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All the flavor of pumpkin pie with none of the fuss in this Pumpkin Dump Cake recipe. Layered a homemade, gluten-free cake mix over a custardy base of pumpkin puree, eggs, and cream cheese, then drizzled with butter and baked. The result is a creamy pumpkin interior with a crispy, streusel-like crust.
If you’ve never made a dump cake before, it’ll soon become something you’ll love to bake. Their appeal is in the fact that they’re so easy to make and you get a unique dessert that’s like a cross between pie filling and coffee cake. This pumpkin version is the perfect one to bake up for Thanksgiving if you don’t have time to make a pumpkin pie, but want that classic, cozy flavor.
Got time to make pie crust? Try my Healthy Pumpkin Pie recipe or my Healthy Pecan Pie Bars.
Recipe Overview
Before You Get Started
- Check that you’re using canned 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice, mix up your own blend with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves and 1/8 tsp ground allspice.
- To test for doneness, the center should be set and no longer jiggly, while the edges turn golden brown.
- The cake will be too soft to serve immediately from the oven. Let it cool completely before cutting and serving. You can always reheat it if you want to serve it warm.
Common Questions
You need to make sure you evenly spread the dry cake mix over the wet ingredients. Plus, drizzling the butter evenly over the dry ingredients is important for getting the right texture on the topping.
Yes, it’s recommended to store this dump cake in the fridge, as the filling is quite wet, making it unsafe to leave out at room temperature for long periods of time.
Yes. You can use light brown sugar or even cane sugar instead. flavor and color change slightly.
Ingredients Needed
Below are the ingredients you’ll need to make Pumpkin Dump Cake. Full quantities can be found in the recipe card further down in the recipe card.
- Pumpkin puree: Using canned puree is best here for consistent results, just make sure it contains 100% pure pumpkin.
- Cream cheese: You’ll want to use full-fat cream cheese as it makes the cake soft. Reduced fat cream cheese may make it gummy in texture.
- Greek yogurt: This adds moisture and a slight tang to the pumpkin cake. Regular yogurt will make the batter too thin.
- Eggs: The eggs bind the batter together which is especially important in this cake as there is no gluten to help the cake ‘set’.
- White sugar: You can substitute coconut sugar or brown sugar if you prefer.
- Pumpkin pie spice and Vanilla extract
- Melted butter or coconut oil: Drizzling the melted fat over the dry ingredients moistens them and helps the topping caramelise as it bakes.
- Almond flour: Use blanched almond flour as almond meal can make the topping too crumbly.
- Gluten-free flour: It’s easy to find lots of different premixed gluten-free flour blends from the grocery store. Choose your favorite or opt for one that is made for baking.
- Baking powder: This helps the topping to rise, giving it a lighter, crisper texture.
- Chopped pecans: Nuts add a nice crunch to the cake to contrast the silky interior. You can use walnuts if you prefer.
How to Make Pumpkin Dump Cake
First, preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
1️⃣ Make the pumpkin filling
Combine the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
✏️ If you don’t have an electric mixer, use a whisk to stir together the cream cheese and sugar first, before mixing in the other wet ingredients.
2️⃣ Make the homemade gluten-free cake mix
In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, gluten-free flour, white sugar, baking powder, and chopped pecans.
✏️ Use a whisk to mix these dry ingredients to help break up any clumps.
3️⃣ Layer in the baking dish
Sprinkle the cake mix over the pumpkin filling. Drizzle the melted butter or coconut oil evenly over the dry ingredients.
✏️ It’s important to evenly distribute the dry ingredients over the wet, so sprinkle carefully!
4️⃣ Bake and serve
Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the top is nicely browned and the center is no longer wobbly.
✏️ Let the cake cool completely before cutting into it and serving for the cleanest slices.
Variations & Substitutions
→ Sweet Potato Dump Cake: Swap the pumpkin puree for 15 ounces of mashed sweet potato.
→ Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Dump Cake: Sprinkle 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips over the dump cake immediately after you remove it from the oven.
Pumpkin Dump Cake (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling:
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree, one can
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil
Homemade gluten-free cake mix:
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the 15 ounces pumpkin puree, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 4 eggs, 1 cup white sugar, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract until smooth. Pour in the mixture into your baking dish.
- Next, prepare the homemade cake mix. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup gluten-free flour, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 cup chopped pecans.
- Sprinkle the cake mix over the pumpkin filling.
- Evenly drizzle the 5 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil over the dry ingredients.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the center is no longer wobbly.
Notes
Tips:
- Allow the cake to completely cool so it fully sets and to be able to cut nice slices. You can reheat it afterwards if you’d like to serve it warm with ice cream.
- Check that you’re using canned 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice, mix up your own blend with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp ground allspice.
- To tell that the cake is done, the usual ‘toothpick test’ won’t work for this recipe. It’s best to give the pan a firm shake back and forth – when the cake is done, the filling won’t jiggle.
Variations:
- Sweet Potato Dump Cake: Swap the pumpkin puree for 15 ounces of mashed sweet potato.
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Dump Cake: Sprinkle 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips over the dump cake immediately after you remove it from the oven.
Storage and Make-Ahead:
- Make ahead: Bake the cake as instructed and let it cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve cold from the fridge, at room temperature, or reheat as instructed below.
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: Reheat individual slices in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Alternatively, uncover and reheat the whole cake in its dish in the oven at 350℉ for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage & Make Ahead Tips
Make ahead: Bake the cake as instructed and let it cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve cold from the fridge, at room temperature, or reheat as instructed below.
Fridge: Allow leftovers to cool fully and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Once leftovers are cooled, place them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Reheat individual slices in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Alternatively, uncover and reheat the whole cake in its dish in the oven at 350℉ for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through.
You May Also Like
- Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Pound Cake
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Easy Pumpkin Cake
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies
- Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo
- Pumpkin Risotto
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