Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or butter.

Spread both cans of apple pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. If the apple slices are very large, you can use a knife or kitchen shears to quickly chop them into smaller bite-size pieces directly in the pan.

Drizzle 3/4 cup of salted caramel sauce evenly across the entire surface of the spiced apple filling.

Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the apple and caramel layer. Use a spoon or your hands to gently spread the dry powder out into a uniform layer that completely covers the fruit. Do NOT stir!

Arrange the thin pats of cold butter across the top in neat rows, covering as much of the dry cake mix surface as possible. (Optional: sprinkle with ground cinnamon and chopped pecans).

Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes until the top crust is deeply golden brown, crisp, and the caramel-apple juices are bubbling up vigorously around the edges.

Cool for 10 minutes to allow juices to thicken slightly, then scoop into bowls warm and crown generously with vanilla bean ice cream and extra warm caramel drizzle!