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Pumpkin dump cake is a quick and easy treat that will quickly become your go-to fall dessert whenever you’re headed to a potluck or hosting a get-together. This easy pumpkin dump cake recipe is no-fail — just mix, dump, and bake!
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Pin RecipeYou all know I have a love for boxed cake mixes. With a little help from some added ingredients, you can transform your cake to taste like you bought it from a bakery.
The first time I stumbled upon these cake hacks for transforming a boxed cake mix, I was skeptical. But, I was also in a hurry and didn’t have time to bake from scratch, so I crossed my fingers and gave it a go.
You guys, it is a game-changer! Trust me; you have to try all the fantastic ways to make a boxed cake taste like homemade, and this Pumpkin Dump Cake recipe is on point!
The Best Pumpkin Dump Cake With Cake Mix
If you need a dessert for a holiday party, potluck, or you’re just looking for that perfect pumpkin dessert recipe, then this dump cake is a must-make! It takes just 10 minutes to whip up, for that ideal pumpkin spice flavor with chopped pecans in every bite! Serve with a scoop of vanilla bean cream, or with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
Dump cake recipes are so versatile and perfect for serving a crowd or whipping up a quick dessert to feed your family as a treat. (This Pumpkin Cobbler is easy and delicious too!)
Dump cakes are great for experienced bakers to beginners. I say this because anyone can make a dump cake! You literally mix, pour and bake, and then serve it up! Trust me, don’t be intimidated, this is an excellent recipe for beginners, intermediates, and expert bakers. Prepare this recipe for everything from Thanksgiving meals to weekend treats!
Recipe Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions:
- Canned pumpkin – Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling!
- Evaporated milk – You could use regular whole milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half too!
- Sugar – white
- Pumpkin pie spice – Find this in the spice section of your local grocery store, or make homemade pumpkin pie spice with pantry staple spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice!
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs – Let them come to room temperature for easy mixing.
- Chopped pecans – walnuts would work well, too!
- Butter – I always recommend unsalted butter for baking!
- Yellow cake mix – Any brand of dry cake mix you like best will work. Feel free to use spice cake mix for even more flavor.
How To Make Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Prepare the base: Mix the wet ingredients (pumpkin, seasoning, sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla) in a large bowl until smooth. Then, pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish greased with cooking spray.
- Assemble: Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture in the pan. Next, grab your chopped pecans, and sprinkle them over the top of your cake mixture for the best crumbly topping!
- Add the butter: Follow up by cutting your butter into thin slices, and arranging it evenly over the top of the cake. Alternatively, you could use melted butter.
- Bake: Transfer the cake to the oven, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve: Allow your pumpkin dump cake to cool slightly. Then, scoop, and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or, add chocolate chips, toffee bits, a dash of cinnamon, or a drizzle of caramel sauce for even more flavor!
That’s it! This Pumpkin Dump cake has a few more ingredients than some of my other dump cake recipes, but it’s definitely worth it!
How to Store + Freeze
- Store leftover pumpkin dump cake covered with aluminum foil or in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. Or, transfer it to the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freeze the cooled dump cake for up to 3 months. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil to keep it fresh, and thaw in the fridge overnight.
- To serve, enjoy your dump cake cool. Alternatively, you can warm it in 30 second intervals in the microwave or in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit fro about 15 minutes or just until heated through.
FAQs
Because it’s as simple as dumping in the ingredients and baking!
The texture should be a bit gooey, but not raw. You need to make sure that the batter is cooked all the way, so just follow the directions to make it happen.
You need to pay attention to the top of the dump cake. It will turn brown and start to bubble, indicating that it’s done or very close to being done baking.
Yes! Be sure to measure out the same amount of fresh pumpkin as canned for this recipe.
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Pumpkin Dump Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×13 inch baking dish
- 1 Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 (15 ounce) cans pure pumpkin puree
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice seasoning
- 4 eggs
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease a 9×13 pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, add pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin seasoning, eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla.2 (15 ounce) cans pure pumpkin puree, 12 oz evaporated milk, 1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice seasoning, 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin mixture evenly.1 package yellow cake mix
- Top with pecans.1 cup chopped pecans
- Slice butter and add to top of cake mixture.1 cup butter
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
- Allow to cool slightly.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Share With Us!
I hope you enjoy this delicious Pumpkin Dump Cake recipe! If you give it a try, please share your experience in the comments below. Don’t forget to tag me on social media @allthingsmamma and use the hashtag #allthingsmamma.
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I’ve been making this pumpkin pie dessert for years and it’s always a hit at thanksgiving. The only change I make is that I use a spice cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix. Just a little more flavor. Enjoy!
Good call!
You left out a step!
What step??
You did not indicate to mix the ingredients. Also, you did not direct to put the pumpkin mixture in the pan prior to dumping the cake mix on top. HTH.
Rude.
I agree that you should indicate to mix the pumpkin ingredients together
and pour into the prepared casserole dish. then sprinkle the cake mix evenly across the top of this and then top with the butter pats. if I had not been making this for the last 30 years, I might not understand these steps
Thank you for the feedback! We will review the recipe and try to make the steps clearer. 😊
This recipe looks delicious and so easy! I am about to make it and just want to be sure it calls for a tablespoon of pumpkin spice seasoning? That seems like a lot so I just wanted to double check it wasn’t a typo.
An extraordinary way of looking at things that you have, we give thanks for sharing it with the readers.
Great with whipped cream!
Great recipe. Wondering if it could be put in the freezer? Have a lot left over but was so good did not want to go to waste.
Trying this recipe right now. I notice it calls for 1-12 oz evaporated milk, they typically come in 12 oz. so I’m adding 4oz whole milk.
Did anyone else do this or did everyone just use one 12 oz can of evaporated milk? Maybe that’s why some aren’t fully cooking all the way?
OMG,a total brain fart! For some reason I was thinking it called for 16 oz of milk, even though I wrote 12oz. My apologies!!! Good news is that it worked, I baked it for 15 min longer. I tried the chopped Heath bar candy on top with the pecans( from leftover Halloween candy!) Delicious!
Lesson: Don’t bake on 4 hrs of sleep 🙂
Is it pumpkin purée or pumpkin pie filling?
Canned pumpkin puree, not pie filling. Hope this helps!
Just made and the toothpick came out clean. The cake is must. Did not like and will let set over night and try tasting again tomorrow
Recipe does not state when to pour ingredients into the baking pan. Step 3 says to mix pumpkin, etc., in a bowl. Then the next step says to pour cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Would be very helpful and eliminate confusion by inserting “Pour pumpkin mixture into baking pan.” at the end of Step 3. Thank you.
Wondering if this recipe would be just as good with a Spice Cake instead of the Yellow Cake? Thanks! Planning on making this for a family get together this weekend!
I tried it with a spice cake on top and without. Everyone loved the spice cake topping better. I add more spice to the recipie as I also do my pumpkin pies. 3.5 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Fall is all about the spice. Have also baked this with Duncan Hines Keto cake mix and sugar substitute in the pumpkin for a more health friendly recipie. Need to lower the heat and cook longer so as not to burn the top. THIS CAN BE FROZEN AND SHOULD BE REFRIGERATED. ANY TYPE OF CUSTARD FOODS WITH EGGS SHOULD BE REFRIGERATED.
Do you put cakes that you make in the fridge? They also have eggs. The eggs cook during baking.
If you dont have pumpkin puree can you substitute pumpkin pie filling??
We enjoyed this recipe. However ours never really got done. After 1 1/2 hours, finally pulled it lit let it set. Was still mushy in the middle but tasted great.
Glad you still enjoyed!!
-From the All Things Mamma Team
Yes the ingredients show sugar but you never put it in the directions so it would be good to add it to the directions Maybe?
I absolutely agree. I almost skipped the sugar because it is not mentioned in the recipe itself, only the List of ingredients. I definitely recommend an edit for this. Thank you! On a yummy note I can’t wait to take it out the oven and eat it 🙂
We are so sorry about this! We just edited the recipe to include when to add the sugar. You add it with the rest of the pumpkin mixture. Thanks!
-From the All Things Mamma Team
When do you add the sugar
We just edited the recipe to include this part – sorry that it had gotten left out! You add the sugar with the rest of the pumpkin mixture. Thanks!
-From the All Things Mamma Team
Making this got it all ready to put into the oven and realized you don’t have instructions when to add the sugar. The only way I knew was that was all that was left when I put things away was the sugar. We rechecked the recipe but it does not say when. Needless to say mine does not have the sugar in it. Hubby is on his way to the store to get duplicate ingredients in case we need to make another. You might want to edit your recipe to include the sugar.
When you add sugar?
You add the sugar with the pumpkin mixture.. It doesn’t say that in the recipe but it does say that in the information above the recipe.
Help me – I can’t stop eating this! So delicious! Since it is only myself and hubbie, I made a half batch and it worked beautifully. I had 6 oz. of coconut milk left over from a previous bake, so used that instead of the evaporated milk. Also had walnuts on hand vs. pecans, and tasted soooo yummy!
Ahhh yes you are so right, good catch! We just edited the recipe – you add the sugar with the rest of the pumpkin mixture.
-From the All Things Mamma Team
I made this cake for a dinner party and it received RAVE reviews.
Absolutely delicious.
I used heath candy chips sprinkled over the top and put nuts on one side only, because I have very strange friends who don’t like nuts.
Fabulous recipe and will make it again during the holidays.
AHHHH! GREAT ideas!! So happy it turned out so well for you!
Can you use brown sugar instead of regular sugar?