marilynpeight
This pumpkin pie cake recipe is another winning recipe I found in my grandmother’s Amish recipe collection. Unlike popular opinion, the old order Amish community (a branch of Lancaster Amish) that we grew up in did use cake mixes and cream of soups on occasion, however most baked goods and meals were made from scratch. This pumpkin pie cake combines the flavors of pumpkin pie with a simple cake mix base and pecan crumb topping for a memorable fall dessert that is much easier to make than pumpkin pie, but has all those pumpkin pie flavors we love! If you love pumpkin desserts be sure to check out the list of pumpkin recipes below.
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Pumpkin Pie Cake from Gramma’s Amish Recipe Collection
Equipment
- 9 by 13 inch baking dish (linked below)
- Mixing bowls (linked below)
- Whisk (linked below)
- Spatula (linked below)
- measuring cups (linked below)
Ingredients
Cake Mix Base:
- 1 15.25 oz. yellow cake mix (divided)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 large egg beaten
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
- 2 15 oz. cans of pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice *see note for substitution
Pecan Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup reserved cake mix
- 1/4 cup cold butter cubed
- 1 cup crushed pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350:
- Measure 1 cup of cake mix and set aside. Combine the remaining cake mix with softened butter and egg, mixing only until moistened and lump free. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling, mixing until well combined.
- Combine the reserved cake mix with 1/4 cup cubed, cold butter, cutting through with your fingers or dinner knives until crumbly. Add the crushed pecans and mix until combined into the crumb topping.
- Press the cake mix base into the bottom of a well greased of parchment lined 13 by 9 inch baking dish ensuring the cake mix covers the bottom and comes up to the edges of the pan *see note.
- Spread the pumpkin filling evenly over the cake mix base, then sprinkle the pecan crumb topping over top. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until set in the center and the topping is golden. Allow to cool completely at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for several hours before cutting.
Notes
Equipment needed for this Pumpkin Pie Cake:
- 13 by 9 inch baking dish I prefer to use a glass baking dish lined with parchment paper or well greased to make this pumpkin pie cake in. Glass baking dishes makes checking the sides of the cake for doneness much easier.
- Mixing bowls I prefer to use my stainless steel mixing bowls for mixing the different components of this pumpkin pie cake. My stainless steel mixing bowls are light weight and easy to clean!
- Whisk A whisk is needed to combine the pumpkin pie filling ingredients.
- Spatula I like to use a spatula for scraping every last drop out of the bowls. Waste not want not. 🙂
- Measuring cups Measuring cups are needed to get an accurate measurement of the ingredients listed in this pumpkin pie cake recipe.
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Family Pumpkin Favorites:
- Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting
- Amish Pumpkin Custard Pie
- Amish Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Cinnamon Apple Pumpkin Bread
- Amish Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
- Pumpkin Spiced Pancakes
Ingredients needed for this pumpkin pie cake: Yellow cake mix, pumpkin puree, crushed pecans, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, eggs, butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
What can I use instead of Pumpkin Pie Spice?
I definitely recommend using pumpkin pie spice for this pumpkin pie cake, whether homemade or store bought. You can use a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg ginger, all spice and cloves to get pumpkin pie spice, or you can follow this recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice for a more accurate recipe on homemade pumpkin pie spice blend.
Step 1-2: Measure 1 cup of cake mix and set aside. Combine the remaining cake mix with softened butter and egg, mixing only until moistened and lump free. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling, mixing until well combined. Combine the reserved cake mix with 1/4 cup cubed, cold butter, cutting through with your fingers or dinner knives until crumbly. Add the crushed pecans and mix until combined into the crumb topping.
Step 3: Press the cake mix base into the bottom of a well greased of parchment lined 13 by 9 inch baking dish ensuring the cake mix covers the bottom and comes up to the edges of the pan.
Is the Cake Mix Base supposed to be sticky?
According to several other recipes I have found while researching this recipe, the cake mix base is sticky to press into the baking dish. The cake mix base bakes well with the filling on top regardless of its stickiness, but you may wish to flour your palm or fingers before pressing the cake base into the bottom of the baking dish.
Step 4: Spread the pumpkin filling evenly over the cake mix base, then sprinkle the pecan crumb topping over top.
What if my eggs are small, will the pumpkin filling set?
If your eggs are pretty small, it couldn’t hurt to add an extra egg to ensure the pumpkin filling sets. I like to use farm fresh brown eggs which tend to be larger in size than store bought white eggs. If the eggs are smaller than usual, I will eye ball it and either add and extra egg or beat and extra egg and add half of it to the filling.
Step 4 Continued: Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until set in the center and the topping is golden. Allow to cool completely at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for several hours before cutting.
Storage:
This Pumpkin Pie Cake should be kept refrigerated for maximum freshness. I personally have not tried freezing this cake, but I do believe it would freeze similar to pumpkin pie, which freezes well.
Feel free to pin this recipe for later and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with a photo of your own creation of this pumpkin pie cake. Thank you for your support!
