Pumpkin Crunch Cake
With a pumpkin layer, a crunchy pecan layer and a fluffy cream cheese layer, you will have something even better than your typical pumpkin pie!
My husband loves pumpkin pie! It’s something I had to make every single holiday, and maybe your family is the same. But let me tell you that once I tried this recipe about ten years ago, there’s no going back! If you really like pumpkin pie, you’re going to love this recipe and it might replace the typical pumpkin pie at your holiday gathering. Even if you don’t really care a lot for pumpkin pie, this pumpkin crunch cake just might change your mind about pumpkin desserts!
The best part about this dessert is ……well I don’t know, there are several good things about it, not the least of which is how delicious it is! But a really close second would be how easy it is to put together. If you’ve ever made a dump cake, you know how simple they are to make. You really can’t mess them up and they are always yummy! Typically you make them with a fruit that you love – apple, peach, blueberry, cherry, etc. With this cake, you start with pumpkin instead of fruit, but the concept is the same. Bake it just like a dump cake!
Do I have to put the cream cheese layer on top?
You certainly can leave this layer off if you wish. Most dump cakes just use the fruit (and we are using our pumpkin mixture for this part), and then your dry cake mix and butter on top. You know how delicious this is – no matter what flavor you make. So if you wanted to stop with just that, you absolutely could! But to me the cream cheese/cool whip layer helps to mimic the flavors and fluffy dollop of whipped cream you scoop on top of a piece of pumpkin pie!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes it can! That’s another beautiful thing about this cake. I have often made it one or two days ahead of time and it is just as fresh and delicious as ever. It keeps in the fridge easily for close to a week (if it lasts that long)!
Can I make this without the pecans?
Yes, you can leave off the nuts, replace them with walnuts, or any other nut you prefer. You’re still going to get a little bit of the crunchiness on this layer with the cake mix and butter that bakes over the top of the pumpkin mixture. So if you simply don’t like nuts or if someone is allergic, you can absolutely leave them off!
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
- 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1/2-1 tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or any cinnamon, nutmeg, clove mixture
- 1 box yellow cake mix can sub spice cake or butter pecan cake
- 1/2-1 cup chopped pecans can sub walnuts
- 1 cup melted butter
Cream Cheese Topping
- 1 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 12 oz. cool whip
Instructions
- Mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
- Pour this mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture in the pan. Do not stir.
- Sprinkle with nuts.
- Pour melted butter evenly over the whole pan. Do not stir.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
- Let cool.
- Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip. Spread over cooled cake and store in the fridge.
Has everything I like in a cake-crunch and fluffy icing along with a moist tender cake. I’m going to bake this before Thanksgiving to try it out!
Hope you love it as much as we do! Thanks for your comment.
Hi Mary,
what measurements can I use if I want to make this in an 8×8 glass square pan? I am a household of 1. Just me.
Thank you.
Hi Laura,
I too am a household of 1 but am a cook in a Seniors Home so am always adjusting recipes either for myself or to feed 26 hungry tummies.
A 9×13” pan holds about 5 cups cake batter whereas an 8×8” pan holds 3 cups.
If you’re good with calculations just multiply the ingredients by 3/5 (or 0.6) OR, if you’re not too fussy, just half the ingredient amounts.
You will probably need to lessen the baking time, especially if halving the recipe, but other than that you’ll be good to go.
I hope this helps!
Hi! I baked this today in two 8×8 pans. One to take to the party and one to leave at home! I googled it and results showed it’s just a little less quantity in each of the two pans compared with the 9×13. Worked out well.
I used the ingredients as-is but made extra topping just in case. Depending on your preferences, the topping is fine as written but you may want more to be thicker. I also subbed homemade whipped cream for the cool whip and made extra whipped cream to serve with it.
Thanks for the info on making it in smaller pans! Love to hear it.
Looks so good , I love Pumpkin .
I am 85 and just have a toaster over for baking so 9×13 does not fit .Can I make a smaller version ?
Hi! Yes, you could make 1/2 a recipe and use a smaller pan, such as an 8×8 or something similar! I hope you enoy. 🙂
Hi, Mary
Omg! never mind. I scrolled down the comments and saw the one wherein you stated the recipe can be cut in half for an 8×8 pan. I do apologize
i am going to make this one. i love anything pumpkin or, pumpkin spice flavored.
No worries! Glad you found the answer. Enjoy!
Looks amazing and delicious. Saving recipe for thanksgiving . Will let you know how well it was accepted.
How do I make this vegan?
I think you could substitute 1/4 cup of vegan yogurt per egg. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Thank you for bringing us this recipe and for the printed version.
This was delicious!
I am in search of an older recipe for strawberry bread and ooey gooey sp . ? cake. Do you happen to have those recipes? Thank you and I look forward to seeing your newer videos.
I have not posted those recipes yet, but keep watching! I might add those at some point.
I’m so glad you liked it! I don’t have those recipes ready to post right now, but I might try to in the future, so keep watching!
I’m out of evaporated milk, but do have sweetened, condensed. Would it work to substitute, leaving out the sugar? Or even using a bit and adding a little milk to make it a bit thinner? Curious about your thoughts. Thanks!
I would probably just go with regular milk to replace the evaporated milk! I think it would work just fine.
I would just use regular milk in place of the evaporated milk. It would be a good substitute! Sweetened condensed milk is so different that I’m not sure how it would work!
Can you make this in a bundt pan?
You can always try, but this is quite a different cake than a typical cake. With the pumpkin on the bottom, you just don’t have the same texture as a traditional cake. It would be difficult to turn it out of the bundt pan. I really think it works best in a 9×13 pan where you leave it in the pan and simply cut pieces as needed.
I probably would not. This cake stays in the pan and you cut pieces as needed. That would be harder to do from a bundt pan. It also would probably not be pretty if you tried to turn it out of the bundt pan onto a cake platter, as this is quite different than a traditional cake texture-wise!
That looks so yummy! I will ask my family if they want that for our Thanksgiving dessert.
Will this work if I use honey, date sugar, or coconut sugar instead of refined sugar? And if I use whole grain white wheat flour to make my own cake mix for this? My husband has early macular degeneration and can’t have white refines sugar or refined four.
I think all those things would work well. It might have a slightly different consistency, but I’m sure it would still be delicious with those changes! Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
This recipe is a keeper. Absolutely yummy. Thank you Mary Katherine. I have recently become a utube fanatic and caught your show and really enjoy the down home cooking.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to have you here at my table!
Love this recipe!! I’m sending this to my daughter and making this for family and coworkers!
I’d like to try this… sounds delicious. How many ounces is the box of cake mix? They’ve gotten smaller over the years and baking is such a science. Thank you.
Most cake mixes are 13-15 ounces now – and you can use any of them with this recipe! since it simply sits on top of the pumpkin mixture to form a crusty cake top, it won’t make much of a difference like it would in a normal cake recipe!
made with love thank u
Can you leave some of the sugar out of the pumpkin mixture? Do you need to add additional dry ingredients if you do? Is there something you can mix the cream cheese with other the “cool whip” it is one of the process foods we avoid?
You could simply make a less sweet version with less sugar. You could absolutely use your own whipped cream. Just use about 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and whip it with a touch of powdered sugar (maybe 2-3 Tablespoons) before adding it to the cream cheese mixture!
wow m’y favorite TY si Much
Thank you! Enjoy!
This recipe is so good. My husband and I just loved it. We shared it with a neighbor of ours and they loved it too. It is so easy to make. The recipe is a keeper. We’ll make again.
I wish I would have used a mixer on the frosting it didn’t mix up well.
Great!!
More than great!!!
Just perfect! so simple and tasty, thank you
Thank you for watching! Enjoy. 🙂
OMG can’t wait to make it I will definitely let you know how it came out it looks delicious
Thank you for watching! Would love to hear it!
Making it with the pecan cake mix. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Oh, yes please! I would love to hear your results because I bet it will be delicious that way!
5 star rating – This cake is delicious! Easy recipe with affordable ingredients. I left off the nuts (because of picky eaters in my house.) and … the smell of pumpkin filled the house!
Oh, thank you so much! It warms my heart to hear that your crowd liked it!
thank you for your no nosense recipes just good instructions
Thank you for the kind words! Hope you enjoy the cake!
This sounds amazing and I love a good dump cake. Can you please clarify if you’re using pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin purée?
This is pumpkin puree! Hope you enjoy!
Instead of making the icing, could I use the cream cheese frosting sold in the baking aisle?
I want to make this cake for a cookout but am not sure if the cool whipped icing would hold up. Thanks!!!
Yes, you could use that! It would give a similar flavor with a slightly different consistency. I’m sure it would still be good! Enjoy!
This looks so easy and there aren’t too many ingredients
It is easy and delicious! Hope you love it.
simple to make and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe
Wonderful! So glad it was a hit!
Found your video on YouTube and will try this recipe. Thx! Link for free ebook isn’t working, can you pls email it to me?
Hi! We are working on the website and should have that working soon. Thank you for watching!
Only added half cup butter will be ok?
It might work out okay, but will not be quite as flavorful with only 1/2 cup.
Looks easy and sounds delicious 🤤
It really is! Hope you like it!
looks yummy and a great alternative since I’ve developed heart burn with the pie. 4 eggs is alot. Just wondering if 2 would be sufficient since that’s what is used in pie version. thx. Can’t wait to try it
I’ve not done it with only 2 eggs. The eggs will help it have the right consistencey, so you will probably want to stick to 4!
I only have a gluten free white cake mix. Would this work?
Yes, I think it would work! I’ve not done it myself, but someone else mentioned making it gluten free and it worked for them!
Just made this today and it was delicious😋
Next time I’ll use a little more cream cheese😉
So glad you liked it!
I have baked mine for 55 minutes, but it still seems jiggly like it’s not set.
What do I need to do?
I’m not sure. Mine is always done at this point. The pumpkin layer on the bottom is a bit like a custard, so don’t expect a true cake-like consistency. It will set up a bit as it cools too.
it worked and I love it! the first pumpkin dessert that I like, thanks for sharing, im going to make it for our church’s harvest dinner.
Excellent! We love sharing this with others too! It’s always a hit! So glad you like it. 🙂
This cake is amazingly ready and super delicious!
Wonderful! We really love it!
Is the top supposed to be all crumbly and not mixed in with the rest of the cake??? This is the first time I have ever made a dump cake. I have made thouands of cakes of all sorts so I am confused and hoping I did not ruin all those expensive ingredients! I used namaste gf spice cake mix which is 26 oz!
The cake does sit on top of the pumpkin mixture! You don’t mix them together. It sounds like your cake mix (26 oz.) is several ounces bigger than a traditional cake mix (15 oz.) That may be why you seem to have an extra crumbly top. You would need to use a little over 1/2 your cake mix for the amount of butter and other ingredients here. I hope it still tastes good for you!
I used half and half instead of carnation and walnuts instead of pecans. I didn’t make the topping. I just used whipped cream. I think the cream cheese would have made it too heavy.
It was delicious. I rarely have luck with baking but this was a hit!
So glad you enjoyed it! Your changes sound good!