Making dump cakes is easy and fun. This pumpkin dump cake is no exception. Make this delicious treat for your Thanksgiving celebration or anytime you need a little fall delight!
When it comes to making desserts you can’t beat dump cakes for their ease of preparation and serving. There’s nothing fancy happening here. You can whip up this delicious dessert and serve it with a spoon.
All the fall flavors of pumpkin pie in a dump cake that is easy to prepare and travels well. If you need a dessert to share at your holiday celebrations this one is worth a try!
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What is a dump cake?
Dump cake might seem like a counterintuitive name for a dessert recipe but it mostly refers to the method of preparation. It’s a description more than anything.
For a dump cake you are doing very little in the way of mixing or preparing ingredients, we mostly “dump” and go with these kinds of recipes.
You will dump in the ingredients in layers and then they get baked and the magic happens in the oven. If you’ve never tried a dump cake recipe this pumpkin pie dump cake is a great first for you!

Do you have any other dump cake recipes?
Over the years I’ve shared a lot of dump cake recipes and they’re always very popular with readers. If you want to add some other varieties to your recipe collection after you make pumpkin dump cake, give these other options a go!
- 2 Ingredient Cherry Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Dump Cake
- Caramel Apple Dump Cake
- Berry Dump Cake Cobbler

How many servings does this pumpkin recipe provide?
This recipe makes about 12 servings. Of course you can increase or decrease that based on how you like to serve your dump cakes.
If you are serving this up with some ice cream you could decrease the serving size and make more servings, etc. Do what works for you, we calculate the approximate nutritional information based on about 12 servings per pan.

What kind of cake mix do I use for this recipe?
I’ll give you a full run down on the ingredients you will need below but we start this recipe out with a carrot cake mix. Starting with a boxed cake mix makes life so much easier.
Cake mixes and other boxed mixes for baked goods are great for making easy treats that everyone can enjoy. You get to spend less time doing the measuring and baking and more time enjoying company and the actual eating!
You can use whatever brand of cake mix you like or prefer. If you have dietary restrictions you can always substitute mixes that take care of those needs for you as well!

Ingredients needed to make a pumpkin pie dump cake recipe:
For this super simple pumpkin dump cake we will use pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cream cheese frosting, walnuts, and carrot cake mix. We will also need some butter.
If you want to make your own pumpkin puree you can check out this post about preparing pumpkins for pie and puree!
Pumpkin puree and homemade pumpkin puree freeze really well so you can always make some in advance and use it whenever you want to make recipes that call for pumpkin puree.

Kitchen essentials for tasty dump cakes:
When you head into the kitchen to make some of these great recipes you’ll want to have the best tools on hand.
I like half sheet baking pans that are quality (no noisy pops or sloshed dough from twisting), I line my cookie sheets with silicone baking mats. These are great for all kinds of baking and not just cookies! My husband loves them for making biscuits, pizzas, and more!
Of course mixing bowls, a mixer, spatula, and some whisks should be on your list if you don’t have ones that you love. I also like to have a set of cooling racks so that my recipes can properly cool before they’re scarfed down by my family!

How to make dump cake with pumpkin:
The best part about this dump cake recipe with pumpkin (and all dump cakes really) is that it is super easy to prepare. There’s nothing tricky happening. You can prepare this recipe in just a few minutes and then it pops into the oven.
While baking the butter will melt and the wet ingredients on the bottom with bubble up and the dry cake mix becomes incorporated without you having to do any mixing to begin with! It’s so fun to see it happen the first time and always a nice change from having to do a lot of complicated steps for a dessert recipe.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13×9 pan with nonstick spray

Spread pumpkin in pan

Sprinkle on pumpkin pie spice

Microwave frosting for about 30 seconds and pour over pumpkin

Sprinkle on walnuts then evenly add the cake mix

Place butter slices on top

Bake for 40-45 minutes

Cool completely and serve

Looking for more pumpkin recipes to try?
If you love pumpkin recipes you have arrived in the best place possible. Here are some of our other favorite fall recipes that use pumpkin! These delicious desserts are equally easy to make and share. Great for all of your holiday party needs.
- Easy Pumpkin Blondies Recipe
- No Bake Pumpkin Pie
- 15 No-Bake Pumpkin Desserts Perfect for All Seasons!
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Easy Pumpkin Roll Recipe
- Pumpkin Mousse
- No Bake Pumpkin Cookies

Printable Recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake:
Pumpkin Dump Cake

Making dump cakes is easy and fun. This pumpkin dump cake is no exception. Make this delicious treat for your Thanksgiving celebration or anytime you need a little fall delight!
Ingredients
- 2 cans pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 can cream cheese frosting
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 box carrot cake mix
- 1 ½ sticks butter, sliced thin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13x9 pan with nonstick spray
- Spread pumpkin in pan
- Sprinkle on pumpkin pie spice
- Microwave frosting for about 30 seconds and pour over pumpkin
- Sprinkle on walnuts then evenly add the cake mix
- Place butter slices on top
- Bake for 40-45 minutes
- Cool completely and serve
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Pyrex Grab Glass Bakeware and Food Storage Set, 8-Piece, Clear
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KitchenAid Classic Bamboo Spatula Set, set of 2, Pistachio
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DRAGONN Set of 3 Multi-Color Silicone Whisks
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Bakeware Set, Krokori Rectangular Baking Pan Ceramic Glaze Baking Dish for Cooking, Kitchen, Cake Dinner, Banquet and Daily Use - Aquamarine, 3 Pack of Rectangular
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 132mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 3g
I am not a medical expert. These calculations are provided as a courtesy.
Nicolle
Saturday 26th of November 2022
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