Name: Pumpkin Dump Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 3 large eggs; 1 can (15 ounces) 100% pure pumpkin purée ((not pumpkin pie filling)); 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ((optional)); ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk, shaken well; 1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix ((we use Duncan Hines)); 1 cup chopped pecans; ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled; whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving ((optional))

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: This isn’t your ordinary dump cake! Pumpkin dump cake has a layer of custard at the bottom, the perfect complement to the cobbler-like topping and crunchy, buttery pecans.

How long it takes: 1 hour
Equipment you’ll need: 9 x 13 -inch baking dish, mixing bowl
Servings: 15

A scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over a serving of crumbly pecan-topped pumpkin dump cake.

I only like Making Easy Desserts

A dump cake is one of the easiest desserts you can make, and to be completely honest with you, some versions are better than others. Pumpkin dump cake definitely ranks up there with the best. Why?

Cozy fall flavor. If PSL (pumpkin spice latte) season is YOUR season and you wait all year long for the time when it’s acceptable to have pumpkin pie and pumpkin bars as a dessert, you’re going to love the warm, cozy spices in this pumpkin dump cake.
Easy to make. It’s called a dump cake for a reason!
Feeds a crowd. Need to bring a dessert to a party or potluck? This pumpkin dump cake will impress your friends and family with its deliciousness and it yields 15 generous servings. Win! (Be sure to bring a big tub of whipped topping!)

I can eat a frightening amount of this cake, and I know you’re going to love it too.

Before we get into it, let’s talk about the dump cake concept. As you might guess by the name, this type of cake involves “dumping” all the ingredients into a baking dish and letting the magic happen in the oven. Some cakes are literally just a layer of canned pie filling topped with cake mix and butter; this one is slightly more complicated, but so worth it. Here’s what you’ll be dumping in:

A custard layer, similar to the filling of a pumpkin pie
A dry cake mix
Pecans
Butter

The dump cake turns out somewhat like a cobbler or a crumble. True confession: I actually prefer it to pumpkin pie!

A slice of pumpkin dessert topped with pecans and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a white plate, with a fork and a baking dish in the background.

Ingredient Notes

As always, scroll down for the complete recipe with measurements, but here are a few notes and findings from testing this recipe.

Canned pumpkin purée: Use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and would make the dump cake too sweet.
Yellow cake mix: When we tested this recipe, we used a couple different brands of plain yellow cake mixes so we could compare, since cake mixes vary in size. Although there wasn’t a huge difference, we found that a 15.25 ounce box (Duncan Hines) worked a bit better than a 13.25 ounce box (Betty Crocker).
Chopped pecans: The pecans add a nice contrasting texture to the cake. We also tested the recipe without nuts (since my family has nut allergies), and found that the pumpkin dump cake doesn’t turn out without the nuts.
Unsalted butter: Again, after testing multiple times, we discovered a trick. The cake turns out best when the butter is arranged in thin slices over the top of the cake. We also tried melting the butter and ended up with dry powdery spots on top of the cake. Hint: It’s easier to slice the butter thinly if it’s well-chilled.

How to Make Pumpkin Dump Cake

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease a large baking dish (9 x 13 inches) with butter or nonstick spray. I like to use a glass baking dish for this recipe.

Make the pumpkin mixture. Whisk the eggs in a bowl until the whites and yolks are completely blended. Add the canned pumpkin, sugar, spices, and salt. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. It’s easier to blend the ground spices into the pumpkin mixture without clumping, if you do it before adding the evaporated milk. When the pumpkin is well-blended, then whisk in the evaporated milk. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.

Ingredients for a recipe arranged on a white surface, including pecans, sugar, spices, flour, pumpkin puree, egg, butter, and evaporated milk.

A glass bowl containing beaten eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, salt, and spices, ready to be mixed together.

Assemble. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the greased baking dish, then sprinkle the cake mix over the top. Sprinkle it evenly and cover the pumpkin completely. (It’s okay to use your fingers!) Then, sprinkle the pecans on top. Don’t stir! This is the magic of the dump cake! Evenly distribute thin slices of butter over the cake, as pictured.

A clear glass baking dish filled with a smooth, orange-brown liquid (the pumpkin filling) mixture on a light textured surface.

A rectangular glass baking dish filled with an even layer of white, crumbly cake mix on a light surface.

Bake. Place the dump cake in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, and the top is golden brown.

A glass baking dish filled with baked pumpkin dump cake topped with chopped pecans, next to a small bowl of pecans on a light surface.

A slice of pumpkin dessert topped with pecans and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a plate, with a spoon beside it and a baking dish in the background.

Cool and serve. Let the cake cool to room temperature, cut into squares, and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Tip

It’s always hard to resist a warm treat from the oven, but seriously: let it cool. Warm custard hasn’t had a chance to set up and, in my opinion, it’s just not very appetizing. Think of this like a pumpkin pie—you wouldn’t eat it piping hot!

A close-up of a spoonful of pumpkin dump cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a plate.

Recipe variations

Use pumpkin pie spice. I like using my own blend of spices to customize the flavor, but if you want to streamline the process, you can use pumpkin pie spice instead. Use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Make it gluten-free. Simply use a gluten-free cake mix to make this recipe suitable for those with gluten sensitivities or allergies.
Get creative with the custard. Butternut squash purée will also work for the custard layer and you won’t even taste the difference. In fact, most canned “pumpkin” purée is actually made with a special type of squash, and not real pumpkins. If you use homemade pumpkin purée or butternut squash purée, I recommend straining it in a cheesecloth-lined colander or mesh strainer for 30 minutes to remove the excess liquid. It should have the same consistency as canned pumpkin to work best.

Storage

Because the base of this pumpkin dump cake is custard, it should be stored in the refrigerator. Once the cake has completely cooled, cover it in the baking dish or transfer leftovers to an airtight container. It will keep for up to 3 days. We did notice that the top layer tends to harden a bit after refrigeration but it’s still very good!