Pumpkin Dump Cake
Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake gets it’s name by dumping the ingredients into the baking dish. It is like a pumpkin pie and a spice cake all in one!
A SIMPLE PUMPKIN DESSERT
So the words “dump cake” probably don’t sound very appealing, right? It’s probably not the best word to use but its the one most commonly used words for these types of desserts where you “dump” all the ingredients into a dish and bake. Even though the name may not sounds super appealing, I promise these are some the easiest and yummiest desserts to make!
I am not a good baker at all. However, I made this cake this morning for a small family get together, and it turned out perfect and delicious!!! Even a non-cook like me was able to turn out a terrific cake. Everyone loved it, and I will definitely be making it again!
– Bobbie
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Because you “dump” everything into a baking dish and bake. The easiest form of a dump cake is fruit pie filling poured into a 9×13-inch baking dish then that is sprinkled evenly with a cake mix. Then melted butter is poured over the top. You can also mix the cake mix and butter together first then sprinkle over the top of the pie filling.
They are similar to cobblers in that you have a fruit filling on the bottom of a baking dish and a cake-like topping. In the case of dump cakes, it is a boxed cake mix with melted butter.
Yes you can. However, many people find it too sweet (since it has added sugars) when combined with the sweet cake mix. So just remove the sugar that is in this recipe. It is definitely an option though if you want to try it.
They do not need to be refrigerated. However, if you want them to last longer than a couple of days, you could cover and refrigerate which will help it last for up to 5 days.
Yes. As long as it is wrapped well to protect against freezer burn (wrap in plastic wrap then aluminum foil) and it can be kept frozen for 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) – sometimes the cans will just say 100% Pumpkin.
- evaporated milk – it needs to be evaporated NOT sweetened condensed milk. Those are two very different things. Sweetened condensed milk is just like the label says – it is sweetened. It is also very thick. Evaporated milk is not that thick and it has not been sweetened. Evaporated milk is simply milk that has been reduced and the excess water boiled out of it. See my ingredient picture below. It comes in a can.
- eggs – if you have time, allow the eggs to come to room temperature. This will help them mix into the batter easier.
- sugar – You can certainly reduce the amount of sugar or don’t add any extra sugar. I will leave that up to you.
- ground cinnamon – I know we are using a spice cake mix but I think it’s important to season the pumpkin mixture as well.
- spice cake mix – you could technically use a yellow cake mix but the spice cake mix is going to give you so much more flavor.
- butter – if you didn’t want to melt the butter, you can cut it into slices and then put the slices evenly on top.
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. I like to use the kind that has flour in it. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and cinnamon until well-combined. It will be very liquid-y.
Pour this mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle dry cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture.
Take melted butter and drizzle all over the top. Bake for about 55-60 minutes. It might still be just a bit jiggly in the middle when done. It will continue to set up as it cools.
Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. I like to heat each piece up in the microwave for a few seconds before serving since I enjoy eating it warm. Dollop each serving with a bit of whipped cream and a candy pumpkin (if you’re feeling festive)!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Pumpkin Poke Cake
- Strawberry Dump Cake
- Cherry Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Cobbler
- Crock Pot Apple Dump Cake
- Blueberry Dump Cake
- Oreo Dump Cake
- Peach Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Honey Bun Cake
- 40 Best Pumpkin Recipes
Originally published: October 2012
Updated photos & republished: August 2025
Pumpkin Dump Cake (+Video)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine 15 ounce can pumpkin puree, 12 ounce can evaporated milk, 3 large eggs, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon until well-combined. It will be very liquid-y.
- Pour this pumpkin mixture into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle 1 box spice cake mix evenly on top of pumpkin mixture.
- Drizzle 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted over the top.
- Bake for about 55-60 minutes.
- It might still be just a bit jiggly in the middle when done. It will continue to set up as it cools.
- Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Please see my Frequently Asked Questions and post above for commonly asked questions and substitutions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
The pumpkin Pie dump cake is a family favorite . I have even used sweetener instead of sugar since my dad is diabetic . this one year I went to a family reunion and I made it up for the reunion got home I didn’t have that much to take home. and I was the only one that had a pumpkin pie .
instead of using cinnamon I use pumpkin pie spice
Absolutely wonderful!! Love it!
Can I use margarine instead of butter
I have made this cake for years. It is just like eating pumpkin pie without the heavy crust. Everyone loves it.
Delicious! Serve warm with cool whip! Amazing
Simple and amazing!
Thanks so much Brandi
My sister gave a bunch of pumpkin pie mix. Can I used that instead of pumpkin puree?
Yes
So, being type2 diabetic, I used 1 cup of Truvia in place of the sugar and I used a sugarfree white cake mix. I added pumpkin pie spice to the cake mix. The cake mix still has carbs but I greatly reduced the intake by using a sugar substitute. Came out AMAZING!
Gunna have to try the lower cal version!! Then I can make it more and not feel like I’m off the charts with my eating.. Thanks Kris
Can we skip the eggs to make this eggless ? Thanks
I don’t believe so. You could try but I would hate for you to go through all that and it doesn’t turn out right…
I’m not a cook or a baker, but this was very easy to make, can’t wait to taste it
Love hearing that Gerald! Hope everyone loved it!
My Mother always used sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk in her pumpkin pies. Can the same be done here with this recipe? Thank you!
It would change the consistency dramatically and you would also have to omit the sugar. You could add a little milk or cream to the batter to thin it out. Start with a quarter cup and then add a tablespoon at a time to get the pumpkin pie, loose consistency. I know that you asked this almost 2 years ago, but I thought that I would give you a suggestion anyway.
Can you make this ahead of time and freeze??? If so, how do you suggest I’d wrap it and how would I reheat?
Now that companies are putting only 15 ounces in boxes of cake mix now (rather than the usual l8 or so) how does this affect the cake. Should additional flour or cake mix be added to accomodate the other indredients.
Hi Kaye, they changed those sizes years ago. This recipe was tested with the 15 oz cake mix size.
Could you do this n a crockpot?
Hi Shelly! You should be able to! I haven’t tested the timing on it though so you may have to play with that a little.
This is always a winner!!! I like to add chopped pecans to the top before pouring the melted butter over..
Also, my family likes it spicey so I add powered cloves and alspice to the wet mixture along with the cinnamon;;
So good the next morning with coffee!!
I am with you – love chopped pecans too! Great addition! Thank you so much Darcy Jane!
I made this a few weeks back. It is absolutely AMAZING!! Couple of things……
1) I used pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon.
2) When I got it out of the oven, the top was crunchy in spots, especially around the edges. Should it be that way or did I do something wrong?
I most definitely will be making this again!!!! I was thinking about making it tonight but I think 11:30 p.m. is a bit too late for more baking!
great Thanksgiving dessert so easy
Thank you Rose!
Great recipe and very easy to make!! Always a huge crowd pleaser!!
My husband and I loved this dump cake. It’s so delicious i see myself bake this many times.
I made this and loved it as did my family. I was doing a little thinking and wondering if I could ditch the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. I thought about dividing the ingredients between two 8 inch pie pans and baking them about thirty to thirty-five minutes.What do you think, feedback would be greatly appreciated.
I made this dump cake while company was visiting. Everyone commented on how the entire house smelled wonderful and they couldn’t wait to try it. All the men had 2 helpings and the women all asked for the recipe. I followed the recipe except I added an additional 1/2 stick of butter and topped the cake with chopped sugared pecans. I served the cake slightly warm with butter pecan ice cream and whipped cream. This recipe is a keeper!!!
Can you use any other boxed cake mix ?
I made this with a yellow cake mix and added a little pumpkin pie spice. Delicious!
Woo hoo! Thanks so much Tricia!!
I didn’t see the refrigerate instructions at the bottom of the post. I read everything else but didn’t see that. I made it last night and stuck it covered in the cool oven . A friend said pumpkin pie has to be refrigerated. I then went back and re read your post. It was left out from 9pm-8am. It was still hot when I put it away. Would you say toss it? Or do you think it’s ok? Thanks
Hi Nicole! You should be fine! Just pop it into your fridge now. 🙂
Fabulously delicious and easy!
Delicious! I’ve made this many times!
This looks to be a great recipe but…I’m a Brit and live in northern Portugal. We have few to none ready cake mixes, and to be truthful I prefer making things from scratch. Please can’t you tell me what amount and type of cake I might use? Is it a type of simple sponge, eg 6oz flour, 6oz sugar and 6 oz butter beaten together with 2 or 3 eggs but with added spices?
Thank you in advance!
This cake is easy peasy even though its not even near the Holiday’s JUNE 2nd 2019 but it looks so good and I had all he ingredients I went ahead. Very good cake will make it again closer to Thanksgiving..
Shirley – I am the same way! I don’t even care if pumpkin is a “fall” thing. Sometimes you just want what you want – ha! Thank you so much for commenting!
It should be refrigerated (anything with milk, eggs, or cream should be refrigerated)
Dies this have to be refrigerated if made ahead of time?
yes, it should be refrigerated – anything containing milk, eggs, or cream should be refrigerated
Have made this several times and absolutely love it!!! Do you think I could make it in muffin tins for individual servings? Would the bake time change?
Ya know, I have never tried it as muffins. You would definitely need to adjust baking time. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you!
Can this be baked and then frozen?
This is my family favorite dessert. And I got the recipe from my church.and every Thanksgiving and Christmas I make it up. And tried it with pumpkin pie spice and that way is good as well. Had a family reunion the one year I made it up and came home with a few pieces. If you need a sugar free dessert I can make it up both ways. .
It turned out AMAZING! I will certainly be adding to my fall repertoire!
I decided to mix all the ingredients and added some raisins and poured the batter in a baking dish and bqked it for 50 minutes. Came out delicious.
Came out really well! Thanks for an easy & quick recipe!
Can you use spiced cake with pudding in the mix?
This is for sure so quick and easy. I simply added less sugar in the pumpkin mix. It’has been hard to find spice cake mix so I used a yellow mix and added pumpkin pie spices in the cake mix. I also topped with pecans. So quick and easy. Also, for a gluten free option, use gluten free cake mix. Makes a little less so just reduce butter. I kept the same amount of everything else because you can never have enough pumpkin lol!
Look delicious, cant wait to make it. Just curious, do you serve as is or with a scoop of ice cream? I feel like most dump cakes serve with ice cream just wondering what everyon else does? TIA
Is it better to bake this in a glass pan verses a metal one, and is there a difference in baking time and temperature?
can this be frozen, if not about how long will it keep in the before it becomes soggy.
I anxiously await your reply,
Had this cake today. It was wonderful. I got the recipe and will make it soon
This is great! Very easy, better than pumpkin pie. Perfect for Thanksgiving make ahead.????
I totally agree Carolyn! A nice alternative for sure 🙂
Novice, novice cook here, so I have to ask. The picture of the ingredients shows 2 sticks of unsalted butter but the ingredients just say “butter”. Which is it? Or can you use either? — Thanks. Kathleen
Hi Kathleen! That’s a totally valid question! Here is always my answer on what kind of butter to use: use what you usually buy. If you have only salted butter on hand, use that. If you have unsalted butter, use that. I’ve used both and cannot really tell much of a difference at all in this. The salted butter does not have so much salt in it that it will change the flavor of this recipe. I think it actually balances out the flavors, to be honest. I just don’t like folks to have to go out and buy special butter just to make a recipe. But it does need to be real butter, not margarine. 🙂
This is delicious! I have made it twice. I know I’ll make it again soon. Four other people have requested the recipe! Yummy!
Glad it was a hit for you.
Wow! This was so easy to make and soooooo delicious!!! I added pecans to the recipe and my dinner guest's were raving about it. This recipe is gonna be added to my Thanksgiving dessert menu for sure!
Thanks for having an easy to find and print recipe. Most recipes are so difficult to find a printable page for them.
just went in oven cant wait
We made this instead of pumpkin pie. It is our new favorite – thank you!!
WHOA! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!