Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake

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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.

pecan pumpkin dump cake on a plate

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.
ingredients for pumpkin dump cake

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. **

pumpkin dessert in a bowl

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 in a pan with one slice out
pecan pumpkin dump cake in a pan with one slice out

Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake

4.70 from 52 votes
The best pumpkin dessert ever! Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake is easy for every night but delicious enough for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Servings 15
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

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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.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword easy thanksgiving dessert, pumpkin dessert, thanksgiving
pecan pumpkin dump cake on a spatula

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.

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Sandy Kelsoe
2 years ago

5 stars
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!

Brit
4 months ago

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?

Jax
2 years ago

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 »

Last edited 2 years ago by Jax
Traci
2 years ago

Hi! This looks awesome. Can I substitute the pumpkin out for sweet potato?

Jaclyn
2 years ago

Hi! Can’t wait to make this! Can you make it a day ahead and if so does it need to be refrigerated?