This Pumpkin Dump Cake is sure to satisfy all of your fall dessert dreams! A pumpkin pie filling is topped with cake mix and butter to create a delicious cobbler-style dessert that combines the classic pie with a crisp, buttery topping.
If there’s one pumpkin recipe you make this fall, PLEASE make it this pumpkin pie dump cake! This cake is an autumnal version of our super-popular summer peach cobbler.
You all loved the ease (and the taste) of that recipe so much, we wanted to put some more easy spins on it for you. First up – pumpkin. To make this cake, you’ll basically make a pumpkin pie-style filling, pour cake mix over top, then top it with butter and bake. The result is something similar to pumpkin pie but with a crisp, buttery, delicious cobbler-style topping that you won’t be able to get enough of.
This cake is easy enough to make on a whim, but tasty enough to serve at a dinner party. It would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table along with our Perfect Oven Roasted Turkey, Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pomegranate, and Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pumpkin pie flavors meets a moist and delicious cake
- Just 10 minutes of prep!
- Makes your whole house smell *amazing* as it bakes!
Dump Cake Recipe Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to whip up this quick and easy cake recipe. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Canned pumpkin – 2 15- ounce cans pumpkin
- Cinnamon – 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Ginger – 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- Cloves – 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- Nutmeg – 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Milk – 3/4 cup whole milk
- Vanilla – 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Maple syrup – 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- Eggs – 3 eggs
- Cake mix – 1 box yellow cake mix (we used this one for gluten-free)
- Pumpkin pie spice – 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Butter – 3/4 cup butter, sliced 1 1/2 sticks
- Pecans – 1 cup pecans
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Spices – if you don’t have every single one of these spices on hand, don’t sweat it. Either use a double dose of one of the other single spices, or swap in pumpkin pie spice, which is typically a blend of all of the spices listed here.
- Nuts – We like pecans in this recipe: they’re a delicious nod to everyone’s *other* favorite Thanksgiving dessert – pecan pie! But if you’d rather, feel free to use hazelnuts or almonds instead.
How to Make Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake
There are just a few simple steps for this delicious pumpkin dump cake recipe.
Step 1: First, you’ll make the pumpkin pie filling by combining 2 cans of pumpkin puree, maple syrup, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla.
Step 2: Once the mixture is fully combined, pour it into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle a box of white or yellow cake mix over the pumpkin in an even layer, then top it with about 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
Step 3: Slice 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter and lay the slices on top of the cake mix layer. Bake the cake for 45 minutes.
Step 4: Pull the cake from the oven and sprinkle pecans on top. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the crust is browned and crisp. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
Dump cake is SO EASY and truly fail-proof, but here are a few things to keep in mind:
Make-ahead – though we love enjoying dump cake warm (about 30 minutes after it comes out of the oven), it microwaves REALLY well (and also tastes great out of the fridge). So making it ahead of time is a great idea!
The dump cake may brown unevenly – don’t be alarmed or intimidated if the crust browns more in some areas than others. The parts of the crust that have more butter will brown more than the spots with less butter, and that’s totally fine and normal!
Best served warm – dump cake is best served warm about 30 minutes to an hour after it comes out of the oven. If you want to enjoy it warm after it’s all the way cooled down, just pop a serving of it in the microwave.
Any box mix will work – any brand of vanilla cake mix will work here, so buy your favorite.
How to Serve
Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool for 15-30 minutes before slicing. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
How to Store and Reheat
Store this cake in the fridge, where it will last for up to 5 days. Eat it cold, at room temperature, or microwave until it’s just heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dump cake. It’s not the most appetizing name, right? Luckily, the flavor MORE than makes up for the name. The reason it’s called a dump cake is that unlike a normal cake, which requires multiple steps and measurements, with a dump cake you simply dump everything together. In this case, we mix together a quick pumpkin pie filling for the bottom layer, but traditional dump cakes use fruit. Next, you dump cake mix over the filling then dot it with butter and bake – it really is a foolproof dessert!
You’ll know that it’s time to pull your dump cake out of the oven when the top of the cake is browned and crisp.
Absolutely! We chose to make this recipe with King Arthur gluten-free cake mix and it baked up perfectly. For dairy-free, we would recommend substituting full-fat coconut milk in the pumpkin pie mixture, and either ghee or your favorite vegan butter substitute for the butter in the crust.
Yes, we do recommend that you store your dump cake in the refrigerator, and when stored this way, it’ll last for up to 5 days.
More of Our Best Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 2 15- ounce cans pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 eggs
- 1 box yellow cake mix, we used this one for gluten free
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 3/4 cup butter, sliced, 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and eggs to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish, then pour the yellow cake mix over top in an even layer. Sprinkle the pumpkin spice over top.
- Layer the slices of butter on top of the cake mixture, then bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, pour the pecans on top of the cake, then return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the cake is browned and crisp.
- Let cool slightly, then serve warm. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Recipe Notes
- To make this cake dairy-free, substitute full-fat coconut milk for the milk in the pumpkin filling, and top with ghee or your favorite vegan butter substitute.
Nutrition
This sounds delicious and i would love to try it out. What gluten free cake mixes have you bought and liked?
Oh yay! King Arthur is definitely our go-to! Please let us know you make it!
Absolutely delicious!
So glad you enjoyed, Diane! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF
I made this for a Friendsgiving and it was a huge hit! Insanely easy to make and beyond delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
Hooray, Meagan! We are so glad this was a Thanksgiving hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. We really appreciate it! -Team FF
This dump cake was really amazing! I made it for my family for Thanksgiving and we were fighting for the leftovers after.
We’re so glad to hear that, Andrea! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Could making it with chocolate cake mix work as well?
Definitely!
Can you put all of it together a day ahead of time, refrigerate and then bake the following day?
Yes, that will work fine!
Can I sub honey for the maple syrup?
Sure!
Yum! I made it gluten-free, dairy free. Do you think it will freeze well?
Awesome! We haven’t tried freezing this one, Lisa, but it’s definitely worth a try. I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well!
Can you make this ahead and warm it up!
Sure!!
Wow! I made this for thanksgiving because I didn’t want to go to the trouble of making a pie as the gluten free dessert. It was everyone’s favorite dessert. Even the gluten eating family members loved it. Additionally, it was very easy to make. Thank you for a great recipe!
Could I use coconut milk to make this dairy free?
Absolutely! I’ve successfully made it with full-fat coconut milk before.
Sad emoji!! Your video link is broken. Can you possibly fix and link again? Thank you!!
Thanks for the heads up Cheryl, it is fixed now!
So easy and taste amazing!!
YAY!!
Any way to make egg free?
Hey Kate – you can try the filling in our egg-free pumpkin pie! https://fedandfit.com/egg-free-pumpkin-pie-with-cinnamon-crumble-topping/
Any specifics on size of box for the yellow cake mix. For example, I clicked on the link in the recipe for the King Arthur GF cake mix and it says it makes 24 cupcakes. So should I look for a box that would also equal 24 cupcakes? For example, Simple Mills has a yellow cake mix but it only yields 12 cupcakes per box, so should I use 2 boxes then? Or I’d be ok with 1 box?
Most cake mixes are between 17-22 ounces, but it looks like the Simple Mills one is only 11 ounces so I’d recommend using two boxes of it!
There are 2 different instructions on how.long to bake the cake the first time. One says after 45 min add the pecans and bake 15 min more. The other says bake 30 minutes first, add pecans and bake 30 min more. Which is correct?
Add the pecans after 45 minutes then bake 15 minutes more!