We Changed Our #1 Pumpkin Crunch Cake — Was It a Mistake?

Pumpkin Crunch Cake, Spice Cake Mix Edition — our #1 recipe with the 3 changes you asked for, and an honest verdict on each. Our original Pumpkin Crunch Cake is the most-watched video we've ever made — over a million of you have seen it, and it's changed a lot of minds about pumpkin pie. But three suggestions kept showing up in the comments: use a spice cake mix, toast the pecans, and skip the Cool Whip for homemade whipped topping. So we made all three changes in one cake — it's still a pumpkin dump cake at heart, just layered — and put Darren to the test. Two of them are 100% worth it. The third? We don't fully agree, and we tell you why. Full printable recipe: https://marykatherinestable.com/pumpkin-crunch-cake-spice-cake-mix/ The original Pumpkin Crunch Cake: https://youtu.be/wJcgPKlyfic INGREDIENTS Pumpkin Layer: • 1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) • 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk • 4 large eggs • 1 cup sugar • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/4 tsp ginger + 1/8 tsp cloves) Crunch Layer: • 1 (13.25 oz) box spice cake mix (or yellow cake mix — see our verdict) • 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans, divided • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted Homemade Whipped Topping: • 8 oz cream cheese, softened • 3/4 cup powdered sugar • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream Bake at 350°F for 50–60 minutes in a greased 9x13 dish. Cool completely before topping. CHAPTERS: 0:00 — Why We're Changing Our #1 Recipe 0:38 — The Story Behind Pumpkin Crunch Cake 1:48 — Mixing the Pumpkin Layer 2:59 — Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice 5:02 — Change #1: The Spice Cake Mix Layer 6:53 — Change #2: Toasting the Pecans 8:27 — Butter, Then Into the Oven 10:09 — Out of the Oven: What to Look For 11:09 — Change #3: Homemade Whipped Topping 14:30 — Putting It All Together 15:41 — Taste Test 16:22 — Darren's Verdict: Better Than the Original? 19:41 — Final Thoughts MORE FALL FAVORITES: 👉 The Original Pu