If you love pumpkin and fall-flavored desserts, wait until you try this homemade gluten-free pumpkin dump cake recipe! This simple pumpkin dump cake is quick and easy to make, and it is a delicious dessert the whole family will love.

(This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.)

You are in for a special treat today. I am so in love with Safeway’s new gluten-free cake mixes that I had to create a special gluten-free fall dessert recipe using it! All of the best and only $2.99 a box! You know how expensive gluten-free can be, and this is an incredible deal on high-quality gluten-free mixes!

If you have been looking for a delicious cake to make this fall, you are going to want to try this easy pumpkin dump cake recipe! I include variations to make this dairy-free and egg-free, so it is easily adapted for many food allergies!

The holidays are going to look very different this year. More people than ever are cooking at home, and Safeway makes it easy to find all of the ingredients you need.

Have you been to your local Safeway lately? It is my favorite place to find great gluten-free foods! Their store brands Open Nature®, Signature SELECT™, Lucerne®, and O Organics® lines mean more affordable foods for everyone and many delicious options! It can help you stick to a budget!

Why this recipe is special:

This recipe is special because you spend less on the ingredients to make it, and the flavor is bursting with pumpkin spice and fall flavors! This cake whips up quickly, making a delicious, family-friendly dessert. Jazzing up boxed gluten-free cake mix is a great cheat that saves you time!

All you need is a gluten-free yellow cake mix and pumpkin pie filling that you make from scratch! This cake lasts up to 3-4 days, or you can freeze the extras so you can enjoy this cake anytime!

You can find the ingredients for this pumpkin dump cake and this delicious vegan, gluten-free almond butter cake!

Photo of the pumpkin dump cake ingredients.

Ingredient notes:

  • One box Open Nature Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix – The box was 14 ounces of dry cake mix.
  • One can pumpkin puree – you can also roast your own pumpkin. Safeway also sells great pie pumpkins for roasting!
  • Butter – if you are dairy-free, you can use vegan butter or coconut oil
  • Pecans – you can also use walnuts or another nut
  • Brown sugar – dark or light sugar will work beautifully for the topping.
  • Lucern Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream – this creamy whipped cream has just the right amount of pumpkin spice!
  • Evaporated milk – use coconut evaporated milk if you are dairy-free.
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Step-by-step recipe directions:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Add the wet ingredients to a bowl and mix well.

Step 2: Pour the wet ingredients into a greased 9×13 baking pan. This pumpkin mixture should spread on its own, but if it doesn’t, use a spoon to ensure it is evenly distributed.

Options for the Topping:

Use a food processor to mix the butter, seasonings, and cake mix, as mentioned by the reader below, or make it the traditional way by sprinkling the cake mix as I did.

I made your Pumpkin Dump Cake today, testing it out for American Thanksgiving. Turned our great. My only modification was to throw the cake mix, topping spices, and better in my food processor and grind it up into find crumbs before I sprinkled. I did this because I’ve had not the greatest luck in the past with dump cakes, with the melted or pats of butter, with having a bit of dry mix left on top. I sprinkled the pecans on top of that. Seemed to work out great!

Marjorie B., Facebook comment

Step 3: Sprinkle the gluten-free cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Try to spread it evenly, but it is okay if it isn’t perfect.

Step 4: Next, sprinkle the brown sugar over the cake mix. Spread the pecans over the brown sugar.

Step 5: Drizzle the melted butter over the cake. (One reader cut the butter into small slices and covered the top of her cake. She felt it was easier to distribute the butter this way. Both ways work.) Bake at 350º F for 30 minutes. You will notice the cake is a little jiggly. The toothpick test will not work to test if the cake is done.

You are looking for a golden top of the cake. The cake will continue to set as it cools.

A baked pumpkin dump cake in a 9x13 silver baking pan.

Slice and top with Lucerne Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream for a delicious treat!

A slice of pumpkin dump cake next to the whipped cream bottle.

If you love dump cakes, try this Gluten Free Apple Dump Cake recipe too!

Expert tips and recipe FAQ:

Can you use a homemade cake mix in this recipe?

You can definitely use a favorite gluten-free cake mix to make this recipe.

Can you make this egg-free?

You can easily make this recipe egg-free by substituting ⅓ cup applesauce and 3 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.

Can you make this dump cake dairy-free?

You can easily make this gluten-free dump cake dairy-free by substituting the butter for vegan butter.

How long will this cake last?

This cake will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze it for 4 months.

More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes:

A slice of gluten free pumpkin dump cake on a plate.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this delicious pumpkin pecan dump cake recipe! Drop me a comment to let me know how it tastes!

Reader Review:

This is super easy and I used coconut evaporated milk and smart balance dairy free butter.

Leigh Anne, Pinterest User
A slice of gluten free pumpkin dump cake with pumpkin spice whipped cream.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Dump Cake

Sandi Gaertner
A delicious creamy gluten free pumpkin dump cake that is perfect for fall. There is also a dairy free option.
4.99 from 57 votes
gluten free allergy icon
soy free allergy icon
vegetarian icon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Gluten Free Cake Recipes, Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 405 kcal

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Equipment

  • 9×13 pan
  • Mixing bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box gluten free cake mix 14 ounce box, vanilla flavor
  • 15 ounces pumpkin puree
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk *see note
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For Topping

  • 1 cup butter *see note
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350º F.
  • In a large bowl, add the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Mix well with a whisk.
  • Pour the pumpkin mixture into a greased 9×13 baking pan.
  • Sprinkle the vanilla gluten free cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Try to spread it out gently to make it even.
  • In a small bowl, add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix. Sprinkle it over the cake mix.
  • Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the sugar cinnamon mix.
  • Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the cake. Be sure to cover as much area as you can. You can use a spoon to gently swirl the cake topping and butter a bit if you like. You can also cut the butter into small slices and lay them over the cake mix topping and cover the cake this way. (A reader suggested this may be easier to cover the top of the cake better.)
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cake is done. This cake will not be a firm cake so some jiggling is okay. It will continue to set as it cools.

Video

Notes

  1. I highly recommend using a gluten free vanilla flavored cake mix.
  2. To make this dairy-free, use coconut evaporated milk (available via many grocery stores or Amazon) and vegan butter for the drizzling over the top.
  3. Allow cooling completely as this cake will finish setting as it cools.
  4. Top with whipped cream, ice cream, or enjoy plain!
  5. This cake will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 405kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 5gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 365mgPotassium: 259mgFiber: 2gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 4605IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 124mgIron: 2mg
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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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Recipe Rating




47 Comments

  1. I made this cake yesterday and kept in fridge overnight. It’s very good but very hard to cut chilled. It wasn’t hard to cut at room temp. Can you leave it out of fridge in an airtight container or does it have to be refrigerated?

    1. Hi Stacey, you could warm the cake in the oven…I wouldn’t leave this out on the counter in the warm summer month, but it should be okay for one night. Gluten free tends to spoil a lot quicker because there are so few additives.

  2. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious! I made it for church potblessing. Everyone, including non-gluten-freers, loved it. So much they have asked me to make it for the next potblessing. I didn’t have evaporated milk, so I used sweetened, condensed coconut milk and cut out 1/2 c of sugar. Tasted great! I used the solid part of the coconut milk (another can of coconut milk) and mixed honey, vanilla, and pumpkin spice and whipped it. Great topping!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this cake this morning, so we could have it for dessert tonight. My granddaughter came over after school and asked if she could taste it. She wound up having a huge bowl! Then my husband came in, saw her eating it, and he had a huge bowl, too! They both loved it! I am the only one who has to eat gluten free in my house, and it always amazes me when they love something gluten free! Thanks for this incredibly delicious recipe! The three of us ate almost half of it by the time we were finished with dinner. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

  4. Do you know of a gluten free cake mix that does not have sugar as the first ingredient? Wanted to try this but there is way too much sugar for us.

  5. 5 stars
    This is a wonderful cake. Everyone loved it! Does it make a difference what kind of pan you bake it in? My friend used a glass baking dish and it didn’t set up. I used a non stick baking dish.

  6. 5 stars
    This turned out absolutely perfect and was delicious. I’m always skeptical about gluten-free recipes but my mother needs them so we always try something different.
    The only thing I did different is when I make dump cakes a grate the butter and then keep it in the freezer till it’s ready to go, and it spreads so evenly over the cake itself.