Easy Pumpkin Pie Cake Recipe

It sounds like a contradiction; a pumpkin pie….CAKE? But even Betty Crocker has a recipe for this amazing dessert which should tell you about how popular it can be, especially around Halloween time when you’re looking for something fun and new but still has the old familiar fall flavors we all know and love.

Everybody likes to make fun of pumpkin spice, but part of the reason for that is because we all secretly love it–even when we’re snarking on it as hard as possible when you hear people ordering a pumpkin latte at Starbucks.

Pumpkin Pie Cake Could Be The Fall Dessert

Bottom line, if you make just one pumpkin dessert this fall, let this Pumpkin Pie Cake be the one you choose. We can CONFIDENTLY say you will NOT regret it. Some feel this recipe is better than pumpkin pie alone. We don’t make that assertion, but we do feel that one is JUST AS GOOD as the other. The pumpkin pie cake isn’t a fall tradition, not the way the pie is. But give this recipe some time to catch on, and see what happens!

Some call this recipe “Pumpkin Dump Cake”. because it’s as easy as dumping the ingredients in a pan and baking it. Other dump cakes typically have you throwing in fruit on the bottom, covering the fruit up with cake mix and adding butter, then baking. Is the recipe as easy as it sounds? Many in the 1980s thought so, that’s when the concept of a dump cake really caught on among those who do barbecues and potlucks frequently.

Making a pumpkin pie cake tends to work best with spice cake mixes, and you may need to experiment with different brands until you find one that consistently works best for you. Does that mean making and eating a lot more pumpkin pie cake? It’s a risk we were willing to take!

What is Pumpkin Pie Spice Made of?

For this recipe to work properly you need to make or buy pumpkin spice or make homemade pumpkin spice. You can buy dry blends at many grocery stores, but it may taste far better if you make you can also substitute pie spice with individual spices.

• Ground cinnamon
• Allspice
• Ginger
• Nutmeg

The recipe requires:

1. 1/4 cup cinnamon
2. 1 tablespoon allspice
3. 1 tablespoon PLUS 1 teaspoon EACH of the ground ginger and nutmeg.

Grating your nutmeg fresh will make your pumpkin pie spice taste even better! Purchasing a grater or rasp will help. You can also throw in a clove or two for an extra fall kick but use cloves sparingly if you aren’t familiar with them when baking.

Pumpkin Pie Cake Tips Hacks

Try walnuts in place of the pecans if you want a different spin on this dessert. If you want to experiment with a different cake mix other than spice cake, that can work too but you may find the flavor profile is slightly muted in the absence of the spice cake “spin” those flavors put into the mix. People tend to serve this cake with whipped cream, but serving with ice cream is a great idea, too!

How to Make a Spiced Cake from a Yellow Cake Mix

If you only have Yellow Cake Mix just follow the directions on the box and add these ingredients:

• Yellow Cake Mix box
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp allspice or cloves

Vegetarian and Vegan Hacks

You may be able to replace the evaporated milk in this cake with full-fat coconut milk. Egg substitute may be possible for this cake, but be mindful of the texture differences that may come with using Egg Beaters or some other replacement.

Some prefer to swap out the cake mix with a vegan cake mix like those marketed by Simple Mills, but you may need to experiment with an altered cake recipe to get it right. Don’t try the vegan version of this cake for the first time if the stakes are high; if you are entertaining it might be best to wait to experiment until there’s no pressure for the cake to come out just right.

How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice Cake

Making pumpkin pie cake is even less work than a pie with a store-bought crust. Mix up some pumpkin puree with a few other ingredients, pour into a pan, then top with dry cake mix, butter, and chopped pecans. Then, place your pumpkin dump cake in the oven to bake.

More delicious dessert recipes:

• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce
• Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Fresh Berries
• The BEST Carrot Cake Recipe
• Peppermint Bark Recipe
• Chocolate Truffles
• Easy Chocolate Fudge
• Pumpkin Bread

Continue to Content

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This "cake" is sort of half cake, half pie. It will become your new favorite pumpkin dessert!

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Ingredients

• 2 14.5 ounce cans pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs
• 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In large mixing bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Pour mixture into greased 13x9 inch pan.
4. Sprinkle dry cake mix on top, taking care to cover mixture.
5. Pour melted butter over cake mix, then sprinkle pecans on top.
6. Bake for one hour or until "cake" is set. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Notes

If desired, refrigerate until cold. 

Serve with whipped cream sprinkled or vanilla ice cream and sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 799Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 872mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 87gSugar: 61gProtein: 11g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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