Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread
on Oct 14, 2024
Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread is the perfect fresh baked treat to make for your family. Made from a box of yellow cake mix and just a few simple ingredients, this pumpkin bread is sure to be a fall baking staple!
This is the best easy pumpkin bread!
If you are craving pumpkin bread, this recipe is for you!
When I made cake mix pumpkin muffins were so good that I just knew I wanted to try making pumpkin bread from cake mix too.
I am loving all the pumpkin and apple recipes this time of year, and more favorites have been cake mix pumpkin cookies and cake mix apple cobbler.
This recipe is my latest baking favorite using yellow cake mix! Using cake mix is a fun and easy way to make fresh baked delicious treats in a fraction of the time, while still tasting homemade.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Yellow cake mix
- Canned pumpkin
- Eggs
- Cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Olive oil: or vegetable oil
How to make pumpkin bread from cake mix
Step 1: Mix together the canned pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and oil.
Step 2: Beat in the yellow cake mix until combined.
Step 3: Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Step 4: Bake the pumpkin bread at 375 degrees for 45 – 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
Joy’s Tip
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove your pumpkin bread. Leave enough over hang to pull the bread out once it is cooled.
So simple, and we loved having it for a quick little breakfast, an afternoon snack with coffee, or even as dessert!
I love how rich the flavor was and the bread is the perfect soft texture, just like my cake mix banana bread.
Honestly, this might be one of my favorite fall recipes so far!
Do I have to use olive oil?
No, you can either use olive oil or vegetable oil. I like baking with olive oil, but it is totally optional.
How to customize this recipe
- Add chocolate chips: Stir in dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips into the batter to make a chocolate chip pumpkin bread
- Add nuts: stir in nuts for a pumpkin nut loaf
- Add a drizzle: make a maple pumpkin glaze to pour over the top
More Pumpkin Recipes
“Made this and family didn’t even know the difference between cake mix one and the old fashioned one. It’s amazing!!” -Karla
Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 15 oz yellow cake mix
- 15 oz canned pumpkin
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup olive oil , or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Add the canned pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and oil to a mixing bowl and beat to combine
- Add the yellow cake mix and beat until combined
- Grease a loaf pan and pour the pumpkin bread batter in
- Bake the pumpkin bread at 375 degrees for 45 – 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
Video
Nutrition
Just wondering if you think this would work with a gluten free yellow cake mix?
I have never tried it, but I think it would!
I used a spice cake mix and it turned out amazing
To make sure, are you following the directions on the cake mix or no?
No, you are just using the box of cake mix itself, plus the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
Made this and family didn’t even know the difference between cake mix one and the old fashioned one. It’s amazing!!
I used a vanilla cake mix and flavor is very nice BUT it’s very soft like cake instead of a normal “bread”, pumpkin or banana, which can be sliced and even toasted with butter or cream cheese. This recipe is just too soft for that but is a very good cake. I would reduce number of eggs to 1, which might help make it a little coarser.
@Jane,
I only use 3 eggs, cake mix and pumpkin. (And spices you like) It is so delicious.
Sounds good and easy….can’t wait to try ir…..I think I will put a crumb topping on it before baking.
Wow, this pumpkin bread is so good for fall. I adore its warm orange color. It would be awesome to have this for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. I’m planning to make it for my grandma who’s coming to visit us in two days. Gonna follow your recipe precisely. I’m sure the info you provide will help me a lot. Grandma’s obsessed with pumpkin. Hope she’ll fall in love with this super fluffy and rich bread. Can’t wait to present it to her and get her review. Btw, Joy do you have any tips for preventing a dry cake?
Thank you for this great idea!
p.s. now I’m also thinking of bringing it along to party tables next week.
@Ann, the ingredients are practically foolproof, which is the beauty of this recipe, so if you followed the recipe with no deviations, the only things that would result in a dry pumpkin bread would be overmixing the batter or baking a bit too long. Quick breads should be mixed by hand with a spoon or spatula just until all the ingredients combined and dry ingredients are moistened. It will have lumps and that is okay. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes before it goes in the oven so those lumps can absorb the liquid before it goes in the oven.
Baking times will vary depending on the size of loaf pan you use, too. I use an 8”x5” loaf pan and have a little bit of batter left over. (Tried using it all and it cooked over and made a big mess that I had to clean up and the loaf had a bad shape). Pour the extra batter into a ramekin, or small oven proof bowl or mug if you don’t want to waste any. The ramekin will bake in about 15 minutes. Check the loaf for doneness at 30 minutes. Set a timer. If the tooth pick does not come out clean, check again in five minute intervals. A crumb or two on the toothpick is fine as the cake will continue to cook for a few minutes after removed from the oven. In my 8”x5” loaf pan it’s between 40 and 45 minutes. My oven runs a bit cool so I have to set my oven temp at 385 degrees. In a 9”x6” pan, the baking time is probably around 35 minutes. And using mini loaf pans, they baked in about 15-18 minutes. I actually baked them for 20 minutes and they were a bit too fluffy and not as moist as the larger loaf so I reduced the cooking time and they came out better.
The first two times I used this recipe, I used a Duncan Hines spice cake mix. Since it is rather spicy to begin with there was no need to add any of the spices called for on the recipe. The third and fourth time, I used the yellow cake mix and spices per the recipe. The spice cake mix has consistently produces a slightly better result and is how I make this pumpkin bread. It’s quick, easy, and everyone loves that I’ve been sharing it.
Over mixing and over baking are the most common reasons for a dry bread. Good Luck.