Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake
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Autumn is a season that paints the trees with spectacular colors and gently brings in the chilly winds, signaling the time for cozy sweaters, hot beverages, and, most importantly, pumpkin recipes!
And what could be a more fitting dessert to celebrate this vibrant season than a scoopable pumpkin pie dump cake smothered in a rich cream cheese frosting and topped with spice mix cake?
Why Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake is Your Next Go-To Dessert
Who doesn’t love a delicious pumpkin recipe in the fall? From pumpkin dips to pumpkin breakfast casserole, you’ve probably seen a ton of crazy recipes making rounds on TikTok recently.
That’s the charm of using pumpkin mixture in a recipe – it’s easy. With a few simple ingredients, you create a rich recognizable flavor that just screams “fall.”
Making your favorite pumpkin dessert isn’t just about eating something yummy. It’s that joy of sharing it, seeing it become a family favorite, and watching everyone dive in for seconds.
Simple, tasty, and full of love – that’s the real secret ingredient!
Pumpkin Dump Cake Ingredients:
🎃 Seasonal 🎃 Crowd-Pleaser 🎃 Stress-Free
- Canned Pumpkin Pie Mix
- Box Spice Cake Mix
- Unsalted Butter
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Optional: Crunchy walnuts or pecans for topping
How to make pumpkin pie dump cake with cream cheese
- Preheat: Set your oven to 350 degrees to warm up while you prepare.
- Dump: Spread the pumpkin pie mix into a 9 x 13 baking dish using a spatula.
- Swirl: Dollop the whipped cream cheese frosting and swirl it around with a spatula for a cream cheese swirl blend.
- Sprinkle: Add more pumpkin spice to amplify the pumpkin filling flavor.
- Layer: Spread an even layer of the uncooked spice cake mix over the top of the entire cake. Make sure to get the corners.
- Butter It Up: PLOP thinly slice butter over the entire top of the dry cake mix, taking care to get around the corners and edges with butter. It’s hard to get the slices just right, so if you need to add extra butter for coverage, that is fine.
Bake: Please see below for more specifics on baking this dessert.
Baking the Pumpkin Dump Cake
Baking a pumpkin dump cake recipe might seem tricky because pumpkin takes time to firm up while baking, but don’t worry—we’ve got an easy guide for you!
Bake this cake at 350°F (about 180°C) and aim for around an hour and a half in the oven.
Here’s a simple step-by-step:
- Start by setting your oven timer to 55 minutes.
- After that time, check on your cake every 10-15 minutes. You’re looking for the pumpkin to stop looking like liquid and start holding its shape.
- A trick to check this: gently shake your baking pan with oven mitts on. If the filling moves a lot, it needs more time. If it barely moves, you’re good to go!
- As a heads up, it took the entire hour and a half in a gas oven, but some bakers found that 55 minutes was enough.
Delicious Dessert Serving Suggestions: Scoop and serve in a bowl with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Pumpkin Dump Cake Topping Ideas
- Sprinkle of Brown Sugar
- Candied Pecans
- Candied Walnuts
Commonly Asked Dump Cake Questions
Canned Pumpkin or Pumpkin Pie Mix?
The only difference between canned pumpkin puree versus a pumpkin pie mix is spices.
Canned pumpkin pie already has added spices, which helps the flavor. I prefer canned pumpkin pie and then add additional spices for more flavor.
Not a Fan of Spice Cake?
No worries! Feel free to switch it with any dry cake mix of your liking. Yellow or white cake mix is a common choice over spice cake.
Can dump cakes be Slow-Cooked?
I know in my deepest heart that I will have this question asked a lot.
I hate making recommendations on instinct, and the truth is that I have not made this pumpkin pie dump cake in a slow cooker yet, BUT I see no reason that this cake cannot be baked on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours as most dump cakes are.
Just remember that I haven’t tested it, and cooking times may vary – pumpkin traditionally needs a lot of time to warm and solidify. We have other slow-cooked dump cake recipe links below that we know work well.
Variations and Substitutions:
Go nut-free, or sprinkle some granola to make it more of a crunch or crumble cake.
For extra flavor, add toffee bits, powdered sugar, brown sugar, or caramel sauce as a topping once cooked.
Sweeten Your Table with These Other Must-Try Dump Cakes
- CrockPot Blueberry Dump Cake: A delicious fruity option, this slow-cooked blueberry cobbler is homemade cooking at its finest.
- Crock Pot Apple Dump Cake: The sweet essence of fall, apples are perfect for dump cake recipes. Highly rated by readers. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Peach Cobbler Dump Cake: A sweet, southern comfort!
- Oven-baked, try this chocolate dump cake recipe for a rich dessert.
Prepare to fill your kitchen with the heartwarming and delightful cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin scents! Our Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake is a treat for the tastebuds and a sweet, cinnamony hug for all your cozy autumn gatherings.
So, let’s welcome the season of gratitude and togetherness with a dessert that will make everyone smile and ask for a second scoop.
Happy baking and even happier eating!
More Incredible Fall Favorite Recipes
Need more fall favorite recipes that are delicious to eat? I got you!
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting – Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting is an amazing homemade dessert featuring bananas.
Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole – Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole can be prepped the night before a busy holiday, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, or easily put together in 5 minutes.
Cinnamon Southern Apples – Cinnamon Southern Fried Apples with pecans, a delicious, savory, and sweet side dish that can also be served for breakfast.
No Fail Chocolate Fudge – In under 10 minutes, you can be well on your way to a thick, rich, and chocolaty dark fudge recipe that will tempt your taste buds all day. TOP RECIPE.
Ambrosia Salad – Ambrosia salad recipe with Cool Whip, fruit, and marshmallows is perfect for your upcoming picnic.
Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake (Cream Cheese Frosting)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 oz. Pumpkin Pie Mix canned
- 15.25 oz. Spice Cake Mix
- 1 1/2 sticks real butter
- Pumpkin Pie Spice to taste
- 14 oz. Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
Optional Topping
- walnuts or pecans to top
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
- Dump 1 can of pumpkin pie mix into a 9 x13 casserole dish. Spread evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Dollop on a full can of whipped cream cheese frosting all over the pumpkin pie mix and swirl together using a spatula.
- Sprinkle additional pumpkin pie spice all over the mixture (to taste).
- Spread uncooked cake mix on top of mixture, covering all the corners.
- Thinly slice butter and cover the entire top of the cake mix, taking care to get around the corners and edges with butter. It's hard to get the slices just right so if you need to add a bit of extra butter for coverage, that is fine.
Baking Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake
- Now that you have prepped the pumpkin pie dump cake, its time to bake!
- Baking pumpkin can be a bit tricky, so I wanted to do a separate section on this – pumpkin doesn't set quickly. It's a long slow cook, so bake this pumpkin pie dump cake at 350 degrees for approximately an hour and a half.
- What I recommend is setting your oven on 55 minutes and then checking every 10-15 minutes till your pumpkin is no longer liquid and is fully set. You can simply (carefully and with an oven mitt on) nudge the pan back and forth and see if it still needs more time. If the mixture sloshes, it needs more time. If its set and solid, you can remove.
- EDITORS BAKING NOTE: I have a gas oven, and it took a full hour and a half, but I have had some readers report that 55 minutes was all they needed, so please monitor the cream cheese pumpkin dump cake.
- This pumpkin pie dump cake is best served with a big scoopable spoon, which makes it perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas crowds. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a real treat!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Can this be made with homemade cream cheese icing?
Heather, I dont see why not HOWEVER any time you alter a recipe from the original it needs to be tested. I have not made it that way so I cannot tell you 100% it would be ok but there doesn’t seem to be any red flags for me in the ingredient change.