Pumpkin Dump Cake is one of our most popular recipes with my readers for a reason – it takes 10 minutes to prep and is ready to bake even before the oven is preheated! Equally easy as it is delicious, it’s no wonder why this recipe has almost 100 5-star reviews and 500,000 views! The perfect dessert for fall!
This Pumpkin Dump Cake Will Be Your Favorite FAll Dessert!
This pumpkin dump cake recipe may be my most requested Fall recipe. Of course, I am happy to oblige because it is so easy to throw together!
Our cake is a cross between a pumpkin pie and a spice cake; with this easy dump cake, you get the best of both! The bottom has the creamy, smooth texture of pumpkin pie filling, and the top tastes like a crunchy crumb crust.
This sweet treat is perfect for beginner bakers or anyone in a hurry to make a homemade Thanksgiving holiday cake. It’s no wonder why pumpkin dump cakes are trending on TikTok – with minimal effort, you can’t beat the convenience of pumpkin cake mix recipes that come together this fast!
What is a Dump Cake?
A dump cake is a dessert made by layering fruit filling and cake mix in a baking dish and then topping it with melted butter. Some people have referred to dump cakes as an easy cobbler because they both have a fruity or savory filling and are then topped with a batter or crispy, crumble topping.
The name “dump cake” comes from the fact that you quite literally dump all of the ingredients together and bake your dessert. As the name suggests, many dump cake directions say… do not stir! Yep, it’s really that easy!
The result is a sweet and delicious dessert with a crunchy topping and a fruity filling, and it can be made with various fruit and cake mix flavors.
If you love making dump cakes as much as we do, be sure to take a look at our Caramel Apple Dump Cake, Oreo Dump Cake, and our Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake.
Ingredients Notes
- Pure pumpkin puree: Make sure that you are using PURE pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie mix. They can be found in the same section of your grocery store and often have very similar labels. The pumpkin pie mix has sugar and spices added to it that the pure pumpkin puree does not. If you do choose to use the pie mix, then you will want to scale back on the amounts of added spices used and reduce the amount of sugar for the recipe as well.
- Eggs: I like my filling to have a custard-like feel, so I use 4 full eggs. You can try this recipe with just 3 eggs for a firmer filling.
- Evaporated milk: Make sure to use evaporated milk and not not sweetened condensed milk. They are not interchangeable.
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice blend: You can make your own aromatic blend using cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- Cinnamon
- Spice Cake mix: I used the Duncan Hines brand, but feel free to use your favorite. You will only be using the dry cake mix! Feel free to swap out the spiced cake mix for a vanilla, butter, or box yellow cake mix and add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice blend to the dry cake mix and pecans.
- Pecans: I love the addition of chopped pecans to the “crumble” topping of this pumpkin dump cake. However, if you have nut allergies or aversions, you can omit the pecans. It will still be delicious.
- Unsalted butter
- Milk: I prefer to use whole milk for it’s rich taste, but 2% milk will also work well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Prepare The Pumpkin Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice blend and cinnamon until smooth.
- Pour In The Pan: Pour the pumpkin mixture into the baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
- Stir And Sprinkle: Stir together the dry spice mix and pecans. Sprinkle it on top of the pumpkin mixture.
- Cover The Cake: Mix together the melted butter and milk and slowly pour the mixture over the dry cake mix layer.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour or until the top is golden and the center has set.
- Serve: Serve and enjoy!
How To Make Pumpkin Dump Cake In A Slow Cooker
To cook your cake in a crock pot, follow the instructions above. But when it comes to baking, simply turn the crockpot on high, and let your dump cake cook for about 2 hours.
I love making this recipe in the crockpot when I will be bringing it to a gathering or get together! That way, I can just plug it in and keep it warm when I arrive at the party.
Serving Suggestions
I like to allow the dump cake to cool down on the counter until it’s just warm, but not hot, although you can certainly serve it at room temperature. Enjoy it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Tips & Variations
- Don’t Stir the Dry Mix: You want to make sure that no large dry pockets of spiced cake mix are showing. If they are, you can take a spoon and gently push the dry mix under the butter, being careful not to really stir the butter and cake mix but just submerge the cake mix under the butter. A few small little spots of dry mix showing are okay, but you really want as much of the dry mix as possible submerged under the butter and milk mixture.
- Go Without Glass: In the photos, I used a glass baking dish, but some readers found that using a 9×13 metal baking dish left a little more space at the top and prevented the cake from bubbling over.
- Prepare Without Pecans: You can omit the pecans completely from the topping or create some crunch with chopped walnuts, crushed graham crackers, or toffee bits instead.
- If your dump cake is still powdery after baking, it might be due to not using enough evenly distributing the butter on top to properly moisten the dry cake mix. Make sure there’s enough liquid to hydrate the mix during baking.
- How to know when your pumpkin dump cake is done? It’s pretty straightforward, you want the top to look golden brown.
- Fill With Other Fruit: If you like the convenience of “dumping” your cake contents into a pan to bake, try it with other fruity flavors. My Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake, Peach Dump Cake , Air Fryer Caramel Apple Dump Cake, and Blueberry Dump Cake recipes are also easy and delicious.
How to Store Leftovers
- To Store: Leftover dump cake can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Reheat in the microwave for 20- 30 seconds or until desired heat is reached.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Easy Recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 15.25 ounce box Spice Cake mix (I used Duncan Hines brand)
- 1½ cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baker’s spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together, by hand, the pure pumpkin puree, eggs, evaporated milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice blend and cinnamon until smooth and all the ingredients are fully incorporated.2 15-ounce cans pure pumpkin puree, 4 large eggs, 12 ounce can evaporated milk, 1½ cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend, 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Pour the pumpkin filling into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
- In a medium bowl stir together the dry spice mix and chopped pecans. Sprinkle the spice cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin filling.15.25 ounce box Spice Cake mix, 1½ cups chopped pecans
- In a medium bowl stir together the melted butter and whole milk.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup whole milk
- Slowly pour the butter and milk mixture over the top of the entire dry cake mix layer. You want to make sure that no large dry pockets of spiced cake mix are showing. If they are, you can take a spoon and gently push the dry mix under the butter being careful to not really stir the butter and cake mix, but just submerge the cake mix under the butter. A few small little spots of dry mix showing are ok but you really want as much of the dry mix submerged under the butter and milk mixture.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden and the center has set.
Jenn’s Notes
- You can swap out the spiced cake mix for a vanilla, butter or yellow cake mix and add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice blend to the dry cake mix and pecans.
- I love the addition of chopped pecans to the “crumble” topping of this pumpkin dump cake. However, if you have nut allergies, or aversions, you can omit the pecans and this will still be delicious.
- Make sure that you are using PURE pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie mix. They can be found in the same section of your grocery store and can sometimes have very similar labels. The pumpkin pie mix has sugar and spices added to it that the pure pumpkin puree does not. If you do choose to use the pie mix then you will want to scale back on the amounts of added spices used and cut back on the amount of sugar for the recipe as well
Nutrition Info
This Pumpkin Dump Cake checks all the boxes. It satisfies my sweet tooth, it’s easy to make, and it screams fall. If you too are a fan of all things dessert and all things autumn, then this is a must-try recipe for you!
Originally posted July 15, 2019
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! My daughter calls it “Pumpkin Crack!” and she told me to definitely save this recipe! My husband can’t stop eating the leftovers. Good thing I doubled the recipe and made two pans of it! A definite winner! Thanks, Jen!!
Hi Cathy! So glad it was a hit!!
Why does the evaporated milk look so thick? Did you use sweetened condensed milk?
Can this be frozen?
This is outstanding! It tastes like autumn! Only change I made was to put the pecans on the top instead of mixing them up with the cake mix. I like the taste of toasted pecans. DELISH!
So good! Recipe was easy to follow and gave me the pumpkin fix I needed. I would’ve given it 5 stars on just taste alone, but I kept questioning if it was done because the base didn’t set up like the picture showed.