Julie Clark
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Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake
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The best pumpkin dessert ever! Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake is easy for every night but delicious enough for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
There’s one dessert that I crave every fall: Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake or Pumpkin Crunch Cake.
I first started making this pumpkin dessert recipe back in my early years of marriage (over 22 years ago). I found a recipe called “Great Pumpkin Dessert” in a Taste of Home magazine and instant fell in love. I like pumpkin pie, but I am madly in love with this dessert. It’s almost like a pumpkin cobbler.
In fact, we love it so much that when we make pumpkin pie, we often use this recipe and bake it in pie shells. Pumpkin Crunch Pie. Brilliant right?? But for now, let’s talk about this dump cake.
Why you’ll love Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake:
We’ve tweaked this easy pumpkin dump cake recipe over the years to be exactly how we like it. One of our favorite parts? Sprinkling a touch of brown sugar over the pecans so that they get slightly caramelized. So delicious!!
- It’s easy! It’s a forgiving recipe that anyone can make.
- No crazy ingredients or strange prep instructions.
- When you need something just a little different than pumpkin spice pie.
- It’s sweet and has an amazing holiday flavor.
- Crunchy streusel top make with a cake mix.
Ingredients Needed
- To add more pecan flavor I used a butter pecan cake mix, but this recipe is often made with yellow cake mix. Spice cake mix would be an excellent option, too.
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. If you don’t use pure pumpkin puree, the pumpkin mixture might be too sweet.
- I love that this recipe uses evaporated milk. Pantry staples are important during the holiday season!
✨ For full ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below. ✨
How to Make Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake
This pumpkin crunch cake is as simple as mixing and sprinkling. You’ll need a 9×13 baking pan (we love pans with covers to reduce waste) and just a handful of pantry ingredients.
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13″ cake pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Mix. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice until well blended. Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated.
- Layer. Pour the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin. Drizzle the top of the cake mix with the melted butter. Sprinkle the pecans on top. Then sprinkle the brown sugar over the pecans.
- Bake. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
The cake will take about an hour to bake, but it can vary based on the type of pan you use and your oven. Check the cake at 45 minutes. If it still needs more baking time but looks like it is getting too brown on top, cover with foil and bake the remaining time.
How to Serve Pumpkin Dump Cake
It’s not always easy to get perfect slices of pumpkin dump cake, but it works best if the cake is cold when slicing.
Whether it is sliced or scooped into a bowl, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Caramel sauce is a great idea too.
Recipe Variations:
- Use any box cake mix flavor you’d like. White, yellow or spice cake is amazing too.
- Use any nut you’d like.
- Add other fall flavors such as cloves, ginger or nutmeg.
- Lower the sugar if it is too sweet.
- Salted butter will help cut the sweetness also.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate pumpkin dump cake after baking. Let it cool completely first, then cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave before serving.
Other Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake
The best pumpkin dessert ever! Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake is easy for every night but delicious enough for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Servings 15
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 15 ounces solid-pack pumpkin
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar 150 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 grams
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 8 grams
- 1 box butter pecan cake mix Betty Crocker (15.25 ounces)
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted, 8 ounces
- 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13" baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice until well blended. Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated. 15 ounces solid-pack pumpkin, 12 ounces evaporated milk, 3 large eggs, ¾ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Pour the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin. Drizzle with the melted butter. 1 box butter pecan cake mix, 1 cup unsalted butter
- Sprinkle the pecans on top. Then sprinkle the brown sugar over the pecans. 1-½ cups chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Check the cake at about 45 minutes while baking. If it is getting too brown, cover with foil for the remainder of baking.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 4902IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 2mg
I had such high hopes for this recipe. The cake mix sprinkled over the pumpkin mix didn’t incorporate w the pumpkin. I pulled out the pan after cooking for a hour with a thick layer of dry cake mix on top. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
I’m allergic to dairy and wondering what you think about using a lactase free milk like fairlife, which is ultra filtered, or lactaid. Would it still turn out? Do I need to tweak or add any dry ingredients to thicken the pumpkin layer?
OMG!! This pecan pumpkin dump cake is one of the most delicious desserts I have ever tasted! My aunt makes a similar dessert that I loved, but after tasting this one, I can’t go back! I think it might be the butter pecan cake mix really adds something to this recipe that you really miss out on if you just use a yellow cake mix. The “crust” comes out with a nice crisp, but certainly not hard or anything, while the inside comes out tender, and basically melts in your mouth. The pumpkin doesn’t overwhelm the flavor, and makes this… Read more »
This dessert is fantastic! It combines three wonderful items in one dessert; the bottom layer tastes like pumpkin pie, a scrumptious cake in the middle with a pecan pie topping. It was better the second day after the pumpkin was refrigerated overnight. Thanks Julie!
Hi! This looks awesome. Can I substitute the pumpkin out for sweet potato?
Hi! Can’t wait to make this! Can you make it a day ahead and if so does it need to be refrigerated?