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Pumpkin and yellow cake are topped with white chocolate pumpkin spice frosting in this seasonally scrumptious pumpkin magic cake!
Why is it so magical?
Pumpkin magic cake is made up of a creamy pumpkin puree layer, a layer of yellow cake, and a white chocolate pumpkin spice frosting topped with white chocolate shavings!!
This cake is called “magic cake” because the pumpkin layer sinks to the bottom while baking. Cool, right? Best part is this Pumpkin recipe is also delicious!
This easy cake recipe is one of our favorite layered pumpkin desserts, right up there with Pumpkin Lasagna and Pumpkin Delight!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- It’s magic! Because the pumpkin layer sinks to the bottom, kids think it’s a tasty science experiment.
- Delicious. It’s so yummy and is the perfect addition to any fall party or holiday, like Thanksgiving.
- Great for a crowd! Cakes that feed a crowd are perfect for sharing with friends.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 15 minutes BAKE TIME: 1 hour
Cake
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix PLUS ingredients on the back of the box – the ingredients are typically eggs, water, and vegetable oil. You can also use white cake mix instead of yellow.
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree – Be sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT canned pumpkin pie filling.
- ½ cup evaporated milk – do NOT use sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
Frosting
- 1 (3.3-ounce) box white chocolate instant pudding mix – You will need to buy INSTANT pudding. Do not make pudding as directed on the box. Use only the powder in the recipe as instructed. Instant vanilla pudding mix or cheesecake pudding mix can also be used.
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice – Pumpkin Pie Spice uses basic spices you probably already have in your cupboard – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
- 1 cup cold milk – whole milk makes creamier frosting but a lower fat milk can be used.
- 1 cup Cool Whip – Make homemade Whipped Cream instead of using Cool Whip.
- white chocolate curls – are easiest to make with slightly softened chocolate. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off beautiful curls. You can also top with white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, or butterscotch chips.
How to Make Pumpkin Magic Cake
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray.
- CAKE. In a large bowl, prepare the 15.25-ounce box of yellow cake mix according to the package instructions. Pour the cake batter into a greased 9×13 dish and set aside.
- PUMPKIN. Make the pumpkin layer by mixing 15 ounces pumpkin puree, ½ cup evaporated milk, ½ cup heavy cream, 3 eggs, and 1 cup brown sugar in a medium bowl, until smooth. Pour pumpkin mixture over the cake layer in the 9×13 pan.
- BAKE. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until it doesn’t jiggle in the middle.
- FROSTING. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Whisk the 3.3-ounce box white chocolate pudding mix, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1 cup milk until smooth. Fold in the 1 cup Cool Whip, and mix well.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake then add the white chocolate curls! Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix, PLUS ingredients on the back of the box – eggs, water, oil
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
Frosting
- 1 (3.3-ounce) box white chocolate instant pudding mix
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1 cup cool whip
- white chocolate curls
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the cake as instructed on the package and pour it into a greased 9×13 pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl add pumpkin, evaporated milk, cream, eggs, and brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour it over the cake batter in the 9×13 pan.
- Bake for an hour (or until it no longer jiggles in the middle).
- Let cool. Make frosting by whisking the white chocolate pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice, and milk until smooth.
- Fold in Cool Whip and mix well.
- Spread over cooled cake and top with white chocolate curls.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. ENJOY!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Magic pumpkin cake can be made 1-2 days in advance, and stored in the fridge.
Cover leftovers and store them in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Recipe adapted from I Wash You Dry.
Does this cake need to be refrigerated? I made two 8×8″ cakes and will be serving them two days in a row to two different groups. So I need to store one for two days.
I also used a gluten free cake mix, as one of my guests is gluten free. Haven’t tasted it yet to see how it tastes.
I’d love to know how it tastes, so we can pass that along! Thanks. And, yes, it needs to be refrigerated, if you aren’t serving right away. Thanks for stopping by!
I made this recipe but tweaked it slightly by using a spice cake mix. I didn’t get the obvious layers but that’s because I don’t make boxed cake mixes following the exact instructions. I add an extra egg, substitute mild for the water and instead of oil, I use melted butter, doubling the amount. I love the result! Also, I opted to frost it with a pumpkin spice buttercream frosting and garnish with chopped pecans. This was a really great dessert, a huge hit!! Thank you for sharing!!
That all sounds delicious!! Thank you for sharing!! So happy to hear you like it 🙂
Constance I was thinking of trying a spice cake also! That will be what I use next time. The cake was really good as is but I do believe the spice cake will add a little more!
I made this cake today and I used a 4 serving pudding mix and followed your instructions and the frosting was like soup. Was I supposed to make the pudding, let set and then add the cool whip? Thanks!
did you use only 1 cup of milk NOT the 2 it calls for? mine was actually a bit to stiff! lol
It’s just one cup of milk in the frosting and 1/2 cup evaporated milk at the beginning. Sorry yours was a little stiff! Hope you’ll give it another try!!
Confused. You say FOr frosting add 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup evaporated milk at BEGINNING. Isnt the E.M. fOr the pumpkin??
I am not sure where you read that, but I only see that the milk is for the frosting & evaporated milk is for the cake part 🙂
Do you have tips for making the white chocolate curls? Thx!
I just use a grater. One used for grating carrots or potatoes and use it on a white chocolate bar. I like to use the side of the bar and stoke down. Hope that helps!
hi from Australia.
cake looks great, we don,t have canned pumpkin here, can I cook the pumpkin, let get cold. then use? but what amount, eg ; grams or ounces, please
Thank you Beverly!! You can definitely make your own pumpkin puree. You’d need like 1 3/4 c to 2 cups (15ounces). I’d love to know what you think!! Thanks for stopping by!
The Pumpkin Magic cake is my 8 yo Grandson’s favorite cake of all times. Any time I ask him what kind of cake should we make…………………..Pumpkin Magic!
LOL!! It’s pretty delicious!! I could see why;) Thanks for sharing!
This cake was fantastic!! Super easy to make too! I actually made it with my class for a Thanksgiving feast and we all loved it! The cake did make it’s magic layers so we were very happy!
Thanks! This is awesome! I made it tonight and it was layered perfectly. To get the layers it takes 6 eggs. Or however many eggs for your cake mix PLUS the three eggs in the recipe. I think a lot of people didn’t understand that.
Yum Yum! Great for Fall!
I’m wondering if I could put the pumpkin layer in the pan first followed by the cake mixture? To get a better layered look rather than marbled. I don’t mind if there’s no magical sinking. 🙂