Pumpkin pie on the bottom, apple pie in the middle, and buttery, nutty, spice cake & pecan streusel on top! A mash-up of favorite fall desserts. This Upside Down Pumpkin Apple Pie, or Pumpkin Apple Dump Cake, is universally loved, and I always get asked for the recipe!
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This is a dessert of many names.
This style of dessert, first and foremost, is called a dump cake. What is a dump cake?
It’s pie filling — whether fruity or otherwise, at the bottom of a baking dish, and a combination of dry cake mix and melted butter on top. The melted butter permeates the dry cake mix while baking, creating a crusty, crumble-like topping. It’s kind of magical how it works.
The dump cake possibilities are endless. Type of pie filling, flavor of cake mix, nuts or not. You can create mass variety of dump cake recipe!
My first introduction to dump cake was this Upside Down Pumpkin Cake. I feel it’s confusingly-named, but alas, that’s what I knew it as. Ultimately, it’s a Pumpkin Dump Cake though.
It’s pumpkin pie on the bottom, and a nutty, spice cake crisp on top.
Most importantly, it’s wonderful. I’m just going to say it: it’s better than pumpkin pie. It really is. I’m glad that something about that strangely-named recipe piqued my interest years ago.
I’ve been making it for nearly 15+ years now, and it feels more appropriate to title it: Upside Down Pumpkin Pie.
For today’s recipe, the name gets further adjusted to Upside Down Pumpkin Apple Pie.
Any way you name it, here’s what we’re working with: pumpkin pie on the bottom, apple pie in the middle, and a cake mix “crust” on top.
Working our way from the bottom. It’s a tweaked pumpkin pie. It’s not much different than pumpkin pie, but with a few key exceptions: 1. it’s thicker, and 2. it’s richer.
See, it needs to set up really well, and withstand weight because it has no crust beneath to keep it in tact. So it is a thicker, sturdier version of pumpkin pie filling.
The middle layer is a quick apple pie filling. Sliced apples sautéed in a bit of butter til soft, add brown sugar and cinnamon, and you’ve got apple pie filling in a jif. Layer it on the pumpkin pie filling, and then we’re moving on…
The topping is a slightly crunchy, super buttery, cake mix streusel. Plus pecans. It’s fabulous.
Because who wouldn’t rather have a sweet, buttery, nutty, spiced, streusel-y crust versus a pastry crust anyway?? That’s the beauty of this Upside Down Pumpkin Apple Pie. The topping is everything!
As I said, there’s a lot of possibilities when it comes to making dump cakes…
Variations and substitutions on Upside Down Pumpkin Apple Pie:
While there’s not a huge multitude of ways to mix things up here, there’s a few obvious options –>
- Skip the apple layer. Want to shave off a few steps and save a couple ingredients? Not a fan of baked apples? Leave them out. The original recipe is pumpkin only.
- Experiment with different cake mixes for the topping. Spice cake and yellow cake are my go-tos, but vanilla, chocolate, or even carrot cake mix would all be great.
- Swap pecans for walnuts, slivered almonds, or mixed fancy nuts. Whatever your pleasure for nuttiness!
A few more recipes featuring Pumpkin + Apple!
If you’re looking for something more like classic pumpkin pie, but with a twist, check out these –>
- Pumpkin Chess Pie
- Amaretto Pumpkin Pie
- Pecan Pumpkin Pie
- Eggnog Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Streusel
- Walnut Streusel Pumpkin Pie
- No Bake Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
Upside Down Pumpkin Apple Pie
Pumpkin pie on the bottom, apple pie in the middle, and buttery, nutty, spice cake & pecan streusel on top! A mash-up of favorite fall desserts. This Upside Down Pumpkin Apple Pie, or Pumpkin Apple Dump Cake, is universally loved, and I always get asked for the recipe!
Ingredients
For pumpkin pie layer:
- 29 oz. can pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling!
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp. clove
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
For apple pie layer:
- 3 large apples peeled, cored, sliced
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
For topping:
- 1 box spice cake mix vanilla or yellow cake mix also works
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup butter melted
- whipped topping optional garnish
Instructions
For pumpkin pie layer:
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In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, spices, sugar, eggs, and milk.
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Pour into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
For apple pie layer:
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In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine apples and butter.
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Cook and stir until apples are softened, about 7-8 minutes.
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Remove from heat, drain any liquid, and additionally, blot apples with a paper towel. The apples will produce a lot of liquid as they cook. It's very important to remove as much liquid as possible once the apples have softened.
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Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon.
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Allow apples to cool to room temperature.
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Scatter apples evenly over pumpkin pie mixture in the baking dish.
For topping:
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Sprinkle the entire box of dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin and apples, starting from the edges, and working toward the middle.
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Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the cake mix.
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Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the cake mix and pecans, covering as much as possible.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until the edges and top are golden brown. It should appear mostly set when slightly jiggled, but it will thicken as it cools.
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Remove from heat to a wire rack, and allow to cool completely.
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Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours.
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Cut and serve with whipped cream.
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Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
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