Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake Recipe

This easy pumpkin pudding cake is a soft, warmly spiced pumpkin cake that bakes over its own gooey brown sugar pudding sauce. It's dairy-free, easy to make vegan, and ready in under an hour with simple pantry ingredients.

If you're baking with pumpkin all season, my Vegan Maple Pumpkin Pie is another favorite, and you'll find plenty more ideas in my pumpkin recipe roundup.

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Colder evenings call for a spoonful (or two!) of this pudding cake. The trick is a simple brown sugar syrup poured right over the batter. You don't stir it in. As it bakes, the cake puffs up on top and the syrup sinks and thickens into a pudding sauce on the bottom. Syrupy, squishy, gooey and "squidgy," as they say in England.

My kids are big pumpkin dessert fans, but this one took things to a whole new level in our house. My son was quite disappointed the next morning when he realized there wasn't a portion left and declared, "This is a ripoff!" My daughter told me I'd better make another one soon. Very soon.

The first time I made it, I wanted a saucier border, so I whisked up more syrup and poured it on halfway through baking. The top cake soaks up a lot of that syrup, which is actually a good thing, since it keeps the cake so moist. Just don't skip the syrup. Without it, you're making a pumpkin cake, which is fine, but not nearly as exciting.

What ingredients are in a soft pumpkin pudding cake?

• All-purpose flour: Provides structure and texture to the cake.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness to the batter.
• Baking powder: Helps the cake rise and become light and fluffy.
• Sea salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
• Ground cinnamon: Infuses the cake with a warm and comforting aroma.
• Ground ginger: Adds a subtle, spicy kick to the cake.
• Ground nutmeg: Brings a hint of earthiness and warmth to the flavors.
• Pumpkin puree: Gives the cake its rich pumpkin flavor and moistness.
• Unsweetened almond milk: Provides softness to the batter (you can use real milk if you're not dairy-free).
• Coconut oil: Adds richness and moisture to the cake.
• Pure vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the cake.
• Dark brown sugar: Creates a sweet and gooey pumpkin pudding layer.
• Hot water: Combines with the brown sugar to create a caramel-like syrup.
• Powdered sugar for serving (optional): Adds a touch of sweetness and visual appeal.
• Whipped cream for serving (optional, use dairy-free for a dairy-free version): Provides a creamy and luscious topping.

How to make pumpkin pudding cake?

• Step 1: Preheat. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
• Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, stir together the pumpkin, almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla.
• Step 4: Combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until fully incorporated. The batter will be thick.
• Step 5: Spread. Spread the batter in an even layer in an ungreased 3½-quart baking dish.
• Step 6: Add the syrup. Whisk the brown sugar with the hot water and pour it over the batter. Don't stir it in. Let it sit right on top.
• Step 7: Bake. Bake on the middle rack for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is puffed and set on top with bubbling sauce underneath.
• Step 8: Cool slightly. Let it rest 10 minutes, dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Recipe Tips

• Don't stir in the syrup: It looks wrong pouring water over cake batter, but trust it. The syrup needs to sink on its own to form the pudding layer.
• Slide it in gently: Carefully move the dish to the oven so the syrup doesn't slosh over the sides.
• Want it less sweet? Cut back on the granulated sugar in the batter, but always keep the brown sugar syrup. That's what makes the pudding.
• Want more sauce? Whisk up a little more brown sugar syrup and pour it over halfway through baking, like I did.
• Serve it warm: The cake is moist and fluffy and the sauce is thick and gooey when it's warm. It's best the day it's baked, but leftovers are still delicious.
• Storage: Spoon leftovers into an airtight container or cover the dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 1 week and reheat in the microwave. I don't recommend freezing this dessert.

Serving Suggestions

I love it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (dairy-free or regular) or a dollop of whipped cream, with a pinch of cinnamon on top. A drizzle of caramel or some chopped nuts makes it extra special.

For a fall dessert table, set it out with my Apple Cider Donut Cake and Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts.

I found that while it was baking I had to make more syrup and add it on ½ way through. I was looking for more of saucy border but it wasn't happening. The syrup gets absorbed by the top cake part (which is a good thing).

Cut back the sugar in the batter. But it's imperative that you add the brown sugar syrup on top. Or you don't get the pudding bottom. If you don't add the sugar syrup, then you're making a pumpkin cake. Which is fine, but it's not going to be as exciting as this cake.

As the pumpkin cake bakes, the cake batter puffs and rises and the brown sugar syrup thickens on the bottom of the pan and becomes like a thick pudding sauce (I'm not joking...out of this world!). The best way to eat this is when it is first baked and very warm. But there is nothing wrong with the leftovers (if you have any the next day).

Originally published September 2022 and updated for content September 2023.

Some other pumpkin desserts to enjoy:

• Amaretti Almond Pumpkin Pie
• Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
• Vegan Maple Pumpkin Pie

Originally published October 2018 and updated for content September 2022. 

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5 from 5 votes

Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake Recipe (Gooey Brown Sugar Sauce)

Colder evenings call for a spoonful (or two!) of this luscious and gooey Pumpkin Pudding Cake. Warm fall spices in the super soft pumpkin cake that has a juicy brown sugar pumpkin pudding on the bottom.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: pudding, pumpkin

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 366kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

• mixing bowls
• 3½-quart baking dish,

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 1-½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ▢ ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or whatever unsweetened dairy-free milk you like (use real milk if you're not dairy-free)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup hot water
• ▢ powdered sugar for serving (optional)
• ▢ whipped cream for serving (optional-use dairy-free for dairy-free)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• In another medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin, almond milk, coconut oil and vanilla.
• Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir together until completely incorporated.
• Pour the cake batter into your un-greased baking dish and spread out into an even layer.
• In a small bowl, whisk dark brown sugar with hot water and pour over the pumpkin cake batter Let the sugar syrup sit on top without stirring it in.
• Carefully slide the baking dish onto the middle rack of oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
• Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle on some confectioner's sugar and dig in.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

• Don't skip the syrup: Without it there's no pudding layer.
• Less sweet: Reduce the granulated sugar in the batter, but keep the brown sugar syrup.
• Vegan: Use vegan-certified granulated and brown sugar, and dairy-free whipped cream.
• Gluten-free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour, or half all-purpose and half almond flour.
• Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave. Not recommended for freezing.

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 3179IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg

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