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Pumpkin crunch cake is a perfect fall treat! It’s loaded with pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and crunchy pecans. This recipe uses a cake mix to keep things so easy!
Let’s talk about something that’s real important, k?
Pumpkin season.
Lately, it seems super cool to be all anti-pumpkin.
I mean, it also seems super cool to be obsessed with pumpkin, which is why the anti-pumpkin people are coming out in full force to say “no, we will not stand for pumpkin spice macaroni and pumpkin spice shoelaces.”
But, guys. I’m getting nervous.
I feel like we’re about to have a full on Grease-style feud between two rival gangs and it’s stressing me out.
Can’t we all just get along? Can’t we all just eat or not eat our pumpkin in peace, like respectable adults?
I’m clearly on Team Pumpkin and I even converted my mother-in-law over to Team Pumpkin with this recipe!
She’s one of those crazy people that doesn’t like pumpkin, but she LOVES this pumpkin crunch cake!
It’s a cross between pie and cake, super simple to make, and perfect topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
We’re using our homemade pumpkin pie spice in this recipe. It’s perfect in most pumpkin recipes, like our chocolate chip pumpkin bread and pumpkin coffee cake!
Ingredient Notes:
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Pumpkin Puree – Look for the 100% pure pumpkin puree, and not the canned pumpkin pie filling which has added ingredients.
Yellow Cake Mix – I’m using only half of the bag of mix for this. You could also use the entire bag, it just makes this much more cake-like. I like it with a half bag of mix, because the custard-y pumpkin bottom shines through a lot more.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – You’ll need cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and cloves to make the pumpkin spice that I’ve tweaked for this recipe. Store bought works too.
Milk, Eggs, & Sugar – Just like in pumpkin pie, we’re using evaporated milk to make it so rich and creamy.
Pecans – We use chopped pecans on top, but we’ve also done walnuts and I’ve seen people with nut allergies use toffee bits.
What Readers are Saying!
“This recipe is to die for! I don’t favor sweets but my husband does and we both loved this Pumpkin Crunch Cake. I followed the recipe to a T and it’s light, savory, and has the perfect texture of cake, custard, and crunch.” – Melissa
My Favorite Hand Mixer!
It’s so easy to whip up dessert with this cute hand mixer. It doesn’t take up much space and is a must for any kitchen!
How to Make Pumpkin Crunch Cake:
Pumpkin Custard: While your oven preheats you can start mixing together the pumpkin filling/custard like batter. Add the canned pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, sugar, and spices to a large bowl and beat together until well combined. Use a whisk or hand mixer – both work!
Cake Mix: Pour the pumpkin batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish and then start sprinkling the top of it with the yellow cake mix. I only use half a box, but you can use more if you want it to be more cake-like.
Top: To finish preparing this pumpkin crunch cake you’ll sprinkle the the chopped pecans over the yellow cake mix. Finally, pour the melted butter evenly over the top of the cake!
Bake: It’ll take about 60 to 70 minutes for the pumpkin crunch cake to finish baking, or until the top is lightly browned and the custard has set.
You can serve this cake warm or cold! It’s pretty amazing fresh from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce!
Variations:
Personally, I think our pumpkin crunch cake is perfect as is, but I know it can be fun to play around with recipes!
Some fun ideas include swapping the pecans for cookie pieces (Biscoff, gingersnaps, etc.), toffee bits, or walnuts.
Use a spice cake or butter pecan cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix.
Use a full box of cake mix for a more cake-like pumpkin crunch cake or use half the box (my preferred method) for a more pie-like pumpkin crunch cake!
Use 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ginger, and a pinch of cloves in place of the pumpkin pie spice.
FAQ’s:
I store this in the fridge and it sets up nice and thick. In the video above and in these pictures, it was still warm, which is why it fell apart when I scooped it out. It holds it shape perfectly when cold!
Absolutely! I prefer yellow, but many people make this with spice cake.
I top my pumpkin crunch cake with ice cream and caramel sauce. It’s also good with whipped cream or served plain!
You can skip the nuts entirely or substitute them with graham cracker or Biscoff pieces! Skor bits are also good, from what I hear.
I haven’t tried it myself and generally always use 100% pure pumpkin puree. I do think it would work though – just follow the recipe on the can for making pie, but add to the pan and sprinkle with the cake mix.
I’ve never tried it, so I can’t really make recommendations on this.
MORE FALL PUMPKIN RECIPES!
- Pumpkin Pecan Pie
- Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
- Pumpkin Pie Dip
- Keto No Bake Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 box yellow cake mix see note
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and spices until well combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top with yellow cake mix. I prefer a half of a box, but use more if you want it to be very cakey.
- Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
- Pour the melted butter evenly over the top of the cake.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the custard is set.
- Serve warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator.
Angel says
This was great! I made it to take to a college class where we will need a little sugar rush to get us through. My husband and I tried it tonight before I brought it in and WE LOVED IT! 9/10 in our book! We served warm with cinnamon ice cream – which I would highly recommend. I’ll see how it tastes cold tomorrow! Thanks so much! I’m going to add this to our mandatory fall baking list!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Angel!
Amy C. says
You’ve done it again! I made this as a test-run for Thanksgiving, and my family loved it. They asked “You’re making this for Thanksgiving, right?” I used a cup of sugar to make a little less sweet (just my preference), but I did everything else exactly as written. Delicious & extremely easy to make!
Karly says
So glad you gave it a try!
JS says
I made this with a whole box of white cake mix (because they’re what I had in hand and I wanted it cakier and also needed to use the whole box.) I used half the sugar indicated and no butter. (I did mix the wet and dry ingredients a bit.) I baked it for 40-50 minutes. Although I’m sure it wasn’t as decadent as the original, it was delicious (and I felt less guilty eating it.) It was still custardy and like a combo of cake and pumpkin pie.
Mary Laughlin says
I tried this last night at a friend’s house! It was so amazing, that I’ll be taking it to work tomorrow! Wow! Thanks for the recipe!
Karly says
Ah, love to hear that Mary! It’s one of our favorite pumpkin recipes!
Natalie B. says
This was good! Definitely rich!! I’ll make it again but with just a couple adjustments. 3/4 cup of sugar-I did 1 1/4 and it was over kill. And maybe only 3 eggs -it has a very wet consistency at the bottom and I’d like it to be a little firmer, and more cake mix because it’s the best part. I also used walnuts because it’s what I had on hand and it worked great. I baked it for 65 minutes and it was nice and crispy on top.
Kara says
This recipe is SO SO GOOD! I made it as written but divided the batter into 4 aluminum loaf pans because I was bringing a meal to a family of 2 and knew they didn’t want a large dessert. I thought I would give the other two away and keep one. But after my husband had one mouthful he asked if we could keep the other two. It’s quite addictive so be warned! It’s particularly good right out of the fridge when the layer on the top is truly a crunch and just oh so good! Thanks for posting the recipe. Makes me wanna try your other recipes. : )
Karly says
Thanks, Kara! So glad you guys enjoyed this one! 🙂
Susan says
Best pumpkin dessert ever! I planned to make this for Thanksgiving – then realized I didn’t have any peacons. Substituted with Organic pumped seed granola from Costco. Turned out awesome and my teenagers preferred it this way!
Allison says
Made this yesterday and I am honestly addicted! Keep hearing some up and topping it with salted caramel ice cream. Bless hubs for getting the 29oz can. As soon as we go through this, I’m making another one! ?
Karly says
Haha! So glad you discovered the recipe!
KimmyP says
If I use Spice Cake mix, should I alter how much nutmeg and cinnamon I add?
Karly says
No, the spices are for the filling, so I’d leave them the same. 🙂
Eileen Hughes says
I accidentally made it the first time without sugar and it wasn’t too bad so I’m sure if someone needs to omit the sugar they would still like it. Everyone who ate it didnt say it wasn’t sweet enough. I’m pretty fond of it both was. I also used chopped walnuts in one batch. And 1/2 bag of dry cake mix. Gonna try the whole bag sometime. Thanks so much for the recipes.
Tw says
I would love to trythis recipe but isthere anything I can substitute for the evaporated milk????
Karly says
Nothing that I know of, I’m afraid. This is basically a pumpkin pie filing, so however you’d normally make pumpkin pie should work here.
Anne says
Absolutely LOVE this recipe. I used a gluten free yellow cake mix and it was a huge success. I used about 3,/4 of the mix in the box. Good news for those that can’t or don’t want to eat gluten.
Karly says
That’s great to hear! Thanks, Anne.
Carla says
First off I have to say I didn’t read directions correctly!!!? I used Pumpkin Pie Mix… Put it did set up like Moist Pudding but Taste Very Good….. So I think if I would used the whole Cake Mix it might of been thicker… Or could of left out Evaporated Milk…. But Taste Very Good!!!?
Melissa says
This recipe is to die for! I don’t favor sweets but my husband does and we both loved this Pumpkin Crunch Cake. I followed the recipe to a T and it’s light, savory, and has the perfect texture of cake, custard, and crunch. I will definitely make this again and will be my go-to potluck/party dish post-COVID.
Karly says
Love to hear that! 🙂
Kathy says
I just put it in the oven , has anyone used less sugar .