Description
A rich, moist fall dessert made with yellow cake mix, pumpkin purée, and warm spices, then finished with a sweet vanilla glaze that soaks into every bite. It’s gooey, tender, and bursting with autumn flavor.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (ignore box directions)
⅔ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
4–6 tbsp milk (adjust for thickness)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven: Set to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Mix batter: In a bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until smooth.
Bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 35–45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
Poke holes: While still hot, poke holes all over the cake with a fork or skewer.
Make glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, vanilla, and 4 tbsp milk until smooth. Add more milk, 1 tbsp at a time, if needed for a pourable consistency.
Glaze warm cake: Pour glaze evenly over the hot cake, spreading gently to fill the holes. Let cool 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Ignore box directions — use only the dry cake mix.
Bake just until done for a moist, gooey texture.
Always glaze the cake while warm for best absorption.
Room-temperature eggs blend more evenly into the batter.
Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American / Fall
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (1/12 recipe)
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 42 g
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
Keywords: pumpkin honey bun cake, easy fall dessert, glazed pumpkin cake, one pan thanksgiving dessert, moist pumpkin cake with glaze