Pumpkin Cake with Yellow Cake Mix

You have got to try our pumpkin cake with yellow cake mix with cream cheese. You need just 5 ingredients to bake in an 8×8 pan or make cupcakes with it!! An easy Fall dessert like our Pumpkin Bars with Cake Mix that is family friendly and your kids will love.

Ok so we have used these two main ingredients to make all sorts of treats. We started with this Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake with Spice Cake Mix which has a very different texture than this one with little to no mixing at all and a deeper spiced flavor to it. Both are excellent this time of year. (affiliate links present)

Yellow Cake Mix and Pumpkin Recipe

There are two versions to this, we will explain both below but the first with a few more ingredients than the other is more like cake. It is a great cake mix hack to make a “normal” boring box into something totally different. It is likely that your family and/or guests won’t even know that it wasn’t homemade. 😉

Ingredients

1. 1 box of yellow cake mix used, could use spice cake mix instead for darker color and flavor
2. Eggs will make it rich and keep it fluffy
3. Milk whole or 2% is best to add moisture to the batter
4. Cream cheese softened so it incorporated well adds richness
5. Libby’s pumpkin puree or use homemade

2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake 

If you wanted less items you can just combine the puree and dry mix together like we did with our Pumpkin Bread with Spice Cake Mix. The difference is the texture, this one is much more dense and flat not rising much at all. In that case you would use the same square pan instead of using a loaf like we did when we called it “bread”.

How to Make Pumpkin Cake with Cake Mix

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Combine milk, softened cream cheese, eggs, and pumpkin in a bowl. Whisk together.
• Add dry ingredients in with this and mix everything thoroughly.
• Transfer to a square 8 x 8 inch or rectangular 6 x 9 inches baking dish.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with moist crumbs attached, not dry.
  • Do not bake too long. Let cool in the baking dish on a cooling rack 

In Bundt Pan

If you wanted to bake this in a prettier pan I would instead follow our Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cake Mix recipe. It is slightly different but has raving reviews that feeds more people than this one does so if you are feeding a larger crowd (or want more leftovers) I would go with that tweak.

Cake Mix Pumpkin Cupcakes

If you wanted to use the same batter to bake faster in a more grab and go fashion, use a muffin tin! Still set to 350 degrees F but you only need about 18 minutes until these are done. If I am in a rush or want to be able to serve it easier without any slicing involved I will go with these instead. With a dollop of frosting they are a fave.

How Can You Improve Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix?

1. Use Butter Instead of Oil to add a richer flavor making the cake taste more homemade. if the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil, use 1/2 cup of melted butter.
2. Adding an extra egg makes the cake richer, adds volume, and improves the texture. If the box calls for 3 eggs, use 4 eggs instead.
3. Using milk instead of water makes baked goods so much more moist and flavorful. Just replace with an equal amount of whole milk or for an even richer cake, use buttermilk.
4. Sour cream or Greek yogurt adds moisture and a slight tang, which enhances the flavor. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup to create a denser, more moist outcome.
5. Adding a box of instant pudding mix makes it more moist and improves the texture. You just add a small box of vanilla flavor to the dry cake mix and proceed with the rest of the ingredients as listed.
6. Adding mix-ins can add interesting textures and flavors. Fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, blueberries, diced apples or drained crushed pineapple for added flavor and moisture.

Can pumpkin replace eggs in cake?

Yes and it adds so much more flavor. For each egg a recipe calls for you can substitute 1/4 cup of canned or homemade Crockpot pumpkin puree mashed.

Can I substitute pumpkin for oil in cake mix?

Yes! You can substitute one for the other and it works well. Puree adds more moisture, a touch of sweetness, and a hint of added Fall flavor, while also reducing the fat content. You use equal parts, for example in our Pumpkin Poke Cake we needed to use 1/2 cup pumpkin instead of 1/2 cup oil because we wanted just the one. You could use half and half too.

How does pumpkin affect baking?

This addition helps add moisture to baked goods in a similar way that oil or butter does. This makes cakes, muffins, and breads softer and more tender. Keep in mind though that it can create a slightly heavier texture compared to using oils or butter. However, this is ideal for many fall-themed baked goods like quick breads and muffins, where a denser, moist crumb is desired.