Keto Pumpkin Dump Cake
Published December 17, 2022 • Updated March 14, 2026
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I make this pumpkin dump cake every fall, and it separates into three layers as it bakes: a creamy pumpkin custard base, a spongy cake middle, and a crunchy pecan streusel on top. Just dump everything into one dish and let the oven do the work.
I started making this keto pumpkin dump cake a few years ago, and it’s the fall dessert I come back to every year. The thing that sets it apart is what happens in the oven: the batter separates into three distinct layers on its own. A creamy pumpkin custard on the bottom, spongy cake in the middle, and crunchy pecan streusel on top. No careful layering, no special technique. It just does it.
The whole thing comes together in about 10 minutes of hands-on work. I mix the pumpkin filling in a separate bowl (don’t try to do it directly in the baking dish or you’ll mess up the parchment lining), pour it in, sprinkle the cake mix over the top, drizzle with melted butter, and scatter pecans. That’s the entire process. No mixer, no sifting, no careful folding.
What I’ve figured out after making this more times than I can count is that bake time matters more than anything else. My oven runs about 41 minutes for a 9×13 dish. I’ve had readers land closer to 43, and both are in the sweet spot. You want the top spongy but not jiggly when you move the pan. If the pecans start getting too dark before the center sets, tent it with foil and keep going. A square baking dish takes longer (closer to 50-60 minutes) because the batter is thicker, but you get taller, more pronounced layers.
The pumpkin layer goes almost custard-y underneath the streusel, and I think that’s what hooks people. It’s not a traditional pie texture and it’s not quite cake. It’s somewhere in between, almost like a pumpkin pudding with a crunch on top. One reader brought this to Thanksgiving and had three people ask for the recipe before dessert was over. Another has made it five times this winter and settled on 43 minutes as his perfect bake time. That kind of repeat-making is what tells me a recipe actually works.
If you’re into pumpkin desserts, I’ve got a whole lineup. My pumpkin cheesecake is richer and denser, the pumpkin cream cheese muffins are great for individual servings, and the pumpkin mug cake is my go-to when I want something in under 5 minutes. For something in the cobbler family, my peach cobbler uses a similar dump-and-bake method.
I serve this warm with a big scoop of whipped cream or a drizzle of cream cheese frosting. It’s the kind of low carb dessert that people who aren’t even watching carbs ask about.
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Ingredients
15 oz can pumpkin puree -
1/2 cup heavy cream
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1/2 cup nut milk
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5 eggs
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1/2 cup sugar-free sweetener
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1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
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1 (10.6oz) package Duncan Hines Keto Cake Mix
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3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
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1 cup chopped pecans
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare baking dish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray cooking oil into either a square baking dish or a 9×13 baking dish and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
Make pumpkin pie filling
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, heavy cream, nut milk, eggs, sweetener and pumpkin pie spice. Pour into prepared baking dish.
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup nut milk
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar free sweetener
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Dump the cake mix
Evenly sprinkle cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture.
- 1 box keto cake mix
Streusel topping
Drizzle melted butter on top of cake mix and top with chopped pecans.
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Bake
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes if using a 9×13 rectangle baking dish or 50-60 minutes if using a square baking dish or until cake is spongy on top but not jiggly when you move it. Remove from the oven. Let cool for a few minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called a dump cake?
You literally dump the ingredients into the pan without mixing them together the traditional way. I pour the pumpkin filling in, sprinkle the dry cake mix on top, drizzle butter over everything, and add pecans. No separate bowls for wet and dry, no folding, no stand mixer. The oven does the combining for you.
Can I use all heavy cream instead of nut milk?
Yes, and I've done it. Use a full cup of heavy cream and skip the nut milk entirely. The filling comes out slightly richer and denser, which I actually prefer. I wouldn't go all nut milk though. If you need a dairy-free option, use all coconut cream instead.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I haven't tested a fully dairy-free version myself, but the swap is straightforward. Use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream and melted coconut oil instead of butter. The coconut oil won't soak into the cake mix quite the same way, so expect a slightly different streusel texture on top. I'd start there and see how your oven handles it.
Which sweetener works best in this recipe?
I use a sweetener that measures cup-for-cup with regular sugar (I reach for King Arthur baking sugar alternative). My readers have tested several and reported back: Swerve Granular, Lakanto monk fruit, and allulose all work. If I had to pick a favorite for baking, I'd go with allulose because it browns more naturally and doesn't have any cooling aftertaste.
Can I use walnuts instead of pecans?
I've only tested it with pecans, but walnuts would work fine on top. They toast a little faster than pecans, so keep an eye on them after the 30-minute mark and tent with foil if they're getting too dark. I'd chop them to about the same size as you would pecans.
How do I know when it's done baking?
Press the top gently. It should feel spongy and spring back, not wet or jiggly. My oven consistently finishes this around 41 minutes in a 9x13 dish, though I've had readers who hit their sweet spot at 43 minutes. If the center still moves when you nudge the pan, give it another 5 minutes. The pecans looking golden is not your done signal because they finish before the pumpkin layer sets.
What if I can't find a keto cake mix?
I've only tested this with boxed cake mixes (King Arthur and Pillsbury both work), not a from-scratch version. That said, if you want to try it, a mix of about 1.5 cups almond flour, 2 tablespoons coconut flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and a pinch of salt should get you in the right range. You'd still sprinkle it dry on top the same way. I plan to test this properly and update the recipe when I do.
Should I use a square pan or a 9x13?
Both work, but they give you different results. My square baking dish (8x8) makes a taller, denser cake with more pronounced layers. It also takes longer, about 50-60 minutes. A 9x13 bakes faster (around 40-45 minutes) and gives you more servings that are thinner and a bit less rich per slice. I've made it both ways and reach for the 9x13 most of the time.
Made this probably five times now, usually I wait until October but the craving hit and here we are in June. Started toasting the pecans in a dry pan before they go on top and it completely changed the streusel layer. Way more depth, almost a caramel-y nuttiness underneath the crunch that I wasn't getting before. Can't go back to the untoasted version.
Seven times and still four stars, because no recipe should make pecan streusel that dangerous.
Seven times earns the four stars. That streusel is the reason I don't halve the butter.
Batch five and three layers still feel like a small miracle every time.
I was out of pecans so I used walnuts instead, and I think I prefer how it turned out. The walnuts have a slightly bitter edge that cuts through the sweetness in a way that works really well with the pumpkin custard layer. One tip: press them down gently into the butter before it goes in the oven so they stick to the streusel instead of rolling off the top. Giving it four stars for now because I want to try the original pecan version before I fully commit to walnuts.
That pressing trick is smart. Walnuts also toast faster than pecans, so check at 30 minutes and tent with foil if they're getting dark before the center sets.
I had this bookmarked since fall and finally made it this weekend figuring pumpkin doesn't care what month it is, and that custard layer at the bottom is legitimately better than every other keto pumpkin dessert I've made.
Pumpkin has no season. That custard layer is the whole reason I keep making this in May too.
Pumpkin desserts felt completely off-limits for three years of keto, which I'd mostly accepted. Last fall I made this twice before Thanksgiving and both times felt like I was getting away with something. The three layers that just happen without any effort on my part (custard on the bottom, streusel on top) genuinely surprised me. My one note is that mine took closer to 55 minutes to set since my oven runs a little cool, so keep an eye on the center before pulling it.
Brought this to a spring dinner party and the three-layer reveal genuinely caught people off guard. Nobody went back for the chocolate mousse once the pecan streusel hit the table. Four stars only because I want to try it in a smaller dish next time to see if that custard base sets up even creamier.
Smaller dish works great for that. My 8x8 takes about 50-55 minutes and the custard comes out noticeably denser. Beating chocolate mousse is a high bar.
Made this in April because my daughter has been on a pumpkin kick out of nowhere, and I was honestly curious if it would still hit outside of fall. The three-layer thing actually works the way the recipe says it will (I was watching through the oven door like a weirdo at the 30-minute mark just to see if it was real), and the pecan streusel on top crisps up in a way that makes the whole thing smell like a bakery. My husband picks nuts off of everything, so he just scraped the top layer to the side and ate around it, but then he came back and quietly took a second piece and didn't say anything, which in our house is basically a standing ovation. My daughter, who has never once expressed an opinion about Thanksgiving dessert, told me she wants this instead of pie in November. Four stars because mine needed closer to 48 minutes in the 9x13 before the center stopped being too jiggly, so I'd keep a closer eye on it than the timer suggests.
Quiet second piece with zero comment about it. That's the whole review. 48 minutes makes sense if your oven runs cool, mine finishes around 41 but I've had readers land at 45-50 in the same 9x13.
The streusel top is everything promised, but the custard took the full 50 minutes to set, not 40. If your oven runs on the cooler side, plan for it. Worth the patience.
50 minutes tracks for me too. Press the top to check - it should spring back, not give.
I had a can of pumpkin sitting in my pantry since fall and finally made this last weekend. Swapped the nut milk for coconut cream because it's what I had, figured the whole thing would fall apart. It didn't. The custard layer came out like a dense pumpkin creme brulee, nothing like what you'd get from just dumping ingredients into a dish and walking away. The pecan streusel on top gets this deep toasted crunch that I kept pulling off the edges before I even cut into it. I've been keto about four months and desserts keep letting me down, but not this one. Already buying more pumpkin.
Coconut cream makes the filling denser than nut milk, richer too. I actually prefer that version. The streusel edge pieces go first here too.
Brought this to Easter dinner and my sister, who treats every keto dish I bring as an opportunity to prove a point, spent five full minutes reading the ingredients after dessert because she was sure the pecan streusel had real sugar in it. That was the only review I needed.
Ha. That streusel fools everyone. The butter and the way the pecans toast make it taste like brown sugar is in there, and I still can't fully explain why it works.
I had never made a dump cake before and the whole concept seemed too simple to actually work. When I pulled it out of the oven and saw that the three layers had actually separated on their own, I just stood there for a second. The custard base had this silky texture I wasn't expecting from something I basically just poured into a pan. Quick question: do you think it would hold up if I made it a day ahead for a gathering?
Yep, it holds up fine. The custard firms up overnight, which I like better. Streusel softens though, so five minutes uncovered at 325 brings the crunch back.
I made this for the first time last weekend and I kept checking the oven because I did not believe the layers were actually going to separate on their own. They did. The pecan top got this crunch I was not expecting and the bottom layer is basically a pumpkin custard (way creamier than I thought it would be from just heavy cream and eggs). Quick question: has anyone tried it with walnut pieces instead of pecans? I have a bag I need to use up.
Walnuts work fine on top. They toast faster than pecans though, so start checking around the 30-minute mark and tent with foil if they're getting too dark.
Made this twice now and the second time my husband actually stood in the kitchen while it was in the oven, which he never does. Something about the way it smells when the pecans toast up and the pumpkin spice gets going. He didn't believe me that it was three layers until he cut into it and watched it pull apart into custard and cake and crunch. He asked me to make it for Easter, so here we are.
Ha, the pecan smell at the 25-minute mark gets everyone. Good call for Easter.
Made this last weekend as a spring reset after a few weeks of looser eating. The three-layer thing actually works: pumpkin custard on the bottom, spongy cake in the middle, pecan streusel on top. The custard is the best part, honestly.nnHeads up on timing: the 40-50 minute window is pretty wide. My 9x13 was still loose at 48; I took it to 58 and it set. If you're using the larger pan, go past 50. The streusel held its crunch through day two, which I wasn't expecting.
Custard as the favorite layer - same. The 58 minutes for a 9x13 is right, I should probably update that note in the recipe. Bigger pan, more center to set.