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This simple spiced pumpkin dump cake preps in minutes for a perfectly delicious shareable dessert all fall long!
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.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hour
- 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.
- ½ 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
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
How to Make a Pumpkin Dump Cake
- PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- BATTER. Mix 1 can pumpkin puree, 1 can evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ 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.
- TOPPING. Sprinkle the dry cake mix on top then add 1 cup chopped pecans on top. Cut ¾ cup butter very thin and place them evenly over the crumble topping.
- 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.
Pumpkin Dump Cake
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.
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.
Yes! Whisk 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cups granulated sugar, 3½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, plus 4 tablespoons butter (½ stick). Use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter, and you’ve got a homemade yellow cake mix.
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.
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.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it is instantly a holiday favorite. I used more pecans, and more butter to cover the top. Hard to wait until dessert for this one. Super easy. That’s important for me because I can only make something simple. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much! I agree…it’s a hard one to wait for 🙂
Thanks for this recipe. We love it! I have made 3x in the last year! It actually tastes better the next day as the flavors mellow so my advice is to make a day or two ahead. We had it for my niece’s birthday this month and everyone loved it! I spread whipped topping on top.
That makes me so happy to hear! We love it! Thank you for sharing!
Forgot to add the eggs ???? cooked it for a little over an hour and it still seems like the pumpkin is runny. Is that because of not having the eggs or do I need to cook longer? Any idea?
Oh, no..it will definitely need the eggs. I’m not sure if that is what makes it runny, but I would think so. Good luck!
We just forgot the eggs!
Was it edible?
DO I need to make another for TOMORROW’S party?
I’ve been making this same recipe, called pumpkin pie cake, FOR 20 years. I’ve frozen leftovers for months, and it’s AS delicious as when fresh. I’ve successfully COMBINED melted butter and canola or sunflower oil for the topping oil. SOMEONE mentioned mixing the melted butter into the dry cake mix instead of drizzling it on top. I DON’T know if or how that would work. my curiosity is piqued but not enough to try it. I use half each PECANS AND walnuts.
Thank you for sharing that 🙂
Brought this dessert to a halloween party last night and it got devoured! 8 ppl want me to send them the recipe! I made it exactly according to the recipe including the pecans and cool whip topping. Serve warm as suggested. Simply delicious!
Yay!! That’s what I love to hear! Thank you for sharing that!
Could you use sweet potato as eell?
I have never tried? One way to find out 😉
So, I made this and it smelled amazing and looked amazing and tasted pretty darn good. My only issue was, I felt like the pumpkin part was too eggy texture. I should say that it’s probably because I used large eggs and thought I should’ve used 1 less egg, but wanted to see what happened. So, needless to say, I love the flavor! I will adjust the recipe for big eggs and go with my gut next time. Thank you for a great recipe!
Thanks for sharing!! Glad you loved the flavor and found how to make it work best for you in the future. Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
Does these need to be refrigerated?
You could or keep it with a lid or covered well & it would be fine on the counter. ENJOY!
I would really love to try this recipe, but I am allergic to cinnamon. Do you think it would taste ok if I substitute nutmeg or should I use a little all spice? Or any other suggestions? I’m not a big baker so I’m unsure as to what I can do.
Those would be great!! I personally haven’t tried, but those are the ones I would suggest 🙂 Hope you like it!
can I make this a day ahead and just warm it before I serve it
Sure could 🙂 ENJOY!!
Made this and it tastes great. But it seems more like a pie than a cake. I could not cut it I had to spoon it out. Cooked for a hour an drink fifteen min.
Is it suppose to be this way?
It should be like a cake. I’m not sure what could have happened. I mean you could scoop it out, but you should be able to cut it, like cake.
Delicious!! Making it again this weekend. And sooo easy!
I’m so happy to hear you like it! Thank you for letting me know!
Do you mean a 30 ounce can of pumpkin pie filling? Or a 30 ounce can of pumpkin purée?
It’s a 30 ounce can of canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling 🙂