If you've ever wished you could capture the rich, gooey flavor of a Southern pecan pie without the fuss of rolling out pie dough, this pecan pie dump cake is your dream come true. It's sweet, nutty, buttery, and ridiculously easy to make, and the perfect shortcut dessert for busy home cooks who still want that made-from-scratch taste.
For more simple desserts like this one, you can browse my full dump cake recipes here.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- All the flavor of classic pecan pie without the work of making a crust.
- Perfectly gooey center and buttery, golden cake topping.
- Feeds a crowd - ideal for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or any potluck.
- Simple ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
- Freezes beautifully, so you can make it ahead for stress-free entertaining.
Ingredients (with Notes)
- Dark brown sugar - Adds deep molasses flavor; light brown sugar works too.
- Dark corn syrup - Keeps that signature pecan pie gooey texture.
- Large eggs - Bind everything together for a rich, custard-like layer.
- Salted butter - Adds flavor depth; margarine works if preferred.
- Vanilla extract - Or try almond extract for a nuttier twist.
- Salt - Balances the sweetness.
- Chopped pecans - The heart of this dessert; toasty, rich, and crunchy.
- Yellow cake mix - The easy-button topping that gives it the "dump cake" magic.
- Ground cinnamon & nutmeg - Add warmth and cozy fall flavor.
- Pecan halves - For extra crunch and a pretty finish.
- Caramel topping - The final drizzle that makes it absolutely irresistible.
Instructions
1. Prepare the pan.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the pecan pie layer.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans until evenly coated, then pour into your prepared baking dish.
3. Make the cake topping.
In another bowl, mix the cake mix with cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in the softened butter with a fork until it resembles wet sand.
Make sure there isn’t any cake mix left thats not mixed with butter. It should all be a dark tan, not a powdery white. (This will result in a dry, top.) Sprinkle evenly over the pecan mixture. It should look like the image below…
PRO TIP: Gently press cake mixture down in to wet mixture, just a little bit. Do not stir or mix in. Just pressing down gently will help the topping get a little more moisture.
4. Add the final touch.
Top with pecan halves for crunch and beauty. Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is almost set. If the edges are browning too quickly, you can cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
5. Cool and drizzle.
Let cool slightly before drizzling with caramel topping. Serve warm with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream - it's heavenly!
Tips & Notes
- Use dark brown sugar and dark corn syrup for that deep, authentic pecan pie flavor.
- Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, for the best crumble topping texture. The cake mix and butter mixture should not have any white/light, dry cake mix showing. It should all be crumbly and dark tan like a wet sand mixture.
- Cake browning before rest of cake is done baking? Cover with foil until cake finishes baking.
- Want to make it a Southern pecan pie dump cake? Add a splash of bourbon or a pinch of cayenne for a little Southern flair.
- Let the cake rest at least 15 minutes before cutting - it sets up beautifully as it cools.
FAQs
It's the best of both worlds: a gooey pecan pie meets buttery yellow cake, all in one decadent bite.
Yes! You can bake, cool, and refrigerate it for up to 3-4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before serving.
Absolutely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Try swapping yellow cake for butter pecan cake mix, or sprinkle a few chopped walnuts into the topping for a fun twist.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, microwave in 15-second bursts until warm. It also tastes amazing cold, right from the fridge - no judgment here!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this cozy pecan dump cake warm with:
- A scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream
- A dollop of whipped cream
- A drizzle of extra caramel sauce or maple syrup
Perfect for holidays, potlucks, or Sunday suppers - this pecan pie cake will steal the show every single time.
More Dump Cake Recipes
Recipe
Pecan Pie Dump Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup dark corn syrup
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup salted butter, melted (1 stick, 8 tablespoons)
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Topping
- 15 ounce box yellow cake mix
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup salted butter, softened one and a half sticks, so 12 tablespoons
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 cup caramel topping
Instructions
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking or baking spray.
- Mix the pecan pie layer. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until well mixed.
- Stir in the pecans. Add the chopped pecans and stir really well until they're evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Transfer to the baking dish. Pour into the baking dish and use a rubber spatula to spread evenly.
- Flavor the cake mix. In another large bowl, stir together the cake mix with the cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Make the topping. Add the softened butter and use a fork to work the butter into the cake mix until you have a wet sand texture. **Make sure all of the cake mix is incorporated with butter. (It should be a dark tan color, not a white/light color, or this could make the cake topping dry.)Sprinkle the mixture over the baking dish until evenly layered and covering the sugar mixture.PRO TIP: Gently press down the butter/cake mix mixture in to the wet. Do not mix, or stir. Pressing it down, gives the cake mix more moisture.
- Add pecan halves for extra crunch. Sprinkle halved pecans over the cake mixture and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.TIP: Check after about 30 minutes, and if the cake is getting to brown around the edges, before the baking is done, cover with foil until cake is finished baking.
- Cool and drizzle with caramel. Once baked, allow the cake to cool slightly before drizzling with caramel and serving. Great served with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Michelle says
I love pecan pie and dump cakes so I was excited to try this recipe. The texture was nice – a good balance of chewy and gooey. The downside is that it is so unbearably sweet! I even omitted some of the brown sugar and corn syrup and it was still too sweet. I have a huge sweet tooth but with this, I could only tolerate a few bites before having to throw the rest away. I’m definitely disappointed.
Jessica says
Hi Michelle. I’m glad you liked the texture. It’s a shame that you thought it was too sweet. Different opinions for different people I suppose.
Angie says
Second time making this, the family loves it! I love pecan pie but am not a huge fan of pie crust, weird I know. This is the perfect mashup for me. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Jessica says
Oh my gosh, I totally get what you mean about the pie crust with pecan pie! You’re right – this is so good and maybe that’s a big reason why. Haha! Thank you for sharing and I’m so glad you like it!
Katy says
I’ve got mine in the oven right now, but my topping mix was too wet. I’m confused about the amount of softened butter maybe? It calls for 12 teaspoons which I did put in, but I feel like maybe one stick of butter would’ve been enough. I’m sure it will still be good though!
Jessica says
Hi Katy. I’ve made it with both (1 stick, and 1 1/2 sticks) and I truly prefer the 1 1/2 sticks. Using only one stick will still turn out ok but some made it with one stick and felt the topping was too dry. So I suppose it’s just preference. Did your topping look like the photo in my blog post of my topping before baking? I hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to know what you think!
John says
This recipe just didn’t work out for me. Maybe it was user error. The “pie”portion was wayyy over cook while the cake mix did not soak in. The result was a thin overcook pecan pie with cake cake powder on top. I used a glass cooking dish- maybe that was it? I was careful about using softened not melted butter in the cake mix. Any other experiences or suggestions?
Jessica says
Hi. John. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Did you happen to use the right about of butter? (A whole stick – 8 tablespoons?)
Chantal Thrift says
The recipe calls for “1/2 cup stick”butter… Is that 1/2 cup or 1/2 of a stick?
Jessica says
Hi there! It’s 1/2 cup butter. I hope that helps!
Marty says
The top of recipe says bake time is 25 minutes but instructions say to bake 45 minutes.
Jessica says
Oh goodness, yes you’re right, so sorry about that. It IS a bake time of 45 minutes. I’ve fixed the top of the recipe card. 🙂 Thank you for letting me know.
Princess says
Could I use a homemade cake mix? Also, do you think adding thin sliced apples before topping it with the cake mix would add too much moisture?
Jessica says
Hi there! I haven’t tried either but I’d love to hear if you do!
Courtney says
For the top of the pecan dump cake instead of using whole nuts could I use chopped instead
Jessica says
Absolutely! 🙂
Kim Shumate says
Fabulous! I’m sure I overbaked mine but it was still so good! Made homemade caramel sauce and that just put it OVER THE TOP! Really good and will be a rotating favorite in this house!
Jessica says
Oh Kim, I’m so glad that you liked this pecan pie dump cake too! Thank you for sharing!