The best pumpkin dessert ever! Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake is easy for every night but delicious enough for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
There’s one dessert that I crave every fall: Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake.
I first started making this 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.
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 cake.
Why you’ll love this cake:
We’ve tweaked this 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 pie.
- It’s sweet and has an amazing holiday flavor.
- Crunchy streusel top make with a cake mix.
How to Make Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake
This recipe is as easy 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 pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Mix. 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.
- Layer. Pour the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin. Drizzle 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.
**Pro Tip: 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. **
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.
- Lower the sugar if it is too sweet.
- Salted butter will help cut the sweetness also.
Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 15 ounces solid-pack pumpkin
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 box butter pecan cake mix Betty Crocker (15.25 ounces)
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 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 pan 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.
- Pour the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin.
- Drizzle with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle the pecans on top. Then sprinkle the brown sugar over the pecans.
- 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.
Other Pumpkin Desserts
We love all things pumpkin for the holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also any time of year! From cheesecake to breakfasts casseroles and sweet rolls, we hope you find a new pumpkin recipe to try.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Pumpkin Cheesecake Pumpkin French Toast Casserole Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Buns 
Pumpkin Roll Pumpkin Eggnog Pie Pumpkin Spice Oreo Bars Pumpkin Brownies Pumpkin Pie Bars Homemade Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake 
Pumpkin Crunch Pie Pumpkin Spice Toffee Frozen Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Bread
