Salted Pecan Pumpkin Dump Cake
This effortless fall dessert delivers all the creamy comfort of pumpkin pie with zero crust anxiety. We swapped the standard melted butter for thinly sliced cold butter to guarantee a flawlessly crispy, cobbler-like topping, then finished it with extra pecans and a hit of flaky sea salt to beautifully balance the sweetness.
- Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield1 (9x13-inch) cake (serves 12) 1x
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin Custard Base
- 1 (29-ounce) can pumpkin puree (822 g)
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (354 ml)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Crunchy Topping
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box spice cake mix (432 g)
- 1 cup (110 g) roughly chopped pecans
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks / 170 g) cold unsalted butter, sliced into very thin pats
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the pumpkin custard: In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, dark brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and kosher salt until completely smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out into an even layer.
- Layer the dry mix and pecans: Sprinkle the dry spice cake mix evenly over the pumpkin layer—do not stir or mix it in. Scatter the chopped pecans evenly over the top of the dry cake mix.
- Add butter and bake: Arrange the thin slices of cold butter in a single, even layer across the entire surface, covering as much of the exposed dry mix as possible. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the topping is deeply golden brown, the edges are bubbling, and the center is set with a slight jiggle. (Tip: If the pecans begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the baking dish with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes.)
- Finish and cool: Remove the dish from the oven and immediately sprinkle the flaky sea salt over the hot, bubbly topping. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 30 to 45 minutes before serving (this resting time allows the pumpkin custard layer to firm up for clean scooping).
Notes
- Why it works: Slicing cold butter instead of drizzling melted butter is the secret to a flawless dump cake. The butter melts slowly and evenly in the oven, hydrating the cake mix completely and preventing those dusty, dry pockets of unbaked flour.
- Make-ahead and storage: Dump cakes are incredibly forgiving and store beautifully. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It tastes fantastic cold, but you can easily re-crisp individual portions in a toaster oven or air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 3 to 5 minutes.
Nutrition (per serving — estimates)
Calories: 430 | Total Carbs: 49g (Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 31g) | Fat: 23g (Saturated: 10g) | Protein: 6g
Nutritional values are approximate, based on standard reference data (USDA FoodData Central). Actual values vary by brand and exact measurements. For precision, use a tracker like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cooling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 31g
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 6g