Pumpkin Earthquake Cake

ByLisa

This decadent pumpkin earthquake cake is a perfect fall treat! Made with a moist white cake mix, canned pumpkin, and pumpkin spice, it’s packed with warm, cozy fall flavors.

Pumpkin Earthquake Cake by Flour Me With Love

Pumpkin, cream cheese, and butterscotch chips come together perfectly in this delicious Pumpkin Earthquake Cake. If you’re not familiar with Earthquake Cakes, they are a type of cake that features a delicious swirl of cream cheese frosting. Most Earthquake Cakes start with a cake mix, making them simple and easy to prepare. Don’t let the use of a cake mix deter you from making this Pumpkin Earthquake Cake. In fact, I tried making it from scratch and found that it actually tastes better when using a cake mix. The additional ingredients in the recipe help to mask the flavor of the cake mix, making it impossible to tell that you didn’t start from scratch. Give this Pumpkin Earthquake Cake a try and I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. Also, don’t forget to try the Red Velvet Earthquake Cake and theChocolate Fudge Earthquake Cake too! This Pumpkin Earthquake Cake is the perfect dessert for fall. The warm flavors of pumpkin and butterscotch are sure to please everyone. This cake is also relatively easy to make, so it’s a great option for a busy weeknight, or to whip up for a last minute party.  Serve this cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious and decadent treat.

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Pumpkin Earthquake Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 box of white cake mix you DO NOT need the ingredients on the box
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 C butter
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 C powdered sugar
  • 1 C butterscotch chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 9 x 13″ pan.

  • Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove top.
  • Stir the melted butter, softened cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until combined.
  • Stir in the butterscotch chips; set aside.
  • Mix the cake mix, pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree together.
  • Pour into the prepared pan.
  • Spoon dollops of the cream cheese mixture onto the batter.
  • Take a butter knife and swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool.
  • Slice, serve and enjoy!

Look below for step by step directions with photos↓

FAQ’s

  • Do I have to use a white cake mix?  I like to use a white cake mix to really showcase the pumpkin flavor, however you can use a yellow cake mix or even a spice cake mix.
  • Can I use different flavored chips?  Of course!  We think the butterscotch chips go very well with the pumpkin, but you can use whatever flavor you prefer.
  • Can you explain an earthquake cake?  The inside of the cake is super moist from the cream cheese mixture and the top gets crackly and caramelized. It tastes like a very moist spiced pumpkin cake and a cheesecake combined.
  • How do you store this cake?  To store, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a week. For long-term storage, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, transfer to the refrigerator overnight. Serve at room temperature for optimal flavor.
 

 

Step by step directions with photos:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 9 x 13″ pan.

Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove top.

flourmewithlove.com

Stir the melted butter, softened cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until combined.

Pumpkin Earthquake Cake, flourmewithlove.com

Stir in the butterscotch chips; set aside.

Pumpkin Earthquake Cake

Mix the cake mix, pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree together.

Pumpkin Earthquake Cake, flourmewithlove.com

Pour into the prepared pan.

flourmewithlove.com

Spoon dollops of the cream cheese mixture onto the batter.

Pumpkin, cream cheese, butterscotch all whipped into an earthquake cake!

Take a butter knife and swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter.

flourmewithlove.com

Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Allow to cool.

flourmewithlove.com

Slice, serve and enjoy! 

flourmewithlove.com

 

Don’t forget to try this delicious Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! 

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Snap a picture of your pumpkin earthquake cake and tag @flourmewithlove so I can share with my readers!

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85 Comments

  2. Sounds great…would there be any changes if I used fresh pumpkin instead of can?

  4. Making this for Thanksgiving and it looks and smells amazing!! Thank you for sharing this with us. Might drizzle with a bit of honey what do you think?? Sincerely- Brittney H

  5. Should it be refridgerated if I need to make it the day before Thanksgiving?

    2. Thank you Lisa. Can't wait to try it!

  6. This cake is da bomb! I made it to bring to a Cubs World Series (game 4) party and it was hands-down the best item there. If only the Cubs had won. Two pieces remain to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
    THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

    Mich Taylor
    Orland Park, IL

    1. thanks for your quick reply! looks awesome, can't wait to try it!

  8. I'm out of butterscotch chips. 🙁 Have you tried with chocolate chips instead of butterscotch? Or tried omitting the butterscotch?

  9. Hi. Has anyone had a problem with the top not setting? I've had it in over 50 mins and it's still not solid. Help!

    1. If you used low fat or fat free cream cheese this may be the problem, however the top actually looks a little underdone, but if a toothpick stuck in the cake part comes out clean then you're good to go!

    2. I used light. And it was like mush. Hopefully it'll set after sitting awhile. Thank you!

    1. You melt it first (step one; first picture) and then stir in the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar (step two; second picture).

  12. This sounds awesome. I was reading some of the post and I have decide to give it a try. Sounds like it would be good with the Heath Candy Chips also. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing.

  13. Made this today, used a spice cake mix and still used the pumpkin spice, was simply delicious. I was very happy how this came out. Friends enjoyed it too. Should be more aptly named train wreck cake as it looked kind of odd when cooled. Looking forward to trying other variations. Really really good!

  14. I made it just as the recipe stated and it turned out AMAZING. I am not a butterscotch fan but this was just perfect. I will be wowing my extended family with this at Thanksgiving for sure!

  15. Think I'll try this but swap out the wite cake mix for spice cake mix and instead of butterscotch chips use cinnamon chips!

  16. This sounds great and I want to try this. I noticed a lot of your recipes have nuts, is it possible to leave them out? I am afraid that since the recipe has such a large amount of them, it may not turn out. I have a granddaughter that is severely allergic to nuts and we are with them a lot during the holiday season.

    1. I'm not sure if you looked at a different recipe, but this Pumpkin Earthquake Cake doesn't call for any nuts 🙂 As far as the other recipes, you can leave them out and it'll be just fine!

  17. I would add coconut and pecans instead of butterscotch chips.

  20. Dont get me wrong here but you have melted butter but nowhere in the recipe does it say where to add it ? can you clear that up for me? no one seems to have noticed or comment on it 🙂

    1. It's the first step; melt the butter then proceed to step two by mixing in the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Then lastly the butterscotch chips.

  21. Just finished baking this and it is fabulous !!! Thanks for the recipe and Happy Thanksgiving!

  22. I tried this with a gluten free spice cake mix and it did NOT work!
    I feel like the cake mix needs to be mixed according to the package directions – or at least add the eggs and perhaps only use half the pumpkin. It did not rise AT ALL. It remained a gooey, undone pile of pumpkin puree. Even though I used a cake mix that is similar in ounces to a regular cake mix (and not less), the pumpkin was overwhelming, making it too heavy to rise at all.
    I would be interested in trying this again but changing a few things.

    1. I can't say because I don't bake with gluten-free products. Maybe the gluten is what makes this cake work 😉 Let me know if you try it again!

  23. Wondering if I can use Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake mix?

    1. I never have, but I don't think it would be a problem if the gluten-free cake mix has the same baking consistency of a regular mix.

  24. I love that I don't need to drag out my 30# stand-up mixer to make an amazing cake. In fact, I'll bet the grandkids would be thrilled to have me supervise the whole process while I just watch and wait. My entire family thanks you for posting this.

  25. This looks amazingly yummy! I'm going to put dark chocolate chips in mine though. It's surprising how yummy dark chocolate is with pumpkin and all the spices! Thanks for the recipe!!!

    1. The addition of dark chocolate chips sounds delicious, and I agree they're a perfect match with pumpkin…enjoy!

    2. Made this for a company luncheon. It was fabulous. My husband tried it and said "you can throw your pumpkin pie recipe away" . That's how good it was.

  27. I tried to make this in a bundt pan and I failed. How much should the baking time be increased or is it not possible to make it in a bundt pan? My attempt was delicious though!

    1. I would not advise making this in a bundt pan. The cream cheese batter is heavy and thick so it would sink to the bottom of the pan and not cook properly 😉

  28. You melt it first and then mix it in with the cream cheese…it's the first step. This is an easy cake so you'll do just fine 🙂

  29. I am not a very experienced cook but saw this and wanted to try. Can you please tell me where you put the melted butter?

  30. I just made the cake and put it in the oven! I can't wait to try it!

  31. Looks yummy. Could you use yellow cake instead of white?

  34. I would use Sweet Potatoes instead of Pumpkin and add some coconut. YUMMY!

  35. Made this this morning…Oh My Goodness! This is pumpkin pie heaven. WARNING: Don't eat too soon after coming out of oven or pumpkin on the bottom will burn your tongue. Bwahahahaha I couldn't wait. Thank you….this is a keeper!

  36. I would use spice cake mix…just sayin
    OMG looks sooooo good….drooling…

    1. I never tried it so I can't really say. The only thing I would be concerned about is it thawing…I'm not sure if it would be soggy or not.

  38. Cream cheese, butterscotch, and pumpkin!? OMG, this is awesome! I have never heard of earthquake cake before but I want some right now. Pinning. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday Link Up.

  39. I've never hear of earthquake cake before, but it looks awesome! Pinning this one to try as soon as I get the ingredients! (Found you on Merry Monday)

  40. oh my! This looks delicious and I love how easy it is to make.. I'm not a huge fan of butterscotch so I'll be replacing it for chocolate chips. 🙂

  41. I wonder how it would taste with dried cranberries? …..just thinking.

    Lind

    2. Why worry about that. Looks awesome and it's in the oven right now.

    2. How can I share this with a friend that I love to bake with. I'd like her to see the recipe. Thanks!

  43. This looks soooo good – but I'm thinking it could use some coconut on top! This is definitely going on my "Make this Someday" list!

    1. The red velvet one I make has coconut in it…I actually add it to the cream cheese mixture 😉

  44. I've never heard of earthquake cake, sounds good:@)

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