5 from 15 votes

About Me: I have more than 20 years of cooking experience & share my favorite recipes on this blog.
Have a question? Please post a comment, I’m happy to help. 🙂

This pumpkin crunch cake is perfect for cozy fall baking. A creamy pumpkin layer is topped by fluffy yellow cake and buttery chopped pecans. It comes together in minutes, then bakes up to golden, fluffy, crunchy deliciousness.

Slice of pumpkin crunch cake topped with whipped cream.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Ingredient Notes
How to Make a Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Crunch Cake
How to Store Your Cake
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Get the Recipe

Featured Comment

Very impressed, the flavor was what I wanted in a cake and it was so easy to make. I will definitely make again. The whole family liked it.

– Sharon

12 More Comments

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Easy. It doesn’t get any easier than this cake. Just mix together a few ingredients for the pumpkin layer, sprinkle yellow cake mix on top, then finish things off with chopped pecans and melted butter.
Flavorful. This is one of those desserts that, when people take their first bite, their eyebrows go up and then they real quite as they focus on demolishing their slice.
Creamy and crunchy. I love the contrast of textures. Make sure you get some of each layer on your fork. The creamy pumpkin layer has just the right amount of sweetness and autumn spice, while the cake layer is fluffy and sweet. Crunchy pecans baked in butter top it all off. Put all three layers together and you’ve got yourself a killer pumpkin dessert.
Perfect for fall baking. This cake has all the fall baking vibes. I shared a quick reel on Instagram yesterday showing what digging into a slice looks like.

p.s. If you’re a fan of crunch cakes, be sure to check out my strawberry crunch cake recipe!

Ingredient Notes

Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make this recipe, along with my notes about substitutions etc. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for ingredient amounts.

Pumpkin Puree – Make sure you are using pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. I used Libby’s brand pumpkin puree.
Evaporated milk – You could also use canned coconut milk.
Eggs – Preferably at room temperature.
Sugar – I used white granulated sugar, but you could also use light brown sugar.
Seasonings – Pumpkin pie spice and kosher salt.
Box of yellow cake mix – Make sure you get a box that is 15.25oz. Pillsbury and Duncan Hines both have yellow cake mix with this amount. Don’t sub for white cake mix, it’s not the same thing. (There are more differences than color between yellow vs. white cake mix.)
Cornstarch – We’ll use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to help the pumpkin layer maintain its structure and hold up nicely once your cake is sliced.
Pecans – Chopped and sprinkled on top. You could also use an equal amount of chopped walnuts.
Unsalted butter – Melted.
Whipped cream or ice cream – For serving.

Pumpkin crunch cake in a 9x13 pan with a slice being lifted out.

How to Make a Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Here’s a quick look at how to make this pumpkin crunch cake recipe. It’s so easy! Let’s see how to do it:

Prep your tools. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with PAM, set aside.

Mix the pumpkin batter layer. In a large mixing bowl combine the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin spice, and kosher salt. Add 1/4 cup of the cake mix, the cornstarch, then stir well. Don’t worry if the batter is runny.

Cake mix spread on top of the pumpkin batter.

Sprinkling pecans on top of the cake mix.

Assemble the cake. Pour the pumpkin batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle the rest of the yellow cake mix on top. With the back of a spoon, gently spread out the cake mix and pat it down so that all of the batter is covered.
Add pecans & butter. Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the cake mix layer. Drizzle the butter on top, making an effort to get some butter onto all of the cake mix. If the butter pools in places, use a spoon to scoop some butter out and drizzle on an area of cake mix that is still dry.

Golden pumpkin crunch cake in a 9x13 dish

Bake. This cake bakes for 60-65 minutes or until golden on the top.
Cool. Allow the cake to stand for at least 2 hours before serving. If you try to cut the cake too soon the pumpkin layer will not have had time to firm up.
Serve. Top each slice with whipped cream or ice cream.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Let it cool. As mentioned above, you need to give this cake time to cool before slicing. This cooling time allows the pumpkin layer to firm up and will ensure you’re able to get nice clean slices of cake.
Serve warm. You can enjoy this cake warm or cold, but I think it’s best when warm or at room temperature. At this temp the pumpkin layer is so creamy while the cake layer is nice and fluffy. If I’m taking a slice out of the fridge I usually let it come to room temperature, or I zap it in the microwave for about 15 seconds before digging in. If you go this route, make sure you don’t get it too warm!

Slice of pumpkin crunch cake with whipped cream and a fork

How to Store Your Cake

Let your pumpkin crunch cake come to room temperature, then cover with saran wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also cut it into slices and transfer them to an airtight container.

More Pumpkin Recipes to Try

Filed Under: