Easy Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
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This Easy Pumpkin Earthquake Cake brings together everything we love about pumpkin season into one deliciously decadent dessert! Featuring a velvety maple cream cheese filling nestled between layers of gooey pumpkin spice cake and finished with sweet butterscotch chips and pecans, it's a must-make fall treat that's sure to win everyone over.
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This recipe takes a simple box of cake mix and elevates it into something truly special without all the hassle! And what makes it an "earthquake" cake? While the cake bakes, the maple cream cheese filling sinks to the bottom, creating a cracked, uneven look on the top of the cake. The result is a wonderfully gooey, melt-in-your-mouth dessert that you don't want to miss!
Love pumpkin recipes? Try these soft and moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies or this simple 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Fudge. Looking for more cozy fall side and desserts? This Apple Cinnamon Pretzel Salad is perfect for fall, and these Apple Pie Stuffed Cupcakes are so simple and delicious!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Rich, gooey, and flavorful: Every bite is packed with moist pumpkin case, creamy maple cream cheese, and pockets of butterscotch! It's an irresistible combination that's full of cozy fall flavor and sure to be loved by all!
- Simple ingredients, impressive results: This recipe starts with a convenient box of cake mix and easy ingredients, similar to this Cake Mix Rum Cake, but the finished product is anything but ordinary!
- The perfect fall dessert: Pumpkin, maple, warm spices, butterscotch, and pecans bring all your favorite autumn flavors together in one comforting dessert!
- Feeds a crowd: This cake is ideal for sharing at fall gatherings or family dinners, especially alongside a warm mug of Ninja Foodi Apple Cider. Just watch everyone come back for seconds!
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients below to make this easy fall pumpkin cake recipe!
- Yellow cake mix: A super simple way to create a moist cake base that mixes well with the pumpkin purée.
- Pure pumpkin purée: Adds rich pumpkin flavor to the cake and helps create a gooey, moist texture.
- Eggs, large: Helps bind the batter together and keep the cake soft and tender.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Enhances the flavor of the cake with a blend of cozy fall spices.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the pumpkin flavors and enhances the sweetness of the cake.
- Full-fat cream cheese, softened - Creates the creamy, tangy swirl of flavor throughout the cake. Use room temperature cream cheese to avoid a lumpy filling.
- Butter, melted and slightly cooled: Adds richness to the filling and helps achieve a silky smooth texture.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the filling.
- Pure maple syrup: Brings delicious maple flavor to the filling.
- Butterscotch chips: Add delicious pockets of buttery sweetness throughout the cake.
- Optional topping: Pecans: Add a lovely nutty flavor and an extra crunch to complement the soft cake and creamy filling.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cake mix swaps: Use spice cake mix in place of yellow cake mix for an extra boost of flavor or white cake mix for a slightly milder flavor.
- Butterscotch alternatives: Regular chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips can all be used in addition to or in place of butterscotch chips depending on the flavor you want!
- More topping options: Toffee bits, coconut flakes, or other nuts such as walnuts and almonds can be used as additional toppings that keep it crunchy while changing the flavor profile.
How to Make an Easy Pumpkin Earthquake Cake with Maple Cream Cheese
Once you've gathered all your ingredients, preheat the oven to 350°F, lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and follow the steps below for this pumpkin earthquake cake!
- Step 1: Combine the cake ingredients, beat until smooth, then spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Step 2: In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Slowly beat in the melted butter.
- Step 3: Beat the filling until smooth and thick, spoon it over the batter, swirl gently, then top with butterscotch chips and pecans.
- Step 4: Bake for 50-55 minutes until set, then cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing.
Helpful Tips
- Soften the cream cheese first - Room-temperature cream cheese blends more smoothly and helps prevent little lumps in the filling.
- Cool the melted butter slightly - Very hot butter can make the cream cheese mixture overly soft, so let it cool before slowly beating it in.
- Keep the swirls large - A few passes with a butter knife are enough; over mixing will blend the filling into the batter instead of leaving creamy pockets.
- Test the right spot for doneness - Insert the toothpick into a visible cake section because a cream cheese swirl will remain soft even when the cake is fully baked.
- Give it time to cool - Cutting too soon can make the center look underdone. The cake firms considerably during the 45-minute cooling period.
- Use pure pumpkin purée - Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices and can change both the sweetness and consistency of the batter.
Recipe FAQs
Earthquake cakes get their name from the cracked, uneven appearance on the top of the cake that forms during baking. When the creamy filling sinks and moves throughout the batter as it bakes, cracks and swirls are formed across the top, giving the cake an "earthquake" look.
No. Use plain pure pumpkin purée. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which can throw off the flavor and consistency of the cake.
The maple cream cheese filling stays softer than the surrounding cake, and the entire dessert continues to set as it cools. Allow at least 45 minutes before cutting.
Absolutely! In fact, making it ahead of time can make slicing even easier because the cream cheese has more time to set. Cover and refrigerate the cooled cake until you're ready to serve it.
Every earthquake cake will look a bit different, depending on how the cream cheese filling moves through the batter as it bakes. Don't worry if yours has fewer or more cracks, as the uneven appearance is part of what makes this dessert so unique!
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Storage Instructions
To store your cake, cover it tightly and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezing Instructions
You can tightly wrap and freeze individual portions in a freezer safe container. Then, thaw the cake in the refrigerator before enjoying.
More Sweet Pumpkin Recipes You'll Love
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Easy Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 box yellow cake mix (15.25 ounces)
- 1 cup pure pumpkin purée
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Maple Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese (softened)
- ¼ cup butter (melted and slightly cooled)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Topping
- ½ cup butterscotch chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the yellow cake mix, pumpkin purée, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Spread the cake batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Slowly beat in the melted butter.
- Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape when dropped from a spoon.
- Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cake batter.
- Drag a butter knife through the batter a few times to create large swirls. Do not completely mix the cream cheese into the cake batter.
- Sprinkle the butterscotch chips and pecans evenly over the top.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the edges are set and the cake portions near the center no longer look wet. A toothpick inserted into a cake section, avoiding the cream cheese filling, should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool for at least 45 minutes before cutting. The center will continue to set as it cools.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
- Soften the cream cheese first - Room-temperature cream cheese blends more smoothly and helps prevent little lumps in the filling.
- Cool the melted butter slightly - Very hot butter can make the cream cheese mixture overly soft, so let it cool before slowly beating it in.
- Keep the swirls large - A few passes with a butter knife are enough; overmixing will blend the filling into the batter instead of leaving creamy pockets.
- Test the right spot for doneness - Insert the toothpick into a visible cake section because a cream cheese swirl will remain soft even when the cake is fully baked.
- Give it time to cool - Cutting too soon can make the center look underdone. The cake firms considerably during the 45-minute cooling period.
- Use pure pumpkin purée - Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices and can change both the sweetness and consistency of the batter.