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.
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. 🙂
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 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.
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.