Pumpkin spice cake with cake mix is the kind of dessert that tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen, but really only takes a handful of simple ingredients and about 45 minutes start to finish, and it cuts into 12 pieces, plenty for a potluck table. It starts with a boxed spice cake mix and a can of real pumpkin puree, stirred together with eggs until the batter turns thick and fragrant. Once it’s baked through and cooled, a simple cream cheese frosting goes right over the top. It’s what I bake when I need an easy recipe with a box mix that still tastes homemade.
I first made this pumpkin spice cake with cake mix on a Sunday when I was signed up to bring dessert to a potluck at church and, honestly, I did not have the time or the energy to bake something complicated, so I handed the box of spice cake mix to one of my kids and told her to go for it. It took her maybe ten minutes to stir it together and get it in the oven, and by the time we set it out on the dessert table, everyone thought it was made from scratch.
Main Ingredients Needed For Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cake Mix
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Spice cake mix: This is your shortcut to homemade flavor, straight off the baking aisle, same as any boxed cake mix. If you can’t find spice cake mix, swap in a yellow cake mix and stir in two teaspoons of my pumpkin pie spice blend instead.
- Pumpkin puree: Be sure you’re grabbing the can that says 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has other ingredients mixed in that will keep this recipe from working right, so it’s not a swap to make even in a pinch. This is what keeps the cake moist and gives it that real pumpkin flavor.
- Eggs: These give the batter structure so it holds together with a good crumb instead of falling apart.
- Cream cheese: Grab the block style, not the tub, and set it out ahead of time. If it’s still cold when you go to mix it, you’ll end up with little lumps in the frosting no matter how long you beat it.
- Butter: Softened butter blends into the frosting without lumps and adds richness. Set it out on the counter at the same time as the cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar: This is what turns the frosting sweet and gives it that smooth, spreadable texture.
- Vanilla extract: Just a splash rounds out the flavor in the frosting.
- Milk: A little milk thins the frosting to the right consistency for spreading over the cooled cake.
How To Make Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cake Mix
Once everything’s softened and ready to go, this pumpkin spice cake with cake mix comes together in just a few simple steps.
Tip: Don’t rush the cooling part; if the cake is even a little warm, the frosting will melt right off instead of sitting on top.
Easy Ways to Change Up This Spice Cake Mix Dessert
This pumpkin cake using spice cake mix bends easily to what you’ve got on hand.
- If you’re baking for a smaller gathering or want individual servings, you can bake the batter as regular-size cupcakes at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes instead of a full sheet cake. I’ve done this for a fall party that needed individual servings, and they worked just as well as the full cake.
- I’ve also stirred a handful of chocolate chips right into the batter before baking, and it adds a little melty pocket of chocolate in almost every bite without changing anything else about how the recipe comes together.
Make Ahead Tips for Pumpkin Spice Cake
One of the best things about this pumpkin spice cake with cake mix is how well it freezes, which makes it one of my go-to recipes when I know company is coming or when someone in our church family needs a meal brought to them.
- Bake the cake, let it cool completely, then wrap it unfrosted and freeze it for up to two months.
- When you’re ready to use it, thaw it and make the frosting fresh. That way it tastes just as good as the day you baked it, and you’ve already done the hard part ahead of time.
- If you’ve already frosted it, cover it tightly and keep it in the fridge for up to four days. If you’re taking it to a gathering, cover the dish tightly with foil or a lid with a locking seal so it travels without sliding.
Baking Essentials
Questions When Making Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cake Mix
A simple cream cheese frosting is what I use every time. The slight tang balances out the sweetness of the cake, and it pairs naturally with the warm spice flavor without competing with it. It’s also easy to make while the cake cools, so there’s no extra waiting around.
Adding real pumpkin puree to the batter and topping it with a made-from-scratch cream cheese frosting is what does it. Both add moisture and flavor a box mix alone can’t give you, which is why people usually assume this one is made completely from scratch.
Pumpkin Spice Cake With Cake Mix
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 15.25 ounces spice cake mix, boxed (substitute: 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend)
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree, canned, not pumpkin pie filling
- 3 eggs, large
For the Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, block, softened to room temperature, about half a block
- ⅓ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Prepare the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir until smooth and well blended, the batter will be thick.15.25 ounces spice cake mix, 15 ounces pumpkin puree, 3 eggs
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.4 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup salted butter
- Add the powdered sugar gradually, mixing until smooth.2 cups powdered sugar
- Stir in the vanilla extract.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the milk and beat again until the frosting is light and spreadable.1 tablespoon milk
Assemble and Serve
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
- Decorate with fall-themed candies or sprinkles, if desired.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Make Ahead: Bake the cake, cool it completely, then wrap it unfrosted and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw and frost fresh when ready to serve.
- Storage: Once frosted, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Enjoy chilled or at room temperature. For a just-baked feel, warm briefly in the microwave (without frosting) for 15 to 20 seconds, then spread with fresh frosting.
- Freezing: Freeze unfrosted, wrapped individually, in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Substitutions: Yellow cake mix plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend can be used in place of spice cake mix.
- Variations: Bake as regular-size cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 22 minutes instead of a full sheet cake. Chocolate chips can be stirred into the batter before baking.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Hospitality with Pumpkin Spice Cake
This is the dessert I keep in my back pocket for the moments when someone needs a little care and I do not have a lot of extra time to give it, whether that is a potluck at church or a meal I am dropping off for a family going through something hard. There is real comfort in bringing something simple and good, it tells someone I was thinking of them without needing a long explanation. I love building a Farm to Table Fall Night around this cake, with a big pot of rich and creamy pumpkin soup as the main course and this cake waiting on the counter for dessert. Set out a few mason jars with this apple cider mocktail for people to help themselves, and let the evening move at its own pace. When I drop this off for someone instead, I do not dress it up; I just hand over the pan still a little warm from the oven, and that is usually exactly what the day calls for. That is how we love people well, one simple dish at a time.