Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Step 1 — Preheat and Prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) with rack in the middle position. Grease a 9×13 inch (23×33cm) light-colored aluminum baking pan with non-stick spray or softened butter, coating bottom and all four sides. Do not line with parchment.
- Step 2 — Make the Pumpkin Filling: Add pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, room-temperature eggs, packed light brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, pure vanilla extract, and fine sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk for 60–90 seconds until completely smooth, uniform in color, and no streaks of egg white remain. Pour into prepared pan and spread to all four corners with a spatula.
- Step 3 — Add the Cake Mix Layer: Pour the full box of yellow cake mix evenly over the pumpkin filling. Do not stir. Spread into a flat, even layer covering the filling completely from edge to edge. Break up any lumps with clean fingers.
- Step 4 — Add Pecan Streusel Topping: Scatter roughly chopped pecan halves evenly across the cake mix layer. Distribute ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar evenly over the pecans and cake mix.
- Step 5 — Drizzle the Butter: Pour melted unsalted butter slowly in a deliberate grid pattern across the full surface — left to right, front to back — ensuring complete, even coverage. Do not pour all butter into one spot. Redirect any large dry white patches with a spoon before the pan goes in.
- Step 6 — Bake: Place pan on middle rack and bake uncovered at 350°F (175°C) for 45–55 minutes. Start checking at 45 minutes. The cake is done when the topping is deep golden brown, pecan pieces look toasted, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pumpkin layer returns moist crumbs — not wet filling. Do not open the oven door before 45 minutes.
- Step 7 — Cool and Serve: Cool in the pan on a wire rack for a minimum of 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm with piped whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and cream sauce. For cleanest slices, refrigerate 30 minutes after initial cooling and wipe knife clean between cuts.
Notes
Pure pumpkin only — pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced and will make this filling oversweetened and over-spiced. Read the label before opening.
Evaporated milk is not sweetened condensed milk — use full-fat evaporated milk only or the filling will not set correctly.
Yellow cake mix recommended — spice cake mix creates flavor collision with the spiced filling. If using spice cake mix reduce filling spice to 1 tsp.
Weigh butter before melting — 113g is exactly one stick. Eyeballing melted butter in a cup gives excess which makes topping greasy.
Toast pecans first for deeper flavor — 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C) on a dry pan before chopping.
Pan size matters — 9×13 inch (23×33cm) only. Smaller pan = thicker filling = underbaked center.
Dark pans overbrown the bottom — use light-colored aluminum. Glass or ceramic: reduce temp by 25°F (15°C).
Refrigerate leftovers — egg and milk filling is perishable. Room temperature maximum 2 days in cool dry conditions.
Freeze baked slices individually wrapped up to 2 months — thaw overnight in fridge, reheat at 325°F (165°C) for 10–12 minutes.
Freeze unbaked: not recommended — liquid pumpkin filling separates on thawing and cake mix absorbs moisture. Freeze baked slices only.
Scaling — double into two separate 9×13 pans. No leavening in this recipe so no non-linear scaling concern.
Make ahead: bake up to 2 days ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap pressed to surface, refrigerate. Reheat slices uncovered at 325°F (165°C) for 8–10 min.
High altitude bakers — reduce oven temp by 15°F (8°C) and begin checking at 40 minutes.
Allergens — contains wheat (cake mix), dairy (butter, evaporated milk), eggs, tree nuts (pecans).