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This simple spiced pumpkin dump cake preps in minutes for a perfectly delicious shareable dessert all fall long!

Pumpkin Dump Cake topped with whipped cream on a white plate.
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The Perfect Fall Dessert!

We love dump cakes! Not only because of the simplicity, but also the TASTE (they’re usually always delicious!)

Our favorite flavors include Peach Dump Cake and Cherry Dump Cake, but in the fall, this pumpkin dump cake is the cake we have on repeat.

It’s called pumpkin dump cake, because you literally dump it, bake it, and enjoy it. Those are the kinds of treats we love, especially during a busy fall season. It’s why we think think this dessert is the Perfect fall dessert.

WHY WE LOVE IT:

  • No-fuss preparation. Dump cake requires minimal effort and time, making it an ideal easy cake recipe for busy schedules.
  • Personalize it. You can experiment with different types of cake mixes and toppings to create unique flavor combinations.
  • Fall and Holiday must-have. The combination of sweet pumpkin and buttery cake topping makes it a perfect fall dessert recipe and Thanksgiving dessert.
A glass bowl of pumpkin puree.

Ingredients

  • 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin puree – 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.
  • 1 (16-ounce) can evaporated milk – not sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon ginger – Replace the ginger, cloves, and cinnamon with an equal amount of Pumpkin Pie Spice.
  • ยฝ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 whole eggs
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix – You are only using the dry cake mix. If you don’t have yellow cake mix, use a pumpkin spice cake mix
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips, or crushed graham crackers
  • ยพ cup unsalted butter

How to Make a Pumpkin Dump Cake

  1. PREP. Preheat oven to 350ยฐF.
  2. BATTER. Mix 1 can pumpkin puree, 1 can evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, ยฝ teaspoon cloves, 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour the pumpkin mixture into a greased and floured 9×13 pan.
  3. TOPPING. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top then add 1 cup chopped pecans on top. Cut ยพ cup butter very thin and place them evenly over the crumble topping.
  4. BAKE + ENJOY! Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm topped with Whipped Cream or Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and even a Caramel Sauce drizzle if you’re feeling extra fancy.

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4.98 from 1046 votes

Pumpkin Dump Cake

By: Lil’ Luna
This simple spiced pumpkin dump cake preps in minutes for a perfectly delicious shareable dessert all fall long!
Servings: 15
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 (16-ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ยฝ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • ยพ cup butter

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350ยฐF.
  • 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

Leftovers.ย We like to serve this warm, but if you have leftovers, cover and store in the refrigeratorย for 2โ€“3 days. Reheat in the microwave at 30-second intervals until warm.
No yellow cake mix on hand? You can use a pumpkin spice cake mix instead or make your own homemade mix. To make your own, whisk together 2ยผ cups all-purpose flour, 1ยฝ cups sugar, 3ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 4 tablespoons unsalted butter. Use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter, and youโ€™ve got a homemade yellow cake mix!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 201kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 91mg, Potassium: 52mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 362IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Is Pumpkin Dump Cake Supposed to Be Gooey?

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.

Can I Use Homemade Cake Mix?

Yes! Whisk 2ยผ cups all-purpose flour, 1ยฝ cups granulated sugar, 3ยฝ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, plus 4 tablespoons butter (ยฝ stick). Use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter, and you’ve got a homemade yellow cake mix.

How to Store Pumpkin Dump Cake?

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.

How to Freeze Dump Cake?

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. Thawovernight in the fridge and serve chilled or reheat the slices in the microwave.ย 

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and Iโ€™m the mom of SIX stinkinโ€™ cute kids and the wife to my smokinโ€™ hot hubby, Lo. My momโ€™s maiden name is Luna, and Iโ€™m one of the many crafty โ€œLilโ€™ Lunasโ€ in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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4.98 from 1046 votes (912 ratings without comment)

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456 Comments

  1. Helen says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for the pumpkin dump I need to make something different for the Thanksgiving dinner for a huge crowd and am going to make this as I know it will be wonderful. So thank you very much. Looks like a five so am going to rate it five .

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Awe, thank you!! Your guests will love it! At least, we do ๐Ÿ™‚ Good luck!!

  2. Marcia Norman says:

    Please, please make recipes so they can be pinned to Pintrest!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      They can be ๐Ÿ™‚ I know at least for me, on my computer the Pinterest button appears when my cursor is over the picture. Not sure how it is on your computer. Also, you can find most of them on Pinterest.

  3. Comerlisa says:

    I am not a fan of pumpkin, so I was just thinking about using sweet yams instead, this sounds very good. I love making dump cakes.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Let me know what you think ๐Ÿ™‚ Hope you like it!

  4. Mary E. Earl says:

    I fixed this about a month ago and it was delicous!! Thank you for sharing it!!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I’m glad you liked it!! We love it! Thanks Mary!

  5. Trish says:

    The pumpkin part was really good! The cake mix, nuts, butter not as great. There was too much topping. Next time Iโ€™d like to try mixing the cake mix together first and maybe putting half on the bottom and prebaking? That would take away the โ€œquickโ€ part but make the top more crumbly.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thanks for giving it a try!! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Joseph F. Mayhew says:

    In this Pumpkin Poke Cake recipe, do you use pumpkin pie filling or the pumpkin puree as it doesn’t say. Just want to make sure before I make it for Thanksgiving. Thank you.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      You can buy a can of pumpkin. That is what to use. You could google it, so you can see what you are looking for, but it’s a can of pumpkin. Hope that helps ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Ann says:

    Iโ€™m from the UK, what is yellow cake mix, do you know what our equivalent is? Thank you

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I just found this on google…it is pretty much a plain cake mix that doesn’t contain an extra flavor. It is called yellow not plain because there are two types of plain, white and yellow. The difference is that white uses only egg white while yellow uses the yolks. There is also a slight difference in the type of flour used. Also a white cake taste a lot better & is loved more than a yellow cake but both of them are very good. You could google to find a homemade recipe, too, if that helps ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Faye says:

    The recipe and picture look fantastic.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thanks so much!! Hope you’ll give it a try ๐Ÿ™‚ It’s delicious!

  9. Asbah says:

    With the one cup of sugar in the pumpkin mixture in addition to the sugar in the cake mix, does the cake turn out very sweet? I don’t like desserts that are excessively sweet hence I’m considering cutting down on the sugar in the pumpkin.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I don’t think it is ๐Ÿ™‚ But, you could always cut it down, if you prefer.

  10. Laurie says:

    5 stars
    Hi..the pumpkin dump cake was delicious. Do you store covered on the counter or in the fridge?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I just store mine in an air tight container, with the lid. You can also put it in the fridge. Whichever you prefer ๐Ÿ™‚ Glad you liked it!