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This Easy Pumpkin Snack Cake is a great cake made with cake mix. I’m showing you how to make a sugar-free pumpkin cake or a regular sweetened one. Either way, this easy snack cake is moist and full of pumpkin flavor. 

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Slice of pumpkin snake cake on a plate next to pumpkin candies


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One thing I enjoy doing is coming up with sugar-free desserts for family who can’t have sugar, and I often get notes from readers asking for sugar-free desserts. So today, we have this sugar-free pumpkin cake!

It’s a snack cake that’s perfect with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea, but it can totally double as dessert. It’s all about fall, too, with the pumpkin and pumpkin spices! 

EASY Pumpkin Snack Cake Recipe

  • This is a pumpkin cake with cake mix which means it’s very easy to make!
  • What makes it so good is the cinnamon butter swirled into the top of the batter before the cake goes in the oven.
  • It’s also super moist and tender – the perfect snack cake!
  • I don’t add a topping for this cake, but I’m sharing some ideas if you want to dress it up.
  • You can also make this a regular cake and use a regular cake mix.

Ingredients

Cake Mix: Use Sugar-Free Cake Mix for sugar free cake or regular cake mix for regular cake. Pillsbury has a sugar free cake mix that I love.

Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix

Oil: Vegetable oil works best, or you can substitute melted butter.

Eggs: Be sure to buy large eggs.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Make my homemade pumpkin spice if you don’t have it.

Melted Butter: This is for the topping.

Cinnamon: Adds so much flavor to the top of the cake.

How to Make Sugar-Free Pumpkin Snack Cake

  1. Oven Prep: Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  2. Mix Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine the sugar-free cake mix, pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix it with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes. 
  3. Reserve some batter: Scoop out a ½ cup of the batter and set it aside. Pour the rest of the batter into the prepared 9×13” pan.
  4. Make the Swirl: Place the ½ cup of batter back in the bowl, and stir in the melted butter and cinnamon. Drop dollops of the cinnamon batter mixture over the batter in the pan. Use a spoon to swirl the topping into the batter.
  5. Bake: Bake the cake for 23 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake completely before slicing and serving.
Close up shot of easy pumpkin snack cake with one bite missing

Can I Use Regular Cake Mix?

Yes, you can use regular cake mix to make this cake. All of the instructions are the same!

How to Serve It

You can serve this cake plain – it’s delicious! But, if you want to dress it up with a topping, here are few ideas:

  • For a sugar-free cake: Dust the cooled cake with sugar-free powdered sugar or top it with sugar-free Cool Whip or unsweetened whipped cream.
  • For a regular cake: It’s excellent with powdered sugar, or try a whipped topping or whipped cream frosting that you like.
Overhead view of corner slice of pumpkin snack cake on a plate with a fork

Tips

  • For the sugar-free cake, I’ve only tested this recipe with a Pillsbury sugar-free mix. It has a great flavor.
  • You can freeze this cake once it’s thoroughly cooled. Freeze it whole to slice later, or slice and freeze the individual pieces.
  • The cooled cake will keep in an airtight container for two to three days at room temperature. Or, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Whether you make this pumpkin cake with sugar-free cake mix or regular cake mix, I know you’re going to love it. Both versions are so good – soft and moist and full of fall spices. It’s the best snack cake for fall!

More Snack Cakes You’ll Enjoy

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Slice of pumpkin snake cake on a plate next to pumpkin candies

Sugar-Free Pumpkin Snack Cake

5 from 12 votes
Easy Pumpkin Cake with cake mix! Make pumpkin snack cake regular or make a sugar free pumpkin cake – no frosting needed!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 12 servings
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 sugar-free cake mix (I recommend Pillsbury)
  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
  • ⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter , melted
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  • Mix cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl with a hand mixer until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of batter and place the rest into the prepared pan.
  • Place reserved batter back into your bowl, and and add the melted butter and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
  • Place dollops of the cinnamon batter mixture over the cake and swirl with the back of a wooden spoon.
  • Bake for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Recipe Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below

Slice of pumpkin snake cake on a plate next to pumpkin candies and recipe title on top of image

This Easy Pumpkin Cake is a great snack cake made with cake mix. It’s a snack cake that’s perfect with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea, but it can totally double as dessert.



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 12 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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54 Comments

  1. Hi there! This recipe sounds so yummy! I am planning to make it for my family, but first I need to know, how many servings does it make? Reason I ask is because I need to input the recipe into http://www.food.com (will keep it in my “private stash” there, so as not to infringe on any copyright terms you may have), so that I can find out the nutrition information on it. Reason I must do this is because my 7 year old son has type 1 diabetes, and we have to count carbohydrates, fats, and proteins of everything he eats so we can give him the appropriate amount of insulin. I’m sure he would just LOVE to try this recipe (especially since I plan to make it with his pumpkins we forgot to carve for halloween!). If you could please let me know how many servings this makes, I’d greatly appreciate it! (as would my son, I’m sure!! LOL!) Thanks so much!

    Reply

    1. They really are good – not weird tasting, which is nice. It gives a good base for desserts for my dad!

      Reply

  4. Oh this does look good! My dad is diabetic so this will be perfect! I was just brainstorming this morning for what to make for fututre posts and Sugar Free Cookies were what I was thinking about! These look delcious! Thanks for Sharing such a great recipe!

    Reply

    1. I bet you could make sugar free cookies out of that cake mix. It’s really good mix, not “sugar-free tasting” at all!

      Reply

  5. Pumpkin recipes are my absolute favorite. And while I don’t HAVE to eat sugar-free, I try to do so when I can. This recipe looks great, Dorothy–I can tell how moist this cake is just by looking at your pics. Great job!

    Reply