PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE is an EASY pumpkin recipe that will quickly become your go-to fall dessert! It’s made with yellow cake mix, which is a great shortcut.
Love Pumpkin Recipes? Try my Pumpkin Roll and my Pumpkin Scones!
Pumpkin Dump Cake Is Going To Be Your Go-To Fall Dessert!
This easy dump cake recipe has been my most requested with friends and family and most popular recipe with readers. It’s a classic with an unfortunate name, “dump cake”. I published this recipe way back in 2011 and it has continued to be my most beloved fall recipe. It’s a lot like a pumpkin cobbler, but it’s made with super easy ingredients and a lot of butter. The dry cake mix you add on top creates a buttery, sweet crumble topping on top of the silky pumpkin. This is a MUST MAKE!
What is a Dump Cake?
I know you have heard of dump cake before. It was a recipe that became popular in the 80’s by church cookbooks and potlucks…my mom made them and so did my grandma. You basically dump in a few cans of fruit in a pan and cover it with cake mix and butter and bake it. This is the same idea, only adios fruit and hola pumpkin.
It’s a pumpkin dump cake recipe with yellow cake mix, evaporated milk and a few other easy ingredient. AND I made a Pumpkin Dump Cake VIDEO to show you just how easy it is!
Pumpkin Dump Cake Ingredients:
- Pure Pumpkin. Don’t get the pumpkin pie filling that is also sold in cans. This is 100% pumpkin. The brand Libby’s is readily available year round!
- Evaporated Milk. Make sure you don’t use sweetened condensed milk!
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Yellow cake mix
- Melted butter
- Coarsely crushed graham crackers. Or you can use chopped pecans if you like nuts!
- Toffee Bits. This is TOTALLY optional. I used to use toffee bits every time I made this pumpkin cake, but I sometimes have a hard time finding them so I make it without them too. Adding them adding a sweet toffee flavor in the topping, but it’s not necessary!
How To Make Pumpkin Dump Cake/Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the can of pumpkin puree , evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine and pour into your prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the entire box of dry cake mix on top, followed by your nuts or graham crackers and toffee chips.
- Pour your melted butter evenly on top.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until center is set and edges are lightly browned.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Variations:
This recipe is pretty perfect on its own, but there are little switches you can make it you fond yourself without an ingredient or just want to try something different!
- Use a different flavor cake! I have had so many readers say they use spice cake mix instead of the yellow, vanilla or white cake mix and have enjoyed it. If you do this you can probably omit the pumpkin pie spice, since the cake mix is already spiced!
- As I wrote in the recipe I use chopped graham crackers in the crumble topping for this cake to give a sweet crunch. But if you like nuts you can absolutely swap out the cracker for pecans!
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you can use a mix of cinnamon, ginger, and ground cloves.
- Add in some chopped granny smith apples to make this an apple pumpkin dessert.
How To Reheat Dump Cake:
If you’re not serving this to a crowd, you might find yourself with a little leftover. I cover it airtight and pop it in the fridge. To reheat, I usually just scoop out a slice, pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so until it’s warmed through. Note that when this is reheated it loses a little of the crunch on top from the crumble topping, but it’s still equally delicious!
You could also reheat this in the oven at 350°F for 10 – 15 minutes.
I have never made this and frozen it, but it’s absolutely possible. Cover airtight and freeze for up to 30 days for best freshness. Allow it to thaw completely in the refrigerator and then reheat in the oven as stated above.
Don’t forget to tag me and use the hashtag #cookiesandcups if you post you pictures on social media!
Print
Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Pumpkin Dump Cake is an easy fall dessert that starts with yellow cake mix! So delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can pure Pumpkin
- 1 (10 ounce) can Evaporated Milk
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter melted
- 1 cup coarsely crushed graham crackers or pecans
- 1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine and pour into your prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the entire box of cake mix on top, followed by your nuts or graham crackers and toffee chips.
- Pour your melted butter evenly on top.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until center is set and edges are lightly browned.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
serve with ice cream or whipped cream
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 35.3 g
- Sodium: 395 mg
- Fat: 21.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.1 g
- Protein: 6.5 g
- Cholesterol: 88 mg
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Just to let you know, dump cakes were popular way before the 80’s, my mom made them in the late 50’s and my grandmother had a recipe for one long before that. This one sounds delish and am going to make it soon!
Very delicious cake… Thanks for sharing .
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Help, I made this to bring to my sisters for Thanksgiving and it was nasty! I had th throw it out! what did I do wrong? The cake mix was still powdery when I cut into it????
That’s very strange… I have never had an issue with that.. The cake mix with the butter and graham crackers makes a crumb like topping.
.This is the perfect pumpkin dump cake recipe!
Hi–I always laugh when I see a recipe for this online. Although the recipe has been around forever, the name is somewhat of a mystery before it was called “dump cake.” I want to say it was called “Pumpkin Surprise.”
I suppose it was a surprise because it was one of those classic 1960’s/1070’s “Better living through Chemicals” kind of foods we all knew and loved because they were on the table every night.
My grandmother used to make this all the time– she gave out the recipe on little cards she would write out by hand, by the gross. My mother owned a Tupperware Distributorship and used to have the women who worked for her make the cakes to take to parties, then give the recipe away when someone bought the rectangular cake taker. (No internet to look it up on back in the day….) They sold a lot of rectangular cake takers with that recipe.
Our family always called it “Dump Cake” because though a good home cook, my grandmother never weighed more than 96 pounds her whole life. She made this cake in a large glass pan, rather than a metal one, because she was convinced the metal burned the cream cheese at the bottom. The glass pan was considerably heavier and harder for her to flip out of the pan, and more than once she dumped the entire cake on the floor of the kitchen trying to get it onto the rectangular plate– Hence, “Dump Cake.” We used to tease her and ask how many she made each time, just to get one to the table.
I used to make a variation of this but didn’t love my recipe. Mine didn’t have grahams or toffee and used only ONE stick of butter. Your additions make all the difference…my old one would have some spots of dry cake mix because the butter just didn’t go far enough but not yours. It was delicious and I can’t wait to make it for my family this fall. Thanks!!
With your top 20 recipe post out I realized I never thanked you!
I’m not a pumpkin pie lover (at all) but this looked like the perfect friends giving dessert. It was a HUGE hit!!! We ate it right out of the oven with ice cream. So yummy.
Love your blog!!!
Does it say pumpkin puree on the can? I only see pumpkin pie filling libbys brand..I didn’t buy yet till I know for sure.. I was in Giant Eagle..
don’t use pumpkin pie filling…that’s already seasoned! It will say 100% pure pumpkin
Howdy! I found a similar recipe several years ago and decided to try Spice cake mix instead of yellow cake mix…and Uhhh….wow. Wow. Crazy good. Worth the try. 🙂
Why pay for cans of pumpkin ???
I cook up the Halloween pumpkin each year. Boil it, peel it, then mash it and put into premeasured freezer bags. I use if for Christmas, Easter, and thanksgiving or whenever I need a can of pumpkin for pies or cakes. It Tastes better than the canned stuff too.