This self-saucing pumpkin pudding cake is a unique and delicious dessert! A fluffy pumpkin spice cake that magically bakes up with a brown sugar caramel sauce right underneath it. Try the apple version as well: caramel apple cake.
Save this Recipe!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Jump to:
What sets this recipe apart
Unique: This recipe is made with a very unique technique which requires pouring boiling water over the cake batter. This creates a brown sugar sauce that bakes under the cake.
Two treats in one: Pumpkin cake and a brown sugar-cinnamon caramel sauce that forms while baking. Not a fan of pumpkin? Try the chocolate version: chocolate pudding cake.
Easy: This is one of the easiest pumpkin desserts you can make. No mixer and no special equipment needed.
Visual recipe overview
Cake batter
Prepare the cake batter and add it to a greased 9×9 baking pan.
Topping
Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the cake batter.
Boiling water
Gently pour a mixture of boiling water and melted butter over the brown sugar topping.
Bake
While baking the cake will rise to the top and a brown sugar caramel sauce will form on the bottom.
A weird technique – that works!
As an experienced baker I will tell you that pouring boiling water over the top of cake batter just feels wrong (haha). But trust me – it works!
This is an old fashioned technique (and one that is popular in the UK and Australia) that produces a sauce and a cake simultaneously.
Serving suggestions
This cake should be served warm, ideally the day it is made. When it is warm the cake is moist and fluffy and the sauce is thick and gooey.
I highly recommend serving this cake with a sprinkling of chopped pecans (for crunch!) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Save this Recipe!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Recipe
Pumpkin Pudding Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1-⅓ cups (170g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (118ml) whole milk or half and half
- ½ cup (120g) canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¼ cup (57g) salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
- ¾ cup (165g) packed brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-¼ cups (300ml) boiling water
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- chopped pecans and vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 square baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, pie spice, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a flexible rubber spatula until combined (batter will be thick).
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. For the topping, sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the batter. In a liquid measuring cup, combine boiling water, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. Gently pour boiling water over the top of the cake batter (do not stir).
- Carefully transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean (don't poke all the way to the bottom of the pan). There should be a wet, pudding-like layer under the cake and possibly even bubbling up around the sides. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm with chopped pecans and vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
This recipe was adapted from the Taste of Home Pumpkin Cookbook.
Beth says
Oh!! This recipe stole my heart right away!! It’s never too early to enjoy a recipe like this one! I love that it comes together in 10 minutes – perfect for the busy holidays!
Suzy says
Oh my goodness! This pumpkin pudding cake is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Love it.
sheenam @ thetwincookingproject says
Just in time for pumpkin season!! This looks perfect
January Harper says
Can this be made in a bunt Pan and still work?
Allison says
No, I don’t think so. If you try it let me know how it goes.
Cody says
…Baking soda? Not baking powder?
Allison says
Correct.
Lori Callegari says
I just made this for the 2nd time in 2 weeks!! This is wonderful! The 1st time I made it in the slow cooker and the 2nd time I made it in the oven 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Both worked out perfectly. The slow cooker was great because I had to make the airport run and I wanted this to be ready and hot when we returned.
Allison says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Sha says
I plan on making this for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie. I know it will be good after reading ingredient list. I’ve been making the chocolate pudding cake since finding the recipe in my mom’s red cookbook at age 11! Luckily my mom liked ice cream so readily available! Although my brother, sister and myself loved the squirt whip cream on it.
K.Roekle says
Do you have the ingredient amounts for a 9×13 pan? I have 8×8 and 9×13 pans, but not a 9×9.
Allison Mattina says
Hi! I have only made the recipe as written. I’d recommend using an 8×8 but only using about 80% of the batter and topping so that it isn’t too full. You could try putting the remaining batter and topping into a couple ramekins.
WesternUS says
Or, if you’d rather bake it in a 9×13 pan, “one-and-a-half” (1 1/2) the ingredient amounts will get you there. Those amounts could be easier to figure out.
Rebekah says
Do you think I could prep this batter ahead of time and then keep it in the fridge? That way I can pop it in the oven to bake once we are sitting down for dinner?
Allison Mattina says
Hi! I’ve read mixed opinions about refrigerating cake batter. Especially those leavened with baking soda, like this one. There is definitely a possibility that it would be just fine but I really can’t say for sure as I haven’t tried it. If you test it, just make sure you only prep the cake batter in advance, don’t add the topping and boiling water until right before baking. Best of luck!
Vickey Gerrish says
Wondering how long you cooked this recipe in the slow cooker?
Sandy C says
My husband told me this was the best dessert I have ever made and I have made many of the years! Absolutely a keeper to make over and over!
Allison Mattina says
That’s great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂