Pumpkin Crunch Cake, an easy homemade layered pumpkin cake recipe with cream cheese frosting and a crunch topping. This tasty fall dessert is perfect for a party or holidays and can feed a crowd!
Can’t go wrong with pumpkin anything and everything in the fall, right? Although I personally love it year-round, this Pumpkin Crunch Cake is perfect this time of year. This from scratch cake recipe is loosely based on my popular Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes and Butter Crunch Cake. However, this layered pumpkin cake is made in 13×9-inch pans and can feed a crowd! Don’t worry though, I’ll give you tips for making a smaller version as well if it’s too much cake for you.
Since it’s now September, my brain is on all things fall. Although half of me is holding onto summer as long as I can. I can’t get enough pumpkin (and apple…) this time of year. Although I really could, and do, eat pumpkin year-round, there’s just something about eating pumpkin food this time of year.
This cake is a bit of work but not bad. This No-Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake is an easy alternative.
This Pumpkin Crunch Cake is a BIG cake. A layered 13×9-inch cake to be exact, so it feeds a lot of people. If you don’t need a cake that big, I have some tips below how to make a smaller version. This cake would be a fun fall birthday cake (or so would my tasty Chocolate Brownie Cake if chocolate is more your thing).
I used this pumpkin cake for a “surprise” back-to-school cake for my son. You may have seen the video on Facebook (it’s also below). I stuffed it (after baking…) with some back-to-school supplies and a poem but you don’t have to stuff it with anything.
This recipe really has three parts: pumpkin cake, cream cheese frosting, and crunch topping. While your cake is baking you can save yourself some time and make the crunch topping and cream cheese frosting.
Ready to get baking?
The first thing to do is to make the pumpkin cake layers…
Pumpkin Crunch Cake Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Pumpkin (unsweetened canned), NOT pumpkin pie filling
- Milk
How to Make Pumpkin Crunch Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 13×9-inch baking pans, line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper.
- Mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, then pumpkin.
- Alternate beating in the milk and dry ingredients to the batter.
- Pour batter evenly between two prepared baking pans and spread to form an even layer in both.
- Bake the cakes for about 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.
(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)
Once your cake is in the oven, prepare your crunch topping…
Pumpkin Crunch Dessert Topping Ingredients
- Flour
- Nuts (unsalted, like pecans or walnuts)
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- Salt
- Butter
How to Make Crunch Topping
- Meanwhile, mix together flour, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl for crunch topping. Cut in butter with pastry blender or knives until mixture is crumbly. Spread out on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (or aluminum foil).
- Bake crunch topping at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, or until desired crunchiness. Cool completely.
(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)
Don’t worry if the topping looks a little “wet” for a while as the butter melts. Just keep stirring and it will start to crisp up.
If Cream Cheese Frosting isn’t quite your thing you might like this Marshmallow Frosting instead.
Once the cake and crunch topping are cooled, make the frosting…
Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Powdered Sugar
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- For frosting, beat together cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in salt and vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency.
(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)
How to Assemble Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Now that you have the three parts…
Once cakes are completely cooled, lift one layer out and place on large serving platter. Top with some frosting and about half of the (cooled) crunch topping. Place the second cake layer on top, frost on top and sides of cake and top with remaining crunch topping.
If you’ve lined the pans with parchment paper as I suggested, you should be able to lift the cake layers right out and flip over onto your platter then peel off the paper before frosting.
If not serving right away, store the cake in the refrigerator.
Pumpkin Crunch Cake Serving Suggestions
- I would suggest cutting the cake into small squares or you can even do slices.
- You can serve this cake cold or at room temperature. Personal preference.
- The cake is delicious as-is, but of course, ice cream and cake always go so well together. Vanilla, Maple, or even Pumpkin ice cream would be great.
- To make this pumpkin cake a bit more gourmet a homemade cranberry sauce drizzled on the plate would also be a fun idea.
- You can decorate the cake using the cream cheese frosting and a pastry bag and desired tip(s).
Quick Tips for Best Results
- Use two 13×9-inch baking pans and bake both at the same time if you can for best results. Or cut the recipe in half and just do one layer.
- Lightly grease and line the pans with parchment paper. This will help you lift the cakes out of the pans quickly and easily.
- Be patient with the crunch topping. It may look a little strange at first and wet with melted butter, but keep stirring every few minutes and it will go from a bit of a wet mess to crunchy.
- Be sure to use unsweetened canned pumpkin for this recipe, NOT canned pumpkin pie filling.
- For the frosting, be sure to soften the butter and cream cheese to room temperature to prevent a lumpy frosting.
Pumpkin Crunch Cake FAQ
How should I store this Pumpkin Crunch Cake?
Because of the cream cheese frosting, I would store this cake covered in the refrigerator. You can serve it cold or take it out for a little while and serve at room temperature.
Can I freeze the Pumpkin Crunch Cake?
Yes, but the cream cheese frosting may have a different consistency after being frozen. I haven’t tried freezing this particular cake so can’t say for sure. I would suggest freezing the cake (well wrapped) and the crunch topping (in an airtight container or resealable bag), then make the frosting and assemble the cake before serving.
How long will the Pumpkin Crunch Cake last?
It will last at least 3-4 days in the fridge if not longer.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling?
No, please do not. Canned pumpkin pie filling is quite different than canned unsweetened pumpkin. If you substitute it for the unsweetened version your results will be quite different.
Can I use low-fat cream cheese?
You can, BUT your frosting may be quite a bit thinner and different consistency.
What else can I add to this recipe?
You could add mini chocolate chips to the cake batter or the top of the cake. Use your favorite nuts in the topping such as pecans or walnuts.
I don’t have two 13×9-inch pans, what should I do?
You can bake one layer, cool the pan, clean it, then bake the other layer. Or you could also cut the recipe in half and just bake one layer along with half the frosting and half of crunch topping.
My cream cheese frosting is lumpy. What went wrong??
If your cream cheese and/or butter were not at room temperature and completely softened, you may have lumps. Next time, leave your butter and/or cream cheese on the counter longer.
I can’t use nuts, what should I do?
You can omit the nuts entirely from the crunch topping or you could also try using oats.
Can I make a smaller version of this cake?
If a layered 13×9-inch cake is too much for you, I’d suggest cutting the whole recipe in half and just make a single layer cake. You can also try making into cupcakes or using various size pans but you may need to adjust the baking times.
Other Pumpkin Recipes You May Enjoy
- Pumpkin Dump Cake – fun twist on a “dump” cake with fall flavors.
- Panera Pumpkin Muffin – these copycat muffins have been super popular lately!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – Not the usual overly soft and mushy pumpkin cookies. Give them a try!
- No-Churn Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream – Perfect for this time of year when it’s still warm outside but still want something pumpkin.
- Pumpkin Bread – oh this would make a great gift this fall!
Hope you enjoy this delicious layered Pumpkin Crunch Cake. Tell me in the comments about your favorite fall desserts!
Pumpkin Crunch Cake Video
As I mentioned above, I made this cake for my son before school started (and before he got his wisdom teeth out, yikes). He was a bit bummed about both school and the surgery so thought I’d try to cheer him up. Here’s what happened…
If you’re looking for more delicious cake recipes check out my popular Cannoli Cake or Lemon Loaf Cake! Or you may also like this delicious Pumpkin Cannoli recipe. Happy baking!
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
Crunch Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts (not salted)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened (3 - 8 ounce packages)
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 13x9-inch baking pans, line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper.
- Mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, then pumpkin.
- Alternate beating in the milk and dry ingredients to the batter.
- Pour batter evenly between two prepared baking pans and spread to form an even layer in both.
- Bake the cakes for about 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Crunch Topping
- Meanwhile, mix together flour, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl for crunch topping. Cut in butter with pastry blender or knives until mixture is crumbly. Spread out on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat (or aluminum foil).
- Bake crunch topping at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, or until desired crunchiness. Cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- For frosting, beat together cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in salt and vanilla. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency.
Assembly
- Once cakes are completely cooled, lift one layer out and place on large serving platter. Top with some frosting and about half of the crunch topping. Place second cake layer on top, frost on top and sides of cake and top with remaining crunch topping.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Dorothy Reinhold says
This is my kind of cake!! Love the pumpkin. Love the frosting, because who doesn’t love cream cheese? But the best part for me is that crunch coat! My goodness that looks good.
Robin Daumit says
Great autumn flavors in this cake but what creative assembly you do! Brilliant!!
Beth says
I skimmed over the part to make this delicious cake smaller as I think pumpkin cake should always be huge! Pretty sure I will not need to keep it refrigerated for 3-4 days because it will not last that long in my home!
Chris Collins says
This pumpkin crunch cake looks beyond delicious! Can’t wait to try out the recipe!!
Noelle says
So happy its pumpkin season again! Cant wait to make this all fall long
Andrea says
This is one huge delicious looking cake. I can see having this at Thanksgiving for the whole family to enjoy.
susan | the wimpy vegetarian says
I love how you got the crunch – I’d like to use that idea on other things too. But mostly with this cake :-) We live in the mountains, and the weather is cooling off already, which gets me in the mood for anything pumpkin + cream cheese icing.