If you are a baking purist, turn away RIGHT NOW! Or, better yet, go here and make this super moist, pumpkin bundt cake.

For those who are still with me, perhaps you are like me. You are the type of baker who can enjoy tedious culinary projects ( like hand-rolling dozens of paper thin sheets of homemade phyllo dough) but you also appreciate dessert recipes that include boxed cake mixes.

Some refer to cake recipes that include boxed pudding and cake mixes as cheater cakes. My childhood friend’s mother used to call her favorite chocolate bundt cake a “trash cake” as it was a doctored up Devil’s food chocolate cake mix. This pumpkin cake would also fit under the umbrella of “dump cake” since you basically dump everything into the pan you bake it in requiring very little finesse. The main selling point, no matter what you call recipes anchored by a boxed mix, is that they are easy, require little baking experience, and are often very well received.

When I first found the recipe that inspired this cake, it was titled “No Fail Pumpkin Cake.” The feature article, found in a small local magazine distributed in northern Indiana, promised an alternative to pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving that avoids the difficult task of making pie crust.

I don’t find pie crust all that fussy and would never want this cake as a replacement to my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. But, I will consider it a strong addition to my repertoire of fall desserts when I need a quick crowd pleaser. I adjusted the original recipe to my liking, most notably altering the original heath bar topping in favor of Dutch spice cookies (also called windmill cookies or Speculaas).

The yellow cake mix is sprinkled on top of a a wet spiced pumpkin mixture before topping with crumble and baking. In the oven, the layers combine creating a soft, gooey, pumpkin-y layer. The crunchy cookies and pecans add a needed crunch juxtaposed with the cake.

Though I usually think baked goods are best the day they come out of the oven, we thought that this easy pumpkin cake tasted best the next day. Consider making it ahead and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Pumpkin Cake with Spiced Cookie Pecan Crumble

(a.k.a. Pumpkin Dump Cake, No Fail Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Trash Cake, Pumpkin Cheater Cake)

1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz.) not pumpkin pie filling!
1 can evaporated milk (10 oz)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups chopped Dutch Spice Cookies (windmill cookies or Speculaas. Ginger snaps would also be good)
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Mix with a whisk until combined. Pour into the pan.

Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix over top of the pumpkin mixture directly in the pan.

Sprinkle the pecans and cookies on top of the cake mix.

Drizzle melted butter over the top of the crumble topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until the center is set and edges are brown. Serve at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.

Play around with alternate toppings!
Try crumbled heath bar, graham crackers, coconut flakes, or ginger snaps.