Easy Pumpkin Praline Cake
Pumpkin praline cake is a go to dessert recipe all fall and holiday season long. A rich pumpkin custard layer gets topped with spice cake, chopped nuts, and butter for an easy, festive alternative to pumpkin pie. Perfect for Thanksgiving!
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Let’s talk pumpkin desserts, shall we?
Pumpkin pie gets all the love, but pumpkin cakes get sadly overlooked because everyone wants that custardy pumpkin filling.
Look, I love it too, ok?
But this pumpkin praline cake has a pumpkin pie-like custard layer!
And instead of a pie crust it has a buttery layer of chopped nuts and spice cake mix on top of the custard layer.
It’s like upside down pie and it is absolutely amazing.
Cinnamony, full of pumpkin spice and just so very cozy.
Everything a fall dessert should be!
Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies
Here’s what you’ll need to make pumpkin praline cake:
- Pumpkin Puree – You want to avoid the pumpkin pie mix and go for 100% pumpkin.
- Eggs – This helps to hold the cake together.
- Evaporated Milk – You can find cans of this in the baking section of most grocery stores.
- Brown Sugar – I use light brown sugar because I like the background molasses flavor in it, but you can use granulated if you prefer.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – You can purchase pumpkin pie spice or use this recipe to make your own. You can also use homemade apple pie spice which has slightly different spices than the pumpkin pie spice.
- Spice Cake Mix – In a pinch, you can use yellow cake mix, but we recommend your favorite brand or whatever brand you can find of spice cake.
- Nuts – You can use chopped versions of either pecans or walnuts.
- Butter – This helps to add some richness, color, and slight crunch to the cake topping.
You will need a 9×13 baking dish.
You can split it into smaller sizes if you like, but that will affect bake time.
How to Make Pumpkin Praline Cake
1. Prepare the pumpkin custard.
Before doing anything, preheat your oven to 350 degrees (325 if you use a dark or non-stick pan).
Grease or spray bottom and sides of 13×9 inch baking dish to help prevent sticking.
In a medium bowl, beat your pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice with wire whisk until smooth.
Carefully pour into your prepared pan.
2. Top the pumpkin batter.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pumpkin batter to mostly cover the top.
Sprinkle your walnuts or pecans directly on top of the cake mix.
Finally, pour the melted butter evenly over top of the nuts and cake mix.
3. Bake and serve.
Bake the pumpkin praline cake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick or fork inserted in the center comes out clean.
Before serving, allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
You can serve it warm or cool.
When serving, top with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, and caramel as desired.
Serving
Pumpkin praline cake pairs well with:
- vanilla ice cream
- caramel sauce
- whipped cream
- more nuts or roasted cinnamon nuts
- fried apples
- extra cinnamon
You can serve it cool, or you can heat it for a few seconds in the microwave.
Storing
To store, you can place a lid on the baking dish, cover tightly with cling wrap, or cut and place the pieces into small, air tight containers.
You should store the pumpkin praline cake in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days.
It is probably best to avoid freezing the cake, but if you decide to do so, let it thaw in the fridge over night before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Feel free to add additional cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to either the cake mix, pumpkin mix, or both.
- If you don’t have spice cake mix, you can use yellow cake mix. It will have a slightly less cinnamon flavor unless you add in some extra cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice mix. We recommend adding about a tablespoon of cinnamon. If that’s too much for you, you can start with a teaspoon.
- If the top is starting to brown too much, you can cover it loosely with aluminum foil to help prevent it from burning.
- Keep in mind, oven baking times can vary some. You should check it when there is about 5 to 10 minutes left on the bake time to just make sure it does not burn.
Other Pumpkin Recipes to Try
If you are looking for other pumpkin desserts and recipes to try, check out these favorites:
- Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer Recipe
- Pumpkin Spice Cookies
- Italian Style Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Boozy Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Granola
- Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Easy Pumpkin Donuts
- Boozy Pumpkin Spice Buttercream
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Equipment
- 1 9×13 inch baking dish
Ingredients
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (one of the small cans)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk (this is a pretty standard size can)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice divided
- 1 package spice cake mix
- 1.5 cups walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F or 325 if using a nonstick or dark pan.
- Grease or spray the bottom and sides of your 13×9-inch pan.
- In a medium bowl, beat the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, and 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix over top of the pumpkin mixture, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the top with walnuts or pecans before pouring the melted butter evenly over top.
- Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick or fork inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
