I love pumpkin pie, but the crust? Not so much. So I set out to make a pumpkin pie-inspired dessert without one. This semi-homemade, one-pan pumpkin dump cake is the answer. Simple enough for the kids to help make, using pantry ingredients. Between my pumpkin muffins and my 2-ingredient pumpkin bread, I thought I had enough pumpkin in my life, turns out, there's always room for one more.
TL;DR - Pumpkin Dump Cake
- 💛Why you'll love it: Pumpkin pie flavor, no crust required. Made with pantry ingredients and only one bowl to clean.
- #️⃣Number of Ingredients: 7
- ⏲️Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🔥Cook Time: 50 minutes
- 🎃Recipes with similar flavor profile: If you love my pumpkin pie overnight oats or my pumpkin pie smoothie you'll love this too.
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
- Cake mix: Spice cake gives the most fall-forward flavor; yellow cake mix works in a pinch. Any brand is fine.
- Evaporated milk: Canned, shelved near sweetened condensed milk. Swap for a plant-based milk to make it dairy-free.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Trader Joe's or McCormick both work or make your own (see recipe notes).
- Pumpkin puree: Not pumpkin pie mix. See FAQ below for why that matters.
Variations
- Gluten-free: Swap in a gluten-free baking mix or yellow cake mix.
- Dairy-free: Swap the evaporated milk and butter for plant-based versions.
- Different cake mix flavors: Chocolate, yellow, or butter cake mix all work and chocolate and pumpkin is a genuinely great combo.
- Crockpot: Same recipe, crockpot instead of a 9x13 pan. Cook 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low, until the filling is bubbly and the top is browning.
How to Make a Pumpkin Dump Cake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with baking spray.
Step 2: Mix together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Once well combined, pour into the prepared baking dish. Then sprinkle the dry cake mix over the entire mixture.
Step 4: Pour the melted butter over the entire dish, making sure it covers all the dry cake mix. This is the step that makes or breaks it. If any cake mix looks dry after pouring, don't skip it: work the butter in with your fingers until it's fully coated. Uncovered dry mix is what turns into those dry, powdery pockets instead of a golden, crisp topping.
Step 5: Bake 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Dump cake serving Ideas
Best served warm, about 20 minutes out of the oven, with:
- Crushed graham crackers, added before baking or sprinkled on top after
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Homemade whipped cream
- A drizzle of caramel sauce
FAQ
🎃 Pumpkin Puree is just one ingredient, pumpkin. It has been pureed until smooth and can be used in sweet and savory recipes.
🥧 On the other hand Pumpkin Pie Mix is the base of a pumpkin pie. It is sweetened and seasoned and best used in sweeter applications. It's how we've always made pumpkin pie and what I use in my pumpkin overnight oats.
More easy dump cake recipes
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📖 Recipe
7-Ingredient Pumpkin Dump Cake (No Pie Crust!)
Ingredients
- 15 oz Pumpkin puree
- 12 oz Evaporated milk
- 1 TB Pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ cup Brown sugar (packed)
- 3 Eggs
- ¾ cup Butter, melted (12 Tablespoons)
- 1 box Spice cake mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with baking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, wish together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and eggs. Once well combined, pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the wet pumpkin mixture. Then pour the melted butter over the entire dish, being sure to cover all of the cake mix.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling bubbling up.
- Take out of the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Cover and leave on the counter up to 3 days. Genuinely great cold, too.
- Freezing: Cool completely, wrap in plastic then foil, freeze up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter, then reheat at 325°F for about 20 minute
- Be sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix.
- To make a dairy free dessert, simply substitute the evaporated milk for a plant based milk and the butter for a plant based option.
- Make your own pumpkin pie spice blend if you can't find it in the store. I use the Pioneer Woman's recipe: 3 TB Cinnamon, 2 teaspoon ginger, 2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoon allspice, 1 ½ teaspoon clove. Add to a small mason jar and shake to combine.
Marni Katz says
I like making this as an alternative to pumpkin pie, since I'm not a crust lover 🙂