Easy Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake (With Cake Mix)
*This post may contain affiliate links. See our affiliate policy here.
This easy pumpkin dump cake is made with a cake mix, and is just as fast as it sounds. Half pumpkin cake, half pumpkin pie, mix the layers and then bake for a delicious gooey pumpkin dessert. This is a great last-minute fall dessert to bring to a party, holiday or potluck.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Delicious Pumpkin Spice Flavor- This pumpkin dump cake recipe has all the cozy flavors of pumpkin spice and fall wrapped into one easy cake. The bottom tastes more like a pumpkin pie dump cake, and the top is a cross between cake and spiced coffee cake.
- Quick And Easy Prep– This cake is super easy to prep, you quite literally mix, dump and bake. No fussing, this dessert lets the oven do most of the work. I like to keep this easy pumpkin cake with cake mix in my back pocket for when I’m in a real hurry.
- Great For A Crowd– This makes a large 9 x 13 size cake that is perfect for bringing to potlucks, parties and holiday gatherings.
Ingredients For Pumpkin Dump Cake
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- pumpkin puree Canned pumpkin, but you can use fresh pumpkin
- eggs
- sweetened condensed milk
- brown sugar
- pumpkin pie spice
- spice cake mix
- butter – melted, salted is fine for this recipe. If your butter is unsalted, blend in 1/4 teaspoon salt to the cake mix before mixing in the butter.
How To Make Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl add pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice, Mix all ingredients together until smooth for the first layer of this pumpkin cake recipe.
- Spread the pumpkin mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the cake mix and melted butter until the mixture it looks like thick sand. Sprinkle the cake mix and butter on top of the pumpkin in the baking dish.
- Bake the pumpkin cake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes until cooked through. The cake crumbles on top will turn a golden brown.
- Let the pumpkin cake to cool completely, at least thirty minutes. Then slice and serve. If you skip letting the cake cool it will fall apart and crumble. Letting the cake cool allows it to set. You want the pan to be at room temperature when you touch it.
- Top with chopped pecans, whipped cream and extra cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!
Variations And FAQ
- Change The Cake Mix– You can use a yellow cake mix or a white cake mix swapped into this recipe. I add an extra teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix and an extra half teaspoon of cinnamon when I don’t use a spice mixed cake.
- Add A Cream Cheese Swirl– Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese, 3/4 cups of powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of milk with an electric mixer. Drizzle over the cake before baking but after adding the dry cake mix mixture. Take a butterknife and swirl the cream cheese into the cake before baking.
- Top With Nuts– Chopped pecans and walnuts are both delicious sprinkled on top of this cake
- Serve with Ice Cream – Ice cream topping this pumpkin dump cake is delicious! Vanilla is usually my favorite, but a cinnamon, butter pecan or pumpkin ice cream is also delicious.
How Do I Keep My Cake From Falling Apart?
This cake will only hold together if you allow it to cool completely. If you try to slice it before the cake has cooled and set, you may find yourself scooping it over ice cream instead of putting the ice cream on top of the cake.
How Do I Store This Pumpkin Dump Cake?
This cake does need to be refrigerated to store it. The pumpkin in the cake holds a lot of moisture, and can easily begin to spoil too fast in this dessert if you don’t store it in the refrigerator.
How Long Does This Pumpkin Dump Cake Last?
Store this pumpkin dump cake dessert in a covered airtight container in the fridge for three to four days.
Other Desserts You Will Love
1 hour 10 minutes
Pumpkin Pie Dip
50 minutes
Gooey Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats
30 minutes
Frosted Pumpkin Cookies (With Cake Mix!)
Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake (With Cake Mix!)
This easy pumpkin dump cake with cake mix is half cake, half pumpkin pie! Mix and dump for a quick dessert that is a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
- 29 ounces pumpkin puree Canned, About 3 1/2 cups
- 3 eggs
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 15.25 ounces spice cake mix
- ½ cup butter melted
- Pecans optional garnish
- Whipped cream optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl add pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice, Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
- Spread the pumpkin mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the cake mix and melted butter until the mixture until it looks like thick sand. Sprinkle the cake mix and butter mixture over the top of the pumpkin in the baking dish.
- Bake the pumpkin cake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes until cooked through. The cake crumbles on top will turn a golden brown.
- Let the pumpkin cake to cool completely, at least thirty minutes..Then slice and serve. Top with chopped pecans, whipped cream and extra cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can use one large 29 ounce can of pumpkin puree for this recipe or two 15 ounce cans of pumpkin. If using fresh pumpkin puree use 3 1/2 cups.
Nutrition
Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 427mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 11050IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 3mg
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
Hi, do you use light or dark brown sugar?
You can use either. Dark brown sugar has slightly more molasse flavor but it’s not really enough to impact the overall flavor of this cake.
Looks great can you use pumpkin pie mix?
Hi Darryl- Pumpkin pie mix is already sweetened. If you use the canned pumpkin pie mix it will likely be not quite the right sweetness level, and you need the sweetened condensed milk to both sweeten the pumpkin and help with the creaminess. I’d use regular pumpkin puree for this one, or you may end up with a lot of trial and error trying to get the sweetness level right for the pumpkin pie bottom layer. Hope that helps! -Kristy
Could I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
You can for sure use fresh pumpkin instead of canned, however I recommend blotting the pumpkin well with paper towels or strain it with a cheesecloth before adding it (you may have to do this several times.) Pumpkins can have all different amounts of water, but fresh pumpkin puree in particular tends to have more water than canned. If you do not remove some of that excess water before adding it to the dish, you may end up with a dessert that is too liquidy. Hope that helps! -Kristy
Can you use pumpkin pound cake mix instead of pumpkin cake mix?
Hi there, this recipe calls for a spice cake mix, not a pumpkin cake mix. While I know you can easily substitute yellow cake mix or white cake mix, I’ve never tried this recipe with a pound cake mix, which have different ratios of ingredients then a regular cake mix does. If you try it out, let me know how it goes! -Kristy
It was good but needs to be sweeter.
Hi Bernie- Did you use sweetened condensed milk, or did you possibly use evaporated milk accidentally? That would make a big difference in the sweetness level. The recipe has quite a bit of sugar in it. -Kristy
Love it. It’s sooooo good
thank you
So glad it was delicious Daneel! -Kristy