Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake

September 25, 2024
Want to make a super easy pumpkin cake? Look no further than this Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake! Start with a boxed yellow cake mix, add in some pumpkin and basic cake ingredients, and you're on your way to baking up one very tender and tasty pumpkin cake.

Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Image

Have you ever wondered if you can make pumpkin cake with yellow cake mix? Well, you sure can! 

And it's super easy and super tasty with this Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake recipe. Simply mix together a box of yellow cake mix, canned pumpkin, and some basic cake ingredients and you're on your way to baking up one very tender and tasty cake.

Yes, making a pumpkin cake with yellow cake mix truly is that simple. Seems too good to be true, doesn't it? -- But rest assured, it's not.

Start with a boxed yellow cake mix, add in some pumpkin and basic cake ingredients, and you're on your way to baking up one very tender and tasty pumpkin cake.

I think this easy little cake is our daughter's favorite fall cake. She's never disappointed to see its ingredients on the countertop, or to smell its aroma coming from the oven as it bakes. And we both love that it's so easy to make, that at 11 years old, she can even bake one up on her own.

While our whole family agrees Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake is one very tasty cake, we do not all agree on how to top it.

I, for one, love it best with just a simple dollop of whipped cream perched atop each individual piece. Our daughter and my husband, on the other hand, prefer it slathered with homemade cream cheese frosting. Though they certainly wouldn't pass up a piece with homemade vanilla frosting or caramel cream cheese frosting, though!

But no matter how you choose to top it, Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake is for-sure delicious.

Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake Image

What's to Love About This Recipe?
  • Short ingredient list - No need for a ton of ingredients here! Just 6 simple readily available ingredients, one of which is the yellow cake mix, are all that's needed.  
  • Easy to make - Very little measuring and just a bit of mixing is all it takes to whip up this tasty cake.
  • Lovely pumpkin flavor - Canned 100% pure pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice bring nice pumpkin flavor to the finished cake.
Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake with Whipped Cream Image

Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake Ingredients:

It takes just 6 simple ingredients to make Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake. To whip up a pan, you'll need:
  • Yellow cake mix - A 15.25-ounce box of yellow cake mix forms the base of the cake.

  • Pumpkin - It wouldn't be pumpkin cake without pumpkin! Use canned 100% pure pumpkin -- be careful not to grab canned pumpkin pie filling by mistake.

  • Pumpkin pie spice - Pumpkin pie spice blend compliments the canned pumpkin to amp up the cake's pumpkin flavor.

  • Milk - Serves as one of the liquid ingredients in mixing up the batter.

  • Canola oil - Adds fat to the batter to bring richness and tenderness to the baked cake.

  • Eggs - A standard cake batter ingredient that helps create rise.

Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake Ingredients Image

How to Make Pumpkin Cake With a Yellow Cake Mix:

Using a cake mix as its base makes this Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake super easy to prepare. The most important thing to remember is to NOT follow the instructions on the cake mix box, but to follow the recipe's instructions instead.

To whip up this tasty cake, simply combine the dry yellow cake mix with a little pumpkin pie spice. Then add in some canned pumpkin, milk, oil, and eggs and beat everything together with an electric mixer until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.

How to Make Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake Image

Pop the pan in the oven and bake the cake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, which will take about 28-30 minutes.

Pumpkin Cake Made with Yellow Cake Mix Image

The result is one tender and tasty pumpkin cake, that was just as easy-as-can-be to make!

Serve up individual slices with a dollop of whipped cream, or frost the cooled cake with vanilla buttercream or our favorite cream cheese frosting. I love this cake best topped with whipped cream, but my family prefers it slathered with frosting.

Or hey, eat hunks of the cake straight-up plain, if you'd like. Because no matter how you choose to enjoy it, Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake is certainly straight-up delicious.

Bite of Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake Image


Recipe FAQs:
  • When making Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake, do I follow the ingredients list and instructions on the cake mix box? - No, do not follow the ingredients list nor instructions on the cake mix box when making Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake. Follow the ingredients list and instructions in the pumpkin cake's recipe, instead.
  • What other flavors of cake mix can I use to make pumpkin cake? - While we like the flavor of basic yellow cake mix best, other flavors of cake mix do work, as well. You can use butter golden cake mix or spice cake mix as a base to make pumpkin cake. If using spice cake mix, omit the recipe's pumpkin pie spice and be aware the flavor of the baked cake will be similar to that of gingerbread rather than purely that of pumpkin cake.
  • What can I substitute for pumpkin pie spice if I don't have any? - Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use a scant (little less than) teaspoon of cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg and ginger added to bring it up to one teaspoon total.
  • Can I bake Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake as a layer cake instead of a sheet cake? - Yes, you sure can! Just spoon the batter into round cake pans instead of a 9x13-inch pan, and reduce the baking time a bit.

Check out these other tasty cakes that start out with a mix:
Piece of Pumpkin Cake Made with Yellow Cake Mix Image
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

pumpkin cake, cake mix pumpkin cake, pumpkin cake made with cake mix, yellow cake mix pumpkin cake, pumpkin cake made with yellow cake mix
Cakes
American
Yield: about 12 servings
Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake

Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake

Want to make a super easy pumpkin cake? Look no further than this Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake! Start with a boxed yellow cake mix, add in some pumpkin and basic cake ingredients, and you're on your way to baking up one very tender and tasty pumpkin cake.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 28 MinTotal time: 38 Min

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CAKE MIX BOX. FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS INSTEAD.
  2. Place dry cake mix in a mixing bowl. Add pumpkin pie spice and stir to combine.
  3. Add pumpkin, milk, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides at least once.
  4. Pour batter into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.
  5. Bake at 350℉ for 28-30 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool completely. Frost with vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting, or serve individual pieces with a dollop of whipped cream.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
  1. I love this cake best with just a simple dollop of whipped cream. My family, however, prefers it slathered with cream cheese frosting.
  2. In addition to basic yellow cake mix, butter golden cake mix and spice cake mix also work as a base to make pumpkin cake. If using spice cake mix, omit the recipe's pumpkin pie spice and be aware the flavor of the baked cake will be similar to that of gingerbread rather than purely that of pumpkin cake.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @kitchenplaygrnd on instagram and hashtag it #thekitchenismyplaygroundblog

Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake ~ Want to make a super easy pumpkin cake? Look no further than this Yellow Cake Mix Pumpkin Cake recipe! Start with a boxed yellow cake mix, add in some pumpkin & basic cake ingredients, and you're on your way to baking up one very tender and tasty pumpkin cake.  www.thekitchenismyplayground.com


Affiliate links are included in this post. As an Amazon.com associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

This post is linked with Weekend Potluck.

8 comments

  1. Can you make this as a Bundt cake as well?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have not made this as a Bundt cake but we see no reason you could not try it. I would use the cake mix directions as a starting point for the baking time. Please let us know how it turns out.

      Delete
  2. Pumpkin desserts are such a favorite this time of the year and I love how simple this one is to make. Thanks for linking up the recipe this week. #HomeMattersParty

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party! Hope to see you again tomorrow! Happy Halloween!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is the exact recipe my mom used to make, minus the milk. Makes me feel so good but I'm going to try yours with the milk! I'm so excited

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please stop back by and let us know how our recipe compares to your mom's. We hope you enjoy our recipe as well as your mom's.

      Delete

I love your comments ~ I read and appreciate each and every one. When you choose to leave a comment, we collect and display your name, as provided by you. Clicking "publish" to submit your comment indicates your explicit consent for name collection. If you click the "notify me" checkbox {which is optional}, your e-mail is also collected. Clicking the "notify me" checkbox indicates your explicit consent for e-mail collection. Thank you so much for visiting The Kitchen is My Playground!

Blog Design: Tracimichele.com. Powered by Blogger.