How to Make Our Pumpkin Dump Cake

Preheat oven to 350℉.

Then prepare your 9×13 inch pan by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray and then set it aside.

Now in a large mixing bowl dump in the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice.

Give all of that a good stir to make sure it is completely combined and then pour the batter into the prepared 9×13 inch pan and spread it out evenly.

Then sprinkle the dry cake mix over top of the pumpkin layer, and top it off with the graham cracker crumbs, toffee pieces, and chopped pecans.

After you have those layers set, pour the melted butter evenly over top and then place the pan in the oven and let it bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is set and the edges have begun to brown.

Once the cake is done baking, pull it from the oven, let it cool down and then serve it with some delicious whipped topping!

Recipe Modifications

You can make this recipe suit you and your family’s taste buds, or if you love the cake recipe so much that you want to make it again (I definitely don’t blame you!), but want to change it up a little bit you can. To add variety to this delightful pumpkin cake, you could try the following:

Use a spice cake mix instead of yellow cake mix;

Try crushed Butterfingers candy bars on top instead of toffee;

Cinnamon sugar graham crackers instead of plain graham crackers;

Walnuts or any favorite nut instead of pecans (also consider adding nuts to the pumpkin mixture);

Add chocolate chips on top or in between the layers;

Top with vanilla ice cream.

A slice of cake topped with whipped cream sits on a white plate, with a fork holding a small piece of the cake in the foreground.

A square piece of coffee cake topped with streusel and pecans sits on a white plate, with additional pieces of the cake blurred in the background.

Make Your Own Cake Mix

This recipe is one you do not want to miss out on. If you happen to have everything you need except the cake mix, don’t worry you might still be in luck! Simply Scratch has a wonderful homemade yellow cake mix recipe you can make from scratch! And not to mention with everything you probably have at home already.

Enjoy More Delicious Pumpkin Cakes and Cupcakes

We absolutely love pumpkin recipes, especially in the fall and winter. Check out our comprehensive collection of pumpkin recipes here.

Join The Discussion

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Questions & Reviews

Kate says:

Tastes delicious!
Jenny says:

yum! this sounds delicious! I love the story with it - I just made some pumpkin cream cheese muffins and cookies and gave some to the mail deliverer, she was VERY happy and asked for the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Darlene S says:

Funny how food sometimes is faddy like fashion. Way back in the 80's is when "dump" cakes first appeared. I used to make different variations for almost everything. Then nobody made them anymore. I've been a hold out and make a dump cake a couple of times a year. They are quick, easy, inexpensive and delicious! Never made a pumpkin one though. SO goin to try this. Oh and to answer another commenters question....no, you do NOT prepare the cake mix, just sprinkle it on. THat's why it's called Dump cake, because you just dump the ingredients in the pan.
Savannah McQueen says:

This looks like a great recipe, and I love how simple it is.
Unknown says:

Is this more of a cake or more of a bar?
Tracey Allison says:

Sounds amazing! Is there a substitute you can recommend for the toffee/heath bar? My hubby is allergic to almonds :(
Six Sisters says:

More of a cake. You could eat it as a bar but I would suggest using a fork. :) thanks for your question! - Kristen
Nancy says:

I made this and it was fantastic! I took it to a function and everyone loved it. Thanks and keep 'em comin'!
Kristin says:

I just tried a similar recipe but used spice cake instead of yellow. It was so delicious! My mom had it with yellow cake before and liked it better with the spice cake. But I'm sure it's still delicious either way.
Hannahnichole85 says:

This is fantastic! How do you store it / how many days does it keep?
wifeofonemomofseven? says:

OMGOSH!! I made these years ago, and lost the recipe, couldn't remember what the recipe called for....thank God for Pinterest cuz I can't believe I found this....been looking for so long and thought I wouldn't find this recipe ever again. I don't remember using heath or toffee bits....did the original recipe call for this? ? Can't wait to make this again!!
Six Sisters says:

The recipe we found calls for it. It just adds to the yumminess!! So glad you found your recipe after all these years! Have a great day! :)
Christine says:

I LOVED this recipe! So yummy, especially the topping! I did add chocolate chips on top...Gotta have chocolate! LOL But next time I will add them in the middle and cook at a lower temperature for a little longer, the bottom was very gooey and the top was a little crispy.
lisa g. says:

This sounds great with a Spice Cake mix. How about using "sugar/cinnamon graham crackers" instead of plain? And how about using a chocolate toffee candy bar broken in small pieces in place of plain toffee bits? Who don't love a little chocolate! Yummy & gotta do it.
Carlyne Brittain says:

This is delicious, no need to alter in any wayI served it with homade vanilla ice cream oh my very addictive
Cammie Gorman says:

I tried it with pecans instead of toffee ... Yum !
Stephanie Brandt says:

This dish was amazing! I did do a few things a bit differently. I added pecans in with the pumpkin purée and added them on top along with the graham crackers(used cinnamon & sugar ones) and Heath bits! Had to cook for about an hour! I absolutely loved the pumpkin pie taste at the bottom with a hard crunch at the top! Will make for years to come!!
Marianne says:

Just eliminate! That's what I will do.
MAL says:

This looks really good, can't wait to try this. But wanted to know if this would work with Sweet potatoes puree also?
Momma Cyd says:

It should work just fine with sweet potato puree too. They are close to the same texture.
Emofagg says:

This looks amazing!! But it doesn’t say how many eggs?
Joanne says:

You mention eggs in the instructions, however in the list of ingredients it does not say how many eggs.
Momma Cyd says:

Scroll all the way down to the ingredients and instructions. It's all there.
Rae says:

This was extremely tasty. However I followed the instructions to the letter and then added an additional 5 minutes even but it cooked unevenly. It’s almost more of a trifle/pudding style. The bottom never really firmed up and I was starting to burn the top. It was still absolutely delicious though.
Cheryl H says:

This was such a easy and delicious recipe for our Thanksgiving dessert instead of just regular pumpkin pie. Thanks for making this my new go to for Fall desserts! It’s earned a permanent place in our family!
Robbi says:

Would it work to use white cake mix?
Momma Cyd says:

You can use white, but the color will definitely be lighter. Taste will be a little different too. But is should still taste great.
Sarah A says:

I really liked this recipe, but thought it was a tad too sweet. Can I just cut the amount of brown sugar to make it less sweet? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Momma Cyd says:

We have only made this dump cake as shown in the recipe. By cutting the brown sugar in half, I'm not sure how the taste would be after cooking.