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Simple and delicious pumpkin dump cake preps in minutes. With so many spices and sweet flavors, it’s perfect all fall long!
We love dump cakes—because of the simplicity, but also the TASTE! Our favorite flavors include peach and cherry, but in the fall, this pumpkin dump cake is the only cake we need!
A Perfect Fall Dessert!
It’s PUMPKIN time!! It’s that time of year when pumpkin and soup recipes start popping up everywhere and fall is on its way!
Today’s pumpkin recipe was shared by a family member. We stopped by on Thanksgiving to say hi and after they fed us this fall dessert, we fell in love and had to give it a try!
It’s called pumpkin dump cake, because you literally dump it, bake it, and enjoy it! It is so simple, and literally is the BEST fall cake.
making a Dump Cake
“Dump” cakes are as easy as they sound! Just mix and dump layers in a pan. Hence the name. Dump cakes are similar to cobblers, but a cobbler uses a biscuit or pie crust as the topping.
PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F.
BATTER. Mix pumpkin, milk, ginger, cloves, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13 pan.
TOPPING. Sprinkle cake mix and chopped pecans on top. Cut butter very thin and cover all over the cake mix.
BAKE + ENJOY! Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm topped with Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream, and even a caramel drizzle if you’re feeling extra fancy.
Additional Topping Ideas
The pecans are totally optional on this easy pumpkin dump cake, but if you aren’t a fan of pecans try:
- crushed graham crackers
- toffee bits
- substitute for another type of chopped nut
recipe tips
Although we love this dessert as is, you can change up this pumpkin pie dump cake with a few of these suggestions.
Cake mix alternative. You are only using the dry cake mix, and not making it into a cake batter. If you don’t have yellow cake mix, use a pumpkin spice cake mix, or make a homemade mix.
Here’s how:
- Whisk together 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cups granulated sugar, 3½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt plus 4 tbsp butter (½ stick).
- Use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter, and you’ve got a homemade yellow cake mix.
Variations.
- Replace the ginger, cloves, and cinnamon with an equal amount of Pumpkin Pie Spice.
- Forgo the Whipped Cream and add a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.
- Drizzle with Caramel Sauce.
- Sprinkle on mini chocolate chips.
Pumpkin puree. Note that this pumpkin cake with yellow cake mix calls for a can of pumpkin puree and NOT canned pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling already has spices and other ingredients mixed into it. Whereas pumpkin puree is only pumpkin.
Storing Info
STORE. We like to serve this pumpkin dump cake recipe warm, but you can store leftovers, covered, in the fridge. It should last for at least 2 days.
Reheat a slice by microwaving in 30-second intervals until it is the desired temperature.
FREEZE. To freeze a whole baked cake, wrap the entire pan with plastic wrap and again with foil.
For the leftover cake, divide it into individual freezer containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and serve chilled or reheat the slices in the microwave.
Recipe FAQ
The bottom layer of this cake will be a bit gooey, but it should still be set enough to hold its shape when cut. The top section will have a more cake-like texture.
Canned pumpkin is pumpkin puree combined with sugar and extra spices. Pumpkin puree is pure pumpkin. Be sure to use pumpkin puree in the pumpkin dump cake recipe.
For More Pumpkin Recipes, Check Out:
- Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Magic Pumpkin Cake
- Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Bars
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Libby’s Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix pumpkin, milk, ginger, cloves, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour into a greased and floured 9×13 pan.
- Sprinkle cake mix and chopped pecans on top.
- Cut butter very thin and cover all over the cake mix.
- Bake for 1 hour and serve warm with whipped cream. ENJOY!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would love to try this recipe however does anyone have a recipe for homade pumpkin purée using fresh pumpkin ?
I don’t have a recipe for homemade pumpkin puree, but I think that The Pioneer Woman has one. If you search on google for it, I imagine you’d have lots of options show up. You’ll have to let us know if you make this recipe with homemade puree and how it turns out!
Amazing! Seriously. Yum. 😃
I love this pumpkin dump cake—I have made this in the past but lost my recipe. I have a question about your recipe, it states a 16 ounce can of evaporated milk, but I only find the regular 12 ounce, our smaller can. Was thus a typo, or do I need to keep looking. Thank you!
Evaporated milk seems only to come in 12 ounce cans not 16. Could that be a typo?
Hi Mary! It’s not a typo – the recipe does call for 16 oz. So I just use one full can and measure enough of a second to get 16 oz. You could definitely try with just 12 oz though!
Nope, not a typo – the recipe does call for 16 oz. I just use one 12 oz can and then measure enough of a second can to get 16 oz. You could definitely try with just 12 oz though!
It was okay… still seemed pretty underbaked at an hour but I suspect that’s partially my particular oven’s fault. I would include whipped cream in the ingredients and specify salted or unsalted butter considering it’s a baked good. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
May want to add whipped cream to the ingredient list
Thanks for the suggestion!
Can some of these recipes be made with Monkfruit Sugar instead? For diabetics, all the sugar is not good. Please make more sugar-free recipes.
You could definitely try! Thanks for the feedback.
Delicious! Very sweet. Would probably be okay to cut back a little on the sugar. Will make this again!
I made this dairy free with coconut evaporated milk and coconut cream whipped cream. Delicious. I used 1/2 C sugar which was plenty. Will consider brown sugar next go around. Highly recommend this recipe! A definite keeper.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing what you did! So glad you enjoyed the cake!
Do you recommend using unsalted or salted butter?
I typically use unsalted when I bake and then add salt in as needed. But this recipe could work with either.
Please, I have tried every way possible to find out the amount of pumpkin I need for the Pumpkin Dump It Cake with just the spice cake mix and 2 eggs and can never get an answer nor the complete recipe. Can you help me please! I am almost 86 years and have a hard time using the computer as well as I would like. So, please just answer this request!!Thanks and Hugs, Anita Taylor
ajtpinetop@yahoo.com
I’d probably add an extra 1/2 cup pumpkin for the two eggs you don’t have or use flax meal eggs (3 T warm water and 1 T flax meal/per egg for the missing eggs (so do 2 of these), stir and let swell and gel).
▢ 30 oz can pumpkin puree canned
▢ 1 (16-ounce) can evaporated milk
▢ 1 teaspoon ginger
▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
▢ 1/4 cup sugar
▢ 4 eggs or 2 eggs and 2 flax eggs
▢ 2 teaspoon cinnamon
▢ 1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
▢ 1 cup chopped pecans
▢ 3/4 cup butter
▢ I added vanilla 1/2 tsp
Butter and flour 9×13 pan. Pour liquid first. Pour yellow cake mix or spice cake mix over and then chopped pecans. Cover the entire surface with thin pads of butter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream.
Hi Anita! We don’t have that specific recipe on our site. But here are all of the pumpkin cakes we have on our site. https://lilluna.com/#search/q=pumpkin%20cake