This pumpkin cake with a cake mix is the easiest way to make a pumpkin cake starting with a yellow cake mix! It’s great baked as a 9×13 pan, 10 inch bunt, or round cake. Top it with your favorite cream cheese frosting and you’ve got a killer pumpkin dessert!
This pumpkin cake tastes homemade and no one will ever guess that it started with a yellow cake box mix from the store. It’s a perfectly seasoned, moist, flavorful pumpkin cake. I recommend topping it with cream cheese frosting for the best combination ever!
Fall is such a beautiful time of year. The weather starts to cool down and the leaves start to change their colors. I love fall, and honestly the only reason I ever hesitate picking it as my favorite season of the year is because the start of fall means we are one step closer to winter starting.
Although I do love the holiday season, I don’t love the cold and how much snow we get here in Utah.
Nevertheless, I’ve decided to make the best of the fall season while its here, and made a fall bucket list. With some fall favorites like visiting a pumpkin patch. Our favorite place to go also includes a corn maze, hayride, and apple cider donuts – that’s a killer combo if I do say so myself.
What are your favorite fall activities?
Fall to me also means that its time for all the fall desserts – apple and pumpkin are on a repeat over here. Homemade pumpkin cake is a must make for me these days, with a moist cake base and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting, of course!
Now, my usually pumpkin cake recipe, isn’t a hard one to make, but I know sometimes people get intimidated by making cakes from scratch. This pumpkin cake takes it one step further for you on the easiness scale – and starts with a cake mix. This cake literally couldn’t be easier to make.
Ingredients Needed:
- dry yellow cake mix – this is the bulk of the recipe. This keeps you from needing flour, baking soda, salt, etc. You can also substitute a white cake mix, or a spice cake mix, if desired. Leave out the pumpkin pie spice if you don’t want to strong of a flavor.
- granulated sugar – this adds just a little extra sweetness since we are adding extra ingredients, it can be skipped
- vegetable oil – this adds more moisture to the cake.
- water – this adds moisture the cake. You can also substitute milk, if desired.
- large eggs – these will hold your cake ingredients together, give it moisture, and help give the cake a little lift.
- pumpkin puree – this gives the cake moisture, and the best pumpkin flavor. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling as that has other ingredients mixed in, and not just pumpkin.
- pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon – these add flavor and seasoning to the cake, giving it that true fall flavor.
How to make a pumpkin cake with cake mix?
This cake starts with a dry yellow cake mix. You’ll add in oil, water, and eggs, like you would with a normal cake mix, but the amounts are a little different. Then you’ll also add in pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), a little sugar, and cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to give the cake the full pumpkin flavor.
You’ll bake it up just like you would if you were making the cake mix according to the package. Top if with your favorite frosting, I recommend cream cheese frosting – because it pairs perfectly with pumpkin and voila.
A delicious pumpkin cake, and no one will ever know that it started with a cake mix.
This pumpkin cake is so easy to make, and can be whipped up in just minutes. It’s the perfect fall dessert, and might just become your new favorite!
Take this delicious cake to a fall party, or have some friends over for dinner. Every one will be impressed by your delicious cake and will never guess that it all started with a yellow cake mix from a box.
Looking for more easy Pumpkin Recipes?
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Pumpkin Cake with a Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 large eggs
- 15 oz pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together the cake mix, sugar, oil, water, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon.
- Stir for 2 minutes until the batter is super smooth.
- Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- For a 9x13 pan, bake for 25-30 minutes
- For a 10inch bundt cake, bake for 30-40 minutes
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Top with powdered sugar, vanilla icing, or cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition
Sheila J says
Just wondering since I bake a cake and not often I use the sugar free cake mix for my husband. Wondering if the sugar free cake mix would be ok to use instead of a regular box of cake mix. This recipe sounds and looks so delicious. Enjoy reading about all your wonderful recipes. Thank you so much Sheila J
Aimee says
I assume it would work, but haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you try it!
Marcel says
Has anyone made cupcakes?
Faye says
It’s probably me just not seeing it (right in front of my face lol) but can I ask what the baking time is for two rounds? (I’m another lover of that extra layer of icing)! 🙂 Thanks ! (again, apologies if it’s there and I’m just missing it ……
Aimee says
Still bake the cakes at 350 F, probably 30-40 minutes, maybe longer if you’re using 8inch rounds. Let me know if you try it.
Marilyn says
Can I use a lemon cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix with the pumpkin crisp?
Aimee says
If you like the flavor of pumpkin and lemon together, then it should work great!
Shirley says
Could you use spice cake mix, instead of yellow cake mix?
Aimee says
Yes you can, cut the pumpkin spice and cinnamon if you don’t want it strong.
Gail blackhurst says
Okay, I thought why the sugar, etc. I decided to completely trust you, and follow your recipe!! OMG!! This is delicious!! I did two 9 inch pans, just because I love all the icing between the layers. It is my official go to recipe. Thank you!!!
Aimee says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it!
Cindy says
Wonderful recipe. We love it.thank you
Tweazee says
I dont want to use eggs or oil.
Can I substitute more canned pumpkin 1/4c for each egg, 1/2c for oil,
What is the water for? more moisture?
What is the sugar for? would the cake mix be sweet enought?
Aimee says
It sounds like you don’t want to make our recipe at all, so I’m thinking you’ll have better luck looking for another recipe. Cakes need eggs for lift, or it will be very dense. You can substitute some of the oil for more pumpkin, or applesauce, but I usually just do half. The water is for moisture. You can probably skip the additional sugar, but I haven’t tried it.
KathrynNotKathy says
Absolutely delicious! A huge hit with my family! I used applesauce in place of the oil but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Carol Daniell says
Easy as can be, very very moist and tasty. I made it today, and I’ve had THREE pieces, I love it that much!
Aimee says
So glad you love it so much Carol! It’s a favorite here too!
Scherri says
Couldn’t you use a spice cake mix and get same results without using the spices? I hate pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice! Trying to find an alternative for my family to still have pumpkin!
Aimee says
I haven’t tried it, but it should work!
Carol Daniell says
I tried a recipe with spice cake mix, and I just ddn’t like it that much. I used a Duncan Hines yellow extra moist mix. (Not the one with pudding in the mix.) It was really good!
Andrea says
Well, it didn’t work so well for me. The texture was way off; maybe it was the yellow cake I used. I’ll try again with a different one. Love the idea!
Aimee says
Sorry it didn’t work for you! What cake mix did you use? And what was your texture like?
KathrynNotKathy says
We used Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix and Libby’s pumpkin. Turned out fantastic. I stick with the Libby’s pumpkin; I have been disappointed with other brands.
Barbara Carroll says
Baked.this today. I added 1/2 cup chopped pecans. This is an excellent recipe. I used a Bundt pan & it took 45 minutes. My husband enjoyed it very much. I will surly use to hs recipe again. Thanks for his recipe!!
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Aimee says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it!
Kassandra says
Wonderful delicious fall pumpkin bread!
In Canada here so I used about 1.5 cups with a tablespoon on pumpkin. It’s half of a 796ml can.
For oil I used melted butter and I used milk instead of water. Poured into 4 small loaf pans, about 30 min.
Perfect to give to each family unit tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Thank you so much!!
Aimee says
So glad you loved it! And hope your family does too! Happy Thanksgiving!