Description
Pumpkin Earthquake Cake with this easy recipe. Rich, gooey, and perfectly spiced – it’s the fall dessert everyone will request.
Ingredients
For the Cake Base:
- 1 box spice cake mix (or yellow cake mix with 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling – this is crucial!)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix-Ins & Toppings:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (totally optional, but SO good!)
Instructions
1. Get Your Oven Ready Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 pan. I use butter because I always have it out anyway.
2. Mix the Cake Part Dump cake mix, pumpkin, milk, oil, and eggs in a big bowl. Stir until it looks uniform. Don’t overthink it.
3. Spread It Out Pour into your greased pan. Spread with the back of a spoon if it’s being stubborn.
4. Make the Cream Cheese Mix Beat cream cheese and melted butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix again.
5. Drop and Swirl Plop spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture all over the cake batter. Take a knife and swirl it around a few times. Stop before it looks like a mess.
6. Add the Toppings Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans if you’re using them.
7. Bake It Stick in the oven for 40-45 minutes. The edges should look done but the middle still jiggles slightly.
8. Cool Down Let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting. I know it’s hard to wait.
Notes
Space your cream cheese drops evenly or you’ll get one giant swirl in the middle. Use just the knife tip for swirling, not the whole blade. Toss chocolate chips in flour so they don’t all sink to the bottom. The middle should wiggle like Jell-O when done. Tastes way better the next day after everything settles.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 42g
- Sodium: 320mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 56g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 65mg