by HollyPumpkin Crunch Cake is the easiest way to serve pumpkin pie to a crowd! A rich layer of pumpkin pie is topped with pecans and a simple yellow cake streusel for the perfect fall dessert!
Pumpkin Pie Crunch Cake
Ahhh…. fall has arrived. ‘Tis the season for sweaters and yellow leaves (at least in my neck of the woods) and …. ALL things pumpkin. Of course, I’m one of those people that enjoys pumpkin things all year round, not just in the fall. Once the when the leaves start turning, I literally can’t stop dreaming about pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin desserts!
Pumpkin Pie Crunch cake is one of those recipes that have been around forever and once you try it, you’ll know why! It’s lusciously delicious and super easy to make. Everyone seems to have a slightly different version, but of all of the ones I’ve made, I love this one best with yellow cake and pecans!
Pumpkin Dessert with Cake Mix
The bottom layer of the pumpkin crunch cake is a deliciously rich layer of pumpkin pie (and I love me a good pumpkin pie inspired dessert) and the topping is totally irresistible. A layer of pecans is topped with a crunchy streusel made from cake mix.
I have used spice cake, white cake and butter pecan cake in this pumpkin crunch cake and all three are delicious (yellow is my favorite though). This recipe calls for unsalted butter, salted does work just fine, however, the salt is quite noticeable. Should you use salted butter, you may like to skip the salt in the pumpkin portion of this recipe.
Pumpkin Crunch Cake is Best for a Crowd
This really is the simplest way to serve pumpkin pie to a crowd as it fills a 9X13 pan. And, it’s definitely a perfect way to end a fall meal. We sometimes serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce.
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Watch How to Make Pumpkin Pie Crunch Cake!
Pumpkin Pie Crunch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 15 servings
Course Dessert
Cuisine AmericanIngredients
- 15.5 ounces pumpkin (1 15.5 oz can)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk (1 12 oz can)
- 3 eggs large
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 package yellow cake mix
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Gently sprinkle the cake mix powder over the pumpkin mixture top with pecans.
- Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix & pecans layer.
- Bake 25 minutes uncovered. Cover with foil and bake an additional 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and uncover (be careful, the steam will be hot). Cool completely.
- Cut into squares and serve with ice cream.
Nutrition Information
slightly adapted from Duncan Hines
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The recipes are soooo good!!!!
I am making the pumpkin crunch cake for thanksgiving; your recipe has become a family favorite over the past few years. Can I make ahead and freeze it? I’m needing to transport to another state and would like to make it this weekend. Have you tried freezing it? Thank you so much for such a great recipe!
Hi Andrea, sorry we haven’t frozen this recipe before. Maybe another reader has and can offer some tips!
Do left overs need to be refridgerated?
Hi Elisha, You can leave them out in an airtight container or zippered bag.
No. It doesn’t matter if it’s chicken dishes or whatever. Don’t take a chance. You can take them out of the refrigerator and let them sit out 15-20 minutes before heating, just to be safe!
Looks so easy and delicious!
I hope you love it Mary Alice!
My grandmother gave me this recipe; I’ve been making it for 40 yrs. It’s the best! You’ll never go back to plain pie again
I love that you have been enjoying this recipe for so long! It is definitely time tested!
Love this desert!!
I make mine with sugar free cake mix no sugar added and no salt. It is a huge success. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
So glad you loved it Shelley!
I fix it for a social at work at it was a hit. My husband’s description was SCRUMPTIOUS! It was so easy to make everyone at work couldn’t believe it was that good and so easy to make.
So glad everyone loved it!
I made these to ship to a family member out of town. Not only do I find them to be too soft on the bottom (pumpkin mix), I am thinking it might need to be refrigerated. What do you think? Should I try to ship them?
It’s supposed to be the texture of pumpkin pie so it’s not ideal for shipping.
I just made this two weeks in a row. It is so simple to make. The second week I accidentally messed up my homemade pumpkin pie spice blend; it made it brown instead of orange. And I didn’t cover it while baking so that it would have more of a crust. My friends loved it!
Glad you and your friends loved it Kim!
This sounds delicious,but I like a crust on bottom of pie.Going to try it with a pie crust, wish me luck!
The top was very jiggly and runny so I baked it a little longer. Hopefully the pumpkin part isn’t too overdone. .
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. So easy to make, yet so delicious.
I am so glad your loved ones enjoyed this recipe Mechele!
If using sweet potato instead of pumpkin,would you still use the pumpkin pie spice or would you sub something else in its place?
I haven’t tried it that way but I think I would still use the same spice mixture.
We love this recipe Holly, thanks so much, have seen a couple of people asking about freezing this dessert, again asking if anyone has done that? Know you haven’t Holly, but wondering if anyone has, I am going to try it.
Do you think walnuts could be substituted? I like that your recipe does not have as much sugar as others.
Thanks,
Julie
Hi Julie, You could use pecans if you prefer the flavor!
Amazing recipe! Great alternative for people who aren’t the biggest fans of traditional pumpkin pie and a good change for everyone else!
I make this cake every Thanksgiving,we all love it.I have a grandson in the army and when he is home on Christmas or Thanksgiving I better have one made,He absolutely loves it.My intire family loves this cake.
Is this something that should be served warm? Could I make it the night before and then add the toppings before baking the next day?
Do you think I can switch out the evaporated milk for condensed milk?
It would definitely change the recipe.
I would use less sugar if using condensed milk.
I’ve made this several times but my servings do not come out in “pretty,” squares, not solid enough. I’ve tried baking it less and alsdo longer. What am I doing wrong? It is so good!
HI there, can this be made in cupcake cups (sturdy foil ones), to make individual servings, similar to mini-cheesecakes? If so I’m guessing the baking time would need to be adjusted to be shorter? Would love to hear if this has ever been tried?
I made it following the recipe a few weeks ago, and it was FABULOUS!!
(PS I can’t see the different ratings to choose from… so if I picked the lowest instead of the highest, I apologize!!)
I haven’t tried this in foil cupcake wrappers so I can’t say for sure. Please let us know how it works out for you if you do try it.
Very good and well liked by my guests.
I saw the recipe on Facebook and have it in the oven now. It sounds yummy!! I didn’t have any evaporated milk. I looked for a substitute on Pinterest and wah lah! So easy!! Just simmer 2 cups of milk for 20-30 minutes and you have evaporated milk! Also only had a hand full of chopped pecans but I found some Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips. Put the pecans and chocolate chips on top. Hoping it turns our great!!
I hope you love it! I love that hack Jo Lynn! I had no idea you could make evaporated milk!
I would love to know if anyone has froze this recipe. Would like to take it thanksgiving camp trip and refrigeration is limited
I cannot say enough about how good this recipe is! So easy and beautiful to look at. The first time I made it I couldn’t stop eating it. I have 2 in the oven now for 2 sick friends. It taste like a pumpkin pie with a topping. So moist and delicious.
Delicious. And easy !
I made the Pumpkin Pie Crunch the afternoon and took it to my Rockford Celiac Sprue Association meetingtonight. I did with my favorite Pillsbury Gluten Free Yellow Cake mix. Pillsbury Gluten Free Cake mixes are for 9×13 cake pan. Everyone at the meeting told me it was delicious! Them meant like better than sex cake description.
LOL! I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Really good…easy to make and tastes great!!
It is so good! Glad you enjoyed it Deb.
This is SO good! I took to a potluck and was asked for the recipe several times. I’d rather have this than traditional pumpkin pie.
I made this and it was great! It gets better as the flavors meld together, it was very flavorful the day after when it wasn’t hot from the oven.
Can’t wait to try this
i just made it and omg its fantastic but out of curiousity i wonder if putting it on a cookie bottom first would make it a little bit easier to get out of pan and add a bit more of a crunch hmmmmmm maybe ill try lol
Did you try putting the cake mixture on the bottom first? I’m thinking that as long as it was patted down a bit, it might work? Maybe even prebake a bit before pouring pumpkin mixture on top. If you did, please respond as to how it turned out. Thank you.
Can you use sweet potato instead of pumpkin?
That should work out just fine!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it with sweet potato instead of pumpkin and it was amazing! You Rock.
Yay, that sounds delicious! I love sweet potatoes :)
Came out deliiicous. I didn’t use pumpkin pie spice bc I had each spice independently so I just made my own.
I had this at A casino. They told me they found it online. ..it is very very very yummp!
Looks so good. Am going to with coconut milk as I am lactose intolerant
I’m going to make it tonight and serve it tomorrow. Can I leave it out over night or do I need to refrigerator over night.
You can leave it out overnight.
Made this around our Canadian Thanksgiving, It was so well liked and requested I ended up making it 3 times in a short period. Easy and Delicious . Thank you for sharing it is a keeper ,
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe Lynne!
I made this tonight and it’s still cooling in the glas pan. I plan on refrigerating it overnight. However, I was thinking of cutting it into squares and stacking in a serving platter for tomorrow- will that work? Or do you usually serve out of the glass pan?
It’s quite soft (like a pumpkin pie) so I generally serve it out of the glass 9×13 pan.
This turned out amazing! Next time I might reduce the butter to 3/4 cup, but other than that this was the best pumpkin dessert!
I’m so glad you loved it Shawna!
Video says cover and bake 50 min. written recipe says bake 25 min uncovered then cover and bake 25 min more. Which is correct ?
I see you answered my question in an earlier post, is in the oven now and house smells awesome ! Will let you know what the family thinks tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving !!
Video says to cover and bake 50 min. written recipe says bake 25 min then cover and bake 25 min. more Which is it ?
Bake 25 minutes uncovered and 25 minutes covered for a total of 50 minutes.
In oven now, is it suppose to be firm when ready or still a little soft?
Thanks!
It will be about the same texture as pumpkin pie.
I would like to make this with a graham cracker crust. Do you think this would work and not fall apart?
I haven’t tried putting a crust on this recipe.
I make this recipe, but mix the cake mix with 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1/2 mini chocolate chips. I line the baking pan with parchment paper, and spray it with cooking spray. And, after I sprinkle cake mix mixture on the pumpkin, I cut the butter into pats and place it on the top. When it’s baked, I let it cool, and then refrigerate it over night.
Then I flip it upside down on a cookie sheet and cut into bars. It makes an amazing pumpkin bar!
That sounds both delicious and easy! Thank you for sharing!
Can this be made ahead and frozen for a week?
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe.
Has anyone tried freezing this since this comment? Thank you!
I’m planning to make this for my work potluck but I just noticed the recipe doesn’t call for a crust. Would you recommend using a pie crust with this recipe?
This recipe doesn’t need a crust.
Would love to try these
Will a graham cracker crust on bottom change cooking time???
The cooking time should remain the same.
Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too!
Made the pumpkin pie crunch cake. It was soooo easy and everyone loved it. I have already bought the ingredients to make two more.
That’s awesome, Rhonda! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
So many of recipes I see look scrumptious !! :) Thank you !
Can this be divided & use two 9″ pie dishes instead of 9 x 13 baking dish?
I did use a 9″ deep pe dish and it was perfect!!
Pumpkin pie crunch won’t print. I really want this receipe, y have great receipts, keep it up
I couldn’t find the full recipe.
Just scroll above for the full recipe.
Looks soon good.
It definitely is! :)
The recipes all look good.
Is this better served warm or cold?
This dish is best served room temperature or cold (like a pumpkin pie).
I just made this tonight. Can I leave it unrefeigerated until after thanksgiving dinner tomorrow or should it be refrigerated now.
I would suggest refrigerating it overnight and then you can remove it from the fridge tomorrow morning.
Made it per the recipe- everyone at work loved this. Made again and used spice cake instead of yellow cake mix and it was even more of that fall warm flavor! Fast and easy!
Looks good. I’m going to try it this weekend. I was thinking of drizzling some maple syrup over the top.
What size yellow cake mix is used in this recipe. Is it the Jiffy box size or the Pillsbury/Duncan Hines/Betty Crocker box size?
I use the Betty Crocker/Duncan Hines size (for a 9×13 pan).
Couldn’t find a covered pan that size is it ok to do in a smaller pan
This cooked perfectly in a 9×13, you can use foil to cover the top.
Recipes look delicious, have to try some of them for the holidays. thank you for posting.
This was such a big hit today I will be making this again it was alsome
Sounds good love pumpkin. Going to try this week
Thanks for recipe
Is this best made the day of eating or can I make it the day before?
This is great made the day before and served at room temperature.
Had this Pumpkin Pecan Crunch for Thanksgiiving Dinner, and it was soooooo good,
thank you for the chance to enjoy this wonderful desert.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I used 3/4 cups of brown sugar and I used
1 3/4 TBSP of pumpkins pice. Delish!
I used 3/4 cups of brown sugar and I used
1 3/4 TBSP of pumpkins pice. Delish!
Think I’ll try 1/2 cake mix with butter and part of the pecans on the bottom and bake a few min,then add the pumpkin followed with dry cake and drizzle butter and pecans on top.
Is the bottom of Pumpkin Pie Crunch moist? I am looking for a recipe for a bake sale that can be bagged. Not sure this would bag well. your thoughts? Definitely looks like a good Thanksgiving recipe thought!
They are moist as a piece of pecan pie would be. Unfortunately I would not suggesst bagging this recipe.
I do have pumpkin cookies that would be great for a bake sale! You can view them here: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/frosted-pumpkin-cookies/
My family loves pumpkin recipes.
Very very good
I about to make it now . But I like recipes with pumpkin
I make this every year for last 15 years, with homemade whipped cream, it is required by my family for thanksgiving. :) it is yummy!
Looks good , send me some more recipes,please! Thank you!
i can not wait to make this i also love evrything pumpkin, it looks really good , thanks for the recipe , thanks for sharing it .
Hi absolutely loved it but found it quite rich. I think next time I’d cut back on the butter.
Looks good, I would add a small can of drained crushed pineapple to the pumpkin and brown sugar instead of white. What do you think?
YEs to the brown sugar. I rarely use white sugar ever. I think brown gives a much deeper flavor. I also added some pure maple syrup! I am a fan of all things pineapple but cannot imagine adding to this. Sounds awful lol Did you try it?
The video says to cover and bake for 50 minutes, but the recipe says bake to 25, then cover and bake for 25 more. Which is the correct way?
I bake 25 min uncovered and 25 minutes covered.
I have been making this for about 10 years. I love it and so much easier to make than pie.
Does the type of pan you use matter? I do not have a glass baking dish, but I have nonstick metal pans. Thanks.
A metal pan will work just fine for this recipe.
We loved the pumpkin pie crunch. Plan to make again soon.
So glad you loved it June!
Sounds good to me!
Have not tried this.Will cook this soon.
I am currently watching The Chew. They are making this recipe and used brown sugar. I see regular sugar. Is that a type O?
No, I used regular white sugar. :)
I would love receiving. Recipes from you.All look so very good!
Can I use pumpkin pie mix instead.
I think it would probably work but I have only made this recipe as written. Please let us know how it works out for you if you try it.
I made this and substituted coffee cake crumble top instead of nuts . Awesome results
Thank you for sharing!
How well does this freeze?
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe.
Looks scrumptious; definitely going to bake soon❗️
that pumpkin pie crunch cake looks and sounds yummy. but can’t use evaporated milk because of the sugar content. could I use just plain milk. okay just found substitute for that. I plan on using 1-1/4 cup water and 1 cup dry milk and will equal the correct amount of evaporated milk
Thank you for sharing your tip, I would love to hear how it works out for you!
Evaporated milk doesn’t have any added sugar. Are you thinking of sweetened condensed milk? (Like Eagle Brand?)
I’d like to try the pumpkin pie crunch recipe, but I am allergic to most nuts. Can you recommend some other alternative to replace the nuts in the struesel topping?
You can leave the nuts out of this recipe and it will still be delicious. You could also substitute some unsweetened coconut.
I’ve heard of using Grape Nuts, but I’ve never tried it! I would add them right before baking so they don’t get soggy.
I’d like to try the pumpkin pie crunch recipe, but I am allergic to most nuts. Can you recommend some other alternative to replace the nuts?
You can leave the nuts out or try an unsweetened coconut in its place.
Hi,
Can I substitute full or lite cream for the evaporated milk?
Thanks
I have only tried the recipe as written.
Looks so good and easy to make.
Will try
What is your pumpkin spice
You can purchase pumpkin pie spice in the spice aisle or make your own homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.
I have been making this recipe for over 30 yrs….when * I * got it, it was called ” Linda’s Pumpkin Crunch” and used only cinnamon, not pumpkin pie spice. I too have used it with spice cake, and have also crushed the pecans and added to cake mix prior to pouring, but the favorite version is with Yellow Butter flavored cake mix. and whole pecans.
I’m going to try it with the PP spice. May make for a nice twist.
Could I substitute walnut pieces for the pecans.
Walnuts would definitely work!
Would spice cake be too much spice?
Spice cake is great with this recipe.
They all look yummy ! !
How can I watch the calories when I see a receipt like this????
I have NOT (yet) made this, but what I’ve done with other recipes is to make substitutions. Splenda instead of sugar. Use skim evaporated milk. I’d probably cut the butter to 3/4 cup. Sugar-free cake mix. Walnuts instead of pecans. It won’t taste quite as rich, but will still be very good. And cut myself a smaller serving. :) Good luck to you & have fun experimenting. :)
What can I do to replace cake mix…I don’t like processed foods…this sounds so good but the cake mix is a problem for me
I have only made this recipe as written.
There are a lot of diy cake mix recipes out there to choose from that are quite simple, you can Google it.
I make a very similar ‘Peter’s Pumpkin Delight’ recipe, but instead of a yellow cake mix, I use a SPICE CAKE MIX. It UPs the PUMPKIN SPICE flavor to perfection!
Yummy!!
Looks awesome
I love pumpkin pie and i am looking forward to trying this new recipe. Can i use fresh pumpkin. I keep fresh frozen in my freezer.
That should work just fine. You’ll want to ensure it isn’t watery and may want to drain it if needed.
How many pecans?
1 cup of pecans
Looks absolutely wonderful going to try them. Thank you
Enjoy!
What is pack pumpkin?
It’s canned pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin pie crunch recipe
Looks good and easy to make
Can you. Use sweet potatoes rather than pumpkin
I have only tried this recipe as written. If you are using a canned sweet potato puree I think it would work.
You can. I make the same thing with canned yams (I mash them) every year at Thanksgiving.
Do you think this recipe could be just as good using a gluten free cake mix?
I haven’t tried it but I think it should work just fine.
Gluten free cake mix works great!
Thank you Bonnie!
I don’t really like pumpkin,but this looks really good with the pecans and dry cake mix..we’re having a pie contest at church,I’m thinking I’ll make this..
If I use Eagle Brand milk(Pumpkin Pie Crunch) should I cut out the sugar?
I haven’t tried this with Eagle Brand so I’m not sure how it would work. If you do try it, I would reccomend leaving out the sugar.
Any idea in the nutrition break down?
I’m sorry I am unable to provide nutritional information. You can enter your ingredients here to calculate your calories.
Can I use condensed milk instead?
Sweetened condensed milk is different than evaporated milk as it has sugar and a different consistency. I’m not sure how that would work in this recipe.
Can this be made with gluten free cake mix for the streusel?
I haven’t tried it with gluten free cake mix. I would love to hear how it works out if you do try it!
I have for other dump cakes and it comes out great. Just make sure the volume is equal because most gluten free cake mixes are smaller in quantity.
Yes, you can use gluten free yellow cake mix. I used the Betty Crocker brand and it was delicious!
I only have spice cake at home. Do you think this would work with this recipe?
Absolutely! I’ve made this with yellow cake, spice cake and butter pecan cake… all of them are delicious!
When I was a kid, we had spice cake every Thanksgiving and Xmas. I have looked for it in stores but cannot find any nor a recipe for it. Would you please share your recipe. It was my favorite cake for the hollidays.
Thanks so very much,
I make this recipe every Thanksgiving. To get a better crush, pour the crushed nuts, melt the butter and mix with cake mix. pack it at the bottom of the pan then pour the rest of the pumpkin mix over it. Sometimes I bake the butter and cake mix for 5 min then pour the pumpkin mix. You can flip it over on a platter if you want the crunchy part on top.
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!
I think I will make this tomorrow and again on thanksgiving. It looks s yummy. Thankyoul
Is that a regular box of cake mix or the smaller size that some companies sell?
This is the regular box of cake.
Do you need to refrigerate this after cooking, or can the leftovers be stored at room temp?
It lasts longer if you refrigerate it because the pumpkin is so moist!
There is an error on the amount of sale, it says 1/ salt??? And the recipe does not tell when to add the salt.
Thank you! It should read 1/4 teaspoon salt. The salt is added with the pumpkin in step 2.
Can you use chocolate cake mix instead?
I haven’t tried it with chocolate cake… I’m sure it would work and I bet it would be delicious!!
Your Pumpkin Pie Crunch is awesome! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your great post with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
This looks really good… I think it may be what I had at the church potluck on Sunday and it tasted GREAT! Thank you for sharing this. :)
I was just wondering how much pumpkin I would need if I’m using fresh pumpkin not the can can’t wait to make this
If using fresh I would suggest to cook & puree the pumpkin (drain it over coffee filters if it’s watery) and then measure out 15.5 oz. Enjoy, this is delicious!
Maybe 2 cups
My family devoured this! It was a major hit. Thank you!
I’m so glad you and your family loved this! My sister introduced me to this recipe!!