Pumpkin Crunch Cake
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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?
Now, you miiiiiiiight have noticed that I’m on Team Pumpkin Everything. I mean, it’s pumpkin. Why anyone would say no to that is beyond me, but whatever. You do you.
So, I’m here, in early September with my second pumpkin recipe of the year. The first one, in case you’ve forgotten, was shared last month. It was pumpkin donut holes and I think you should go make these right away. I’ll wait.
Anyway, I’ve shared this Pumpkin Crunch Cake recipe in the past, but I made it again last week and took new pictures. It just confirmed my belief that this pumpkin cake is somehow, magically, even better than traditional pumpkin pie. No, I won’t be serving it in place of pie at Thanksgiving, but on a regular day when I’m craving pumpkin? This will do the trick even better than pumpkin pie and *bonus points* it’s a heck of a lot easier to make.
I only use half of a box of cake mix in this recipe. I know that’s kind of annoying to have a half packet of cake mix laying around, but you can use it next week to make this again. Trust me, you’ll want to.
You could also use the entire bag of mix. It 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.
Whatever way you make this, I can guarantee that you’re going to love it. I actually finished off this entire pan, piece by piece, for breakfast one week. And dessert. And snacks. I was both happy and sad when it was gone – happy to have a chance to maybe button my pants again, sad because my one true love was gone from this Earth.
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!
Be sure to also head over to check out my pumpkin coffee cake. It’s packing two full cans of pumpkin and is intensely rich and fudgy. I’m addicted to the stuff.
FAQ ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
- The video lists pumpkin pie spice, but the recipe shows cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. I make my own pumpkin pie spice by using that mix of spices. You can swap in 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice if you’d prefer.
- Can I substitute a spice cake mix instead of yellow? Absolutely! I prefer yellow, but many people make this with spice cake.
- What is the sauce on top in your pictures? I topped this with ice cream and caramel sauce. It’s also good with whipped cream or served plain.
- I don’t like nuts, what can I substitute? You can skip the nuts entirely or substitute them with graham cracker or Biscoff pieces. Skor bits are also good, from what I hear.
- Can I use the canned pumpkin pie filling instead of puree to make this even easier? I haven’t tried it myself, but I imagine it works.
- Can I reduce/omit the sugar in this recipe? I’ve never tried it, so I really can’t make recommendations on this.
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Pumpkin Crunch Cake is the ultimate fall treat. Top with ice cream and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 can 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 1 can 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2- ish box yellow cake mix if you'd like a more cake-like consistensy, use more - up to the full box. If you'd like it to be more like a pie texture, use around 1/2 the box
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup butter melted
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
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In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and spices until well combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
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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.
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Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
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Pour the melted butter evenly over the top of the cake.
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Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the custard is set.
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Serve warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on bunsinmyoven.com should only be used as a general guideline.
More pumpkin recipes below!
I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally mixed the cake mix with the pumpkin mix I went ahead and baked it without putting the butter on top I was afraid it wouldn’t blend together. It’s baking now I hope it still tastes ok. Do you have any suggestions for this mistake in case someone else does this?
Hi Danna! Hope it turned out okay for you. I don’t have any recommendations for this.
It tastes fine not as good if I did it the right way next time I won’t do 3 things at once when baking.
I am so thankful for your simple videos and recipes they have truly changed my families life.
Thank you so much, Pamela! What a sweet comment to read. 🙂
Can this be made in the crock pot instead of oven?
I’ve never tried this one in a slow cooker.
What did u put over the ice cream
Caramel sauce.
I wish the recipe clarified for the non-bakers out there whether or not it should have unsalted or salted butter. Chose the wrong one…..sadly.
I prefer salted butter on this, but either work fine. If you’re sensitive to salt, you can certainly use unsalted.
The salt will give you a salty sweet flavor that I love, hence cutting the sweetness. The times I’ve used unsalted butter, I’ve found that the sweetness is a bit overbearing. If reducing your salt intake I would suggest half salted butter and half unsalted butter.
I wish you would put recipes in grams too
Wish I had the time to do that as well, but with over 1000 recipes, I just don’t. You’re welcome to plug them into an online converter for yourself though. 🙂
What do you think about putting this in a crock pot? Maybe 4 hours on low?
Mike, did you try it in the crockpot? And if so, how did it turn out? It sounds like it would be a great option for this.
I think it would work, but I’m not sure how long it would take.
Any suggestions for substituting out the cake mix?
None from me! 🙂
Have you ever tried this in the instant pot?
Nope.
I just made this and doubled the amounts to have anough for all the pumpkin lovers in the family. It came out wonderfully and I’m not a pumpkin aficionado and I enjoyed it. The spices are not overwhelming but just right. Thanks for this one.
So glad it was a hit!
Did you use 9×13 with doubling ingredients?
I’m curious if it would be fine to just use 1c sugar? Thats just too much sugar for me. I think I’ll just try the 1c and see.
I haven’t tried it, so please report back if it turned okay! 🙂
I reduce the sugar to 1 cup and it was fine. I might take it a little lower next time.
I’m interested to hear how it was only using 1 cup sugar. That is what I was thinking of doing.
If you use 1/2 the box of cake mix, could you use 1/2 the amount of butter?
Nope, I don’t think that would work. There wouldn’t be enough butter to cover the top of the cake mix and it’d turn out very dry and crumbly.
I’ve made this with less sugar for those who were asking: don’t do it! It did not taste as good as the original recipe- very bland .use all the sugar called for. Trust me on this.
I am not a very good baker, but I made this and it was so easy and and big hit! I used extra pecans & used whole ones because I was too lazy to chop them. In Minnesota, pecans are about $8 or$9 a pound, but I got them on sale & used lots! It turned out so delicious! Everyone loved it! It’s like a cross between pumpkin pie & pecan pie,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to make it again!
So glad it was a hit! 🙂
Is this something that you can make ahead of time and freeze? Has anyone tried that?
I really want to make this but I’m out of butter. I do have a butter yellow cake mix. Would coconut oil work?
Hmm, I think it might but haven’t tried it myself.
Hi, can I leave it out overnight or does it have to go in the fridge right away.
It needs to be refrigerated. 🙂
Do you think this would be okay with fat free evaporated milk?
I think so, but haven’t tried it to say for sure.
Just made this – it’s amazing – next time I will add half the salt
Hello, do you know how long this would be good for if stored in the fridge? The reason I ask is because I read that the typical pumpkin pie is only good for 3-4 days in the fridge. Anyway, thanks in advance! 🙂
I think it’d be fine for 3-4 days. I’m not sure it’s ever lasted longer than that – we eat it too fast. 🙂
I have to tell you that this is the absolute BEST pumpkin-anything recipe out there! I love pumpkin, especially pumpkin pie, but I can’t make pic crust worth eating. I’m even bad at using the pre-made crusts! When I found this recipe a couple of years ago, I just HAD to try it and I fell in love again, and again, and again! Thank you so very much for giving us this delicious recipe!
So glad you enjoy this one! I’m making one for Halloween. 🙂
Can you make this split in two pans? I have two 8×2 round cake pans. I’m wondering what the cook time would be?
I’m sure you could, but I don’t know how it will change the bake time.
It’s a done deal!! This gorgeous cake is on the menu! It’s got everything going for it! Pumpkin!!! Cake mix!!! Ease of preparation and it’s your recipe!!! Yours are the best!!
Thanks for your fun posts!! I thoroughly enjoy reading them all!
Do you think it would be ok to use full fat coconut milk instead of the evaporated milk? I can’t have milk.
I’m really not sure. I’ve never baked with coconut milk before.
Um. This is DELICIOUS! I am eating it only a few minutes out of the oven and it has fallen apart like yours did but who cares! I couldn’t wait to let it set in the fridge! It is so great, so many wonderful flavours. I never made a cake like this before so I was really questioning how it would turn out, what with pouring cake mix on top and when covering in butter. Here’s what I did a bit different: I didn’t have pecans and didn’t use a replacement, used a spice cake (so nice), and my evaporated milk was almost 2 years expired, but it passed the smell test so I went for it… It was a risky endeavour. Still might have negative consequences. However, I firmly believe that whatever happens next is absolutely worth it. To anyone considering making this: you can do it risk-free by ensuring you discard expired products long before you’ve already mixed the rest of the batter and have gone too far to throw it out. I can only imagine how much better it would taste (is it possible?!) if you aren’t worried about what might happen in the next few hours. Thank you Karly! I can’t wait to use the other half of my cake mix to make this again after I finish it off tomorrow! This time it’ll be worry-free and oh so gooood.
I’m bringing this to a family thanksgiving tomorrow, but plan to make it in advance and store in the fridge. Would this be okay to be reheated in the oven before being served? If so, does anyone have a recommendation on how long to reheat and what temperature for the oven?
Hi Emmy! We actually prefer this served cold, but if you wanted to reheat, I’d just bring it to room temp first and then pop it in a warm oven (maybe 250-300) for 5-10 minutes or until warmed a bit.
Thanks so much Karly!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ??
Never making pumpkin pie again! My family LOVES this dessert instead!!! I stayed with the exact recipe and used a 9×13 glass pyrex and it turned out perfect (had to make a second one the day after thanksgiving to keep for myself!) We served it with cool whip instead of ice cream. I’m bringing this to our company Christmas party!
So glad you gave it a try and loved it! 🙂