Cream Cheese Pumpkin Crunch Cake is the seriously easy fall dessert that you'll want to bring to every party! Every single person who tries it goes crazy over it and begs for the recipe.
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Crunch Cake
This post contains Affiliate Links. Please see the disclaimer here.
So here's the thing. I'm actually not really a pumpkin fan. Right now everyone on social media is doing their countdown until pumpkin spice season officially begins and I'm over here like "Noooooo, give me a few more months of summer!!" Perhaps I need to turn in my basic girl card for saying that.
But blogs are like magazines and we work ahead when it comes to recipes and in my efforts try and eat more of the things that I don't love, I developed this recipe. Imagine if pumpkin spice cake and a pumpkin cheesecake recipe had a baby with the most irresistibly crunch pecan streusel topping. That is what this cake is, and it's so good with will turn even the most staunch pumpkin hater into a pumpkin enthusiast.
What is Pumpkin Crunch Cake?
I was hoping to make this into a pumpkin dump cake recipe but there's a tiny bit more too it than dumping the ingredients into a pan and popping it into the oven. But don't let that deter you because it's shocking how easy this recipe is. The pumpkin sheet cake is a variation of my favorite cake mix hack. It's the most moist and delicious cake you'll taste. Trust me on this.
I wanted a cheesecake aspect to be a part of it but I ultimately decided against making that layer a pumpkin cheesecake because I didn't want to overdo on the pumpkin. But the layer of cheesecake really adds an extra surprise that people love. I'm also a streusel topping enthusiast. That delightful crunch gets me every time. So naturally I had to put one on this cake.
Tips for making Cream Cheese Pumpkin Crunch Cake
- Don't overmix the cake batter. Mix it until it's almost fully mixed and then spread it in the pan.
- Soften the cream cheese by leaving it out for an hour or two before baking. But if you forget to put it out, like I often do, you can nuke the cream cheese for around a minute to soften it (although this is a tad messy, it works like a charm).
- While this cake bakes, the cheesecake layer tends to sink a little bit to the middle, but it kind of works out because the people who love cheesecake can eat middle pieces and people who don't love it as much can eat the end pieces with less cheesecake.
- To make the streusel topping I cut in the butter using a pastry cutter. You can also use some forks or even a couple of butter knifes. You want to get the texture to be pea-size. You can totally cut your cold butter a little bit before mixing it in to make the process of cutting it in easier.
- If you don't like nuts or are baking for a crowd that includes people who cannot have nuts, you can totally leave the pecans out.
Helpful tools:
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Pastry cutter
- 9 x 13 pan
- Stand mixer or Hand mixer
Hosting Thanksgiving?
Discover the secret to hosting Thanksgiving without all the stress! Prepsgiving is your FREE guide to making a delicious Thanksgiving feast the easy way.
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Ingredients
Pumpkin sheet cake
- 1 yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
- 2 vanilla instant pudding mixes
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie seasoning
- ¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling, actual canned pumpkin)
- 5 large eggs (extra large is preferable, so if you have extra large that's even better)
Cheesecake Layer
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Pecan streusel topping
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
Pumpkin sheet cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9" x 13" baking pan. Set aside.
- Beat together cake mix, instant pudding, pumpkin pie spice, oil, pumpkin and eggs until just combined.
- Spread in an even layer in the prepared pan.
Cheesecake Layer
- Beat together cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream until well combined and smooth.
- Carefully spread in an even layer on top of the cake mix.
Pecan streusel topping
- In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon.
- Using a pastry cutter or forks, cut in the butter until the mixture has a sandy texture and the butter is down to the size of peas.
- Mix in the pecans and sprinkle everything evenly over the top of the cheesecake layer.
- Bake the cake for around 1 hour - 1 hour and 10 minutes until the center isn't jiggly and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for at least an hour and serve.
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions!
Looking for some other delicious pumpkin recipes?
You can find a full index of my recipes here.
Don’t forget to follow The Life Jolie on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration!
Or if Pinterest isn’t your style, bookmark this post!
Let’s keep the conversation going- join my Facebook group!
Liren | Kitchen Confidante says
Jessy Freimann says
Wilhelmina Wessel says
Jessy Freimann says
Carolyn says
Jessy Freimann says