-bought cookies.

Shirley Cruise's Apple Cake
2  cans (21 ounces each) of apple pie filling
1 yellow cake mix
2 sticks of butter or margarine, melted
1 cup of walnuts or pecans
Cinnamon, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" baking pan. Spread the apples in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle cinnamon over the apples, if desired. Spread the dry cake mix on top of the apples. Spread the nuts on top of the cake mix. Pour the melted butter evenly over the top. Bake 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve warm (the best) or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Alternatives: Substitute cherry or blueberry pie filling for the apples or other cake flavors for the yellow cake mix.