Pecan pie dump cake is a pecan pie cobbler made with rich and gooey pecan pie filling topped with buttery cake mix and crunchy pecans. This easy to make pecan dump cake is the perfect dessert with the holidays or potlucks.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a good cake mix dump cake recipe. They’re, quick, easy to make and feed a crowd. A few of my favorites on the blog are my Pumpkin Dump Cake, Chocolate Dump Cake, Cherry Dump Cake and Oreo Dump Cake. I am so excited to add this pecan pie dump cake recipe to the blog. I know you’ll love it because:
- Quick to make, easy to bake. This dump cake with pecan pie filling uses just a handful of ingredients to make. All you have to do is mix the pecan pie filling together, layer with box cake mix, butter and pecans, bake and enjoy.
- A simple dessert for the holiday season. This rich and buttery pecan pie filled dump cake has the same flavor profile as classic pumpkin pie. Top this cake mix pecan cobbler with cold vanilla ice cream and salted caramel and you have the perfect holiday fall dessert.
Ingredients
This easy and delicious pecan pie dump cake recipe requires only a handful of ingredients to make and is as simple as dumping a few ingredients into a pan and baking it.
Gather eggs, light brown sugar, maple syrup, cornstarch, vanilla extract, butter, yellow cake mix, ground cinnamon and pecans.
Substitutions
This pecan dump cake is meant to be quick, easy and use simple pantry basics. Here are my recommended substitutions for this recipe if you need them:
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Light Brown Sugar: Maple sugar is a wonderful refined sugar free alternative.
- Maple Syrup and Cornstarch: Feel free to use ¾ cup light or dark corn syrup in place of the maple syrup and cornstarch.
- Vanilla Extract: This is used for background flavor. I recommend keeping the vanilla extract.
- Box Yellow Cake Mix: I prefer using yellow cake mix but feel free to use any box cake mix such as vanilla, white or spice cake mix. Use a gluten free cake mix if needed.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use any butter you like. For dump cake recipes, salted or unsalted butter works perfectly.
- Pecans: Pecans are a classic ingredient in pecan pie. I highly recommend using pecans. If you absolutely cannot find pecans, toasted and chopped walnuts make a good substitute.
How To Make
Learn how to make pecan pie dump cake in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). In a large mixing bowl lightly whisk the eggs to smooth. Then whisk in the light brown sugar, maple syrup, cornstarch, vanilla extract and butter to smooth and well combined. Mix in the chopped pecans. together until smooth and well combined.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish using a tablespoon of butter. Evenly pour the pecan pie pie filling into the prepared pan. Evenly spread the yellow cake mix on top of the pecan pie filling. Top the cake mix with ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) of cold slices of butter. Make sure to evenly space the butter so that almost all the cake mix is covered with pats of butter. Top the slices of butter with the chopped pecans.
3. Bake the pecan pie dump cake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and set. Cool the pecan cake mix cobbler for about 20 - 30 minutes on a cooling rack. When it’s time to serve, scoop generous piece of pecan dump cake into a bowl or plate, top with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel if you like and enjoy.
How To Store, Freeze, Thaw, Reheat and Serve
- Store: Transfer any leftover pecan pie dump cake into an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days.
- Freeze: Make and bake the dump cake according to the pecan dump cake recipe directions and cool completely. Wrap the entire dish in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store the pecan pie dessert in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer the pecan pie cobbler dessert to the refrigerator. Allow it to thaw overnight and reheat the dump cake in the oven at 325 F (177 C) for 15 minutes or until warmed through.
- Serve: The best way to serve this pecan cobbler dump cake is with a big scoop of cold vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream on top. A drizzle of salted caramel would really make this pecan dessert shine.
M’s Expert Tips
- Prepare the pan. Grease the bottom and sides of the baking dish with about 1 tablespoon (14 g) softened butter.
- No corn syrup, no problem. This recipe for pecan cobbler uses maple syrup and cornstarch. Combining maple syrup with cornstarch gives the final texture that’s similar to corn syrup, but with maple flavor. If you prefer to use corn syrup, use an equal amount of light or dark corn syrup in place of the maple syrup and cornstarch.
- Use sliced cold butter and melted butter. The sliced pieces of butter work well to cover most of the cake mix. The melted butter can be used to top the any dry spaces of the dump cake before baking or within the last 20 minutes of baking.
- Use a crunchy topping. I personally love the extra crunch from the pecans. However, any crunchy topping can be used in it’s place.
- Let the dump cake rest, but not for too long. Give this pecan pie cake about 20 minutes to rest and cool before serving.
- Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Serve this pecan dump cake with the same topping as you would a classic pecan pie. I love topping this pecan pie cobbler with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
FAQs
The ease and beauty of dump cake desserts is that the literal dumping of all the ingredients into a pan in a certain order and baking. This pecan pie filling for this pecan dump cake has to be mixed before layering into the prepared pan. However, all the other steps hold true to the classic “dump it” nature of these easy desserts.
Yes, dump cakes generally need to be stored in the fridge. Most dump cakes can be stored and safely enjoyed up to 4 - 5 days when stored in the fridge.
Corn syrup is a classic ingredient in pecan pie. This recipe for pecan pie dump cake is made with a combination of maple syrup and cornstarch to get a classic corn syrup texture with a hint of maple flavor. Feel free to use ¾ cup of light corn syrup if you prefer.
More Pecan Pie Recipes to Try
If you try this Pecan Pie Dump Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Pecan Pie Dump Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
Pecan Pie Filling Layer
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1¼ cup (250 g) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (180 ml) maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or 1 tablespoon flour)
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) melted butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Cake Layer
- 15.25 oz. box yellow cake mix
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons, 170 g) cold unsalted butter, sliced
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). In a large mixing bowl lightly whisk the eggs to smooth. Then whisk in the light brown sugar, maple syrup, cornstarch, vanilla extract and butter to smooth and well combined. Mix in the chopped pecans together until smooth and well combined.4 large eggs, room temperature, 1¼ cup (250 g) light brown sugar, ¾ cup (180 ml) maple syrup , 2 teaspoons cornstarch , 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , ½ cup (120 ml) melted butter , 1 cup chopped pecans
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish using a tablespoon of butter. Evenly pour the pecan pie pie filling into the prepared pan. Evenly spread the yellow cake mix on top of the pecan pie filling. Dust 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon over the cake mix.15.25 oz. box yellow cake mix , 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Top the cake mix with ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) of cold slices of butter. Make sure to evenly space the butter so that almost all the cake mix is covered with pats of butter. Top the slices of butter with the chopped pecans.Bake the pecan pie dump cake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and set.¾ cup (12 tablespoons, 170 g) cold unsalted butter, sliced , 1 cup chopped pecans
- Cool the pecan cake mix cobbler for about 20 - 30 minutes on a cooling rack. When it’s time to serve, scoop generous piece of pecan dump cake into a bowl or plate, top with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel if you like and enjoy.
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