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Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake – The Best Fall Flavors

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This easy Pumpkin Dump Cake is a family favorite that is great for fall baking. It is quick and easy to make and perfect for sharing with family and friends at the holidays. You just dump the ingredients, mix and bake for a simple yet tasty dessert!

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Now that fall is approaching it is time to start baking with fall flavors – which to me means pumpkin. Pumpkin is delicious in baked goods like pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or pumpkin cheesecake trifle or this pumpkin dump cake.

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Why You Will Love This Cake

Dump cakes are great because they are so easy. They are a cake you can quickly make without needing baking experience, an electric mixer or fancy pans.

pumpkin dump cake on a plate with whipped cream and a bite out of it

I love my chocolate pumpkin bundt cake recipe, but it is time consuming and needs multiple batters and a bundt pan. This recipe starts with a boxed cake mix, comes together in minutes and bakes in a glass dish. Simple!

This is a delicious recipe to take to family or friends to celebrate the fall season. It is much easier to make for a pumpkin loving family than a pumpkin pie and is tasty enough to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

What is a Dump Cake Recipe?

The basics of making a dump cake is dumping some fruit in a dish, covering it with cake mix and adding melted butter. The type of fruit and type of cake mix can vary, but the basics stay the same.

Using a box of cake mix is a great short cut that keeps the preparation simple. In less than an hour you can have a cake ready to eat without dirtying up half the pans in the kitchen.

ingredients gathered for dump cake - eggs, pumpkin, sugar, spices, milk, cake mix

Ingredients

A dump cake recipe can have as few as 3 ingredients, although this recipe has a few more.

  • Pumpkin – Make sure you get pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix.
  • Sugar – While pumpkin is technically a fruit it isn’t especially sweet. So this dump cake needs more sugar than something like a peach dump cake would.
  • Eggs
  • Evaporated milkNot sweetened condensed milk, they are completely different even though both are canned milk.
  • Cake mix – Use golden or yellow cake.
  • Pecans
  • Butter
  • Seasonings – pumpkin pie spice and salt. Substitute cinnamon or cinnamon and nutmeg if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice. Or use my easy pumpkin pie spice recipe to make your own!

Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15oz Can (Pack of 4)Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15oz Can (Pack of 4)Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15oz Can (Pack of 4)Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Mix (Pack of 2)Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Mix (Pack of 2)Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Mix (Pack of 2)

 

Step by Step Instructions

1. Mix

Preheat the oven and spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Then put the eggs in a bowl and beat them to break up the yolks and mix them.

Adding the ingredients for pumpkin dump cake

Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt and stir until everything is nicely combined. You don’t need to use a mixer, a spatula or whisk will work fine.

mixing the pumpkin, eggs, sugar and milk

2. Layer

Dump the pumpkin mixture into the prepared baking dish. It should be fairly runny and spread out evenly in the dish.

pumpkin mixture spread in baking pan

Take the dry cake mix and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the pumpkin.

cake mix on top of dump cake

Then chop the pecans and spread them on top of the cake mix layer. Just try to keep things distributed more or less evenly.

dump cake before pouring the butter

The last layer is made by pouring melted butter all over the top. Put the butter in a bowl or measuring cup and microwave it to melt.

pouring butter onto the dump cake

Then slowly pour the it over top of the pecans, covering the entire cake. The cake mix soaks up the butter and everything will bake together in layers.

3. Bake

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes until the center is cooked through and a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean.

How to Serve

This pumpkin dump cake is tasty either warm from the oven or served cold. The pumpkin and cake mix make a moist base for the cake and are topped off with the crunchy pecans for a nice mix of textures.

close up of pumpkin dump cake on a plate with pecans and whipped cream

This cake is delicious without any toppings, especially when it is warm, but it also lends itself well to extra toppings!

You can top it off with ice cream or whipped cream or drizzle it with homemade caramel sauce. Or add extra pecans and sprinkle it with more pumpkin pie spice.

This cake cuts nicely into squares, but one of my favorite ways to serve it is to just scoop it out of the pan with a spoon and put it into large cocktail glasses.

serving of pumpkin dump cake in a cocktail class with spoons

This makes the cake look fancier than if it was on a plate and the glasses are excellent for adding ice cream.

If you can find cinnamon ice cream it goes perfectly with the pumpkin spice flavor of the cake. Or you could achieve the same effect by just sprinkling some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice over your vanilla ice cream.

How to Store

Unlike most cakes this dump cake doesn’t keep at room temperature and should be stored in the refrigerator. Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Tips and Variations

  • I have always made this with a yellow cake mix, but it seems like a spice cake mix would work just as well and be delicious. I’d probably reduce the amount of pumpkin pie spice in the recipe if I was going to try a spice cake mix.
  • If you are making a bunch of pumpkin recipes fall check this recipe for quick and easy pumpkin pie spice.
slice of pumpkin dump cake on a plate in front of pan

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slice of pumpkin dump cake on a plate in front of pan
4.50 from 24 votes

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Published By Anne
This easy Pumpkin Dump Cake is a family favorite that is great for fall baking.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Servings: 12
Print Save Rate Pin

Ingredients
 

  • 4 eggs
  • 15 oz can pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
  • 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cup granualted sugar
  • 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice *see notes for substitution
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 box yellow cake mix 15.25 ounces
  • 1 cup butter melted
  • 1 cup pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F and spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Put the eggs in a large bowl and whisk to mix and break up the yolks.
  • Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix well.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
  • Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture.
  • Chop the pecans and sprinkle them evenly over the cake mix.
  • Melt the butter in the microvwave. Then drizzle it over the top of the batter, trying to evenly coat the ingredients with butter.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until center is set and topping is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.
  • Somoe suggested toppings – whipped cream, ice cream, caramel sauce, pecans, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you can substitute cinnamon or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg. Or use my easy pumpkin pie spice recipe to make your own.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 666mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 45g

Nutrition facts are estimates.

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dump cake with slices cut out and topped with whipped cream
anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

13 thoughts on “Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake – The Best Fall Flavors”

  1. I making this now and noticed the difference in sugar. So I’m going to use brown sugar. I hope it turns out good. I’m taking it to family thanksgiving tomorrow.

    Reply

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