Name: Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 can pumpkin purée (15 oz.); 1 boxed spice cake mix (13.25 - 15.25 oz.) (Betty Crocker is our preference); 3 large eggs (room temperature); ¼ c oil (vegetable or canola); 2 Tbsp whole milk; 1 ½ tsp pumpkin spice; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ½ tsp orange zest (optional); 4 oz block cream cheese (softened); 3 Tbsp butter; 1 tsp vanilla; ¼ cup light brown sugar; pinch of sea salt; 1½ to 2 cups powdered sugar (more if needed)

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links.

This insanely rich and moist pumpkin bread made with cake mix starts off with a spice cake mix, but the ending result is far from it. Smothered with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting, this fall recipe is so simple to make, prepped in just about 10 minutes and with the help of just a few other ingredients, it tastes like bakery made!

Slice of cake mix pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting on parchment.

Ingredient Notes
Ways To Vary This recipe
Step-By-Step Instructions
Frosting Tips
Recipe Tips
Storage
Other Fall Baked Goods
Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

I am not a big baker, but when it comes to fall, I crave all of the baked goods. Fall recipes are my jam, and this cake mix pumpkin bread has been made so many times these days I can’t even count!

Love fall baking recipes too? Try these other favorites as well: Pumpkin Chip Banana Bread, Puff Pastry Apple Tart, Apple Crumble Bars, Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffee Cake or these Pumpkin Spice Molasses Cookies!

Why We Love THis Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread Recipe

This pumpkin bread is not like the others. I saw claims that you could take a spice cake mix and can of pumpkin and make the most delicious pumpkin bread, but after trying it, I was not impressed.

This recipe though:

still only uses a handful of ingredients
is so moist and dense
has all the warm fall spices thanks to added pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon
goes from ok to WOW with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting!

Go ahead and start with the cake mix, but grab a few more ingredients when doing so and you will be sooooo glad you did. Hope you LOVE this pumpkin bread as much as we do!

Ingredient Notes

See full list of ingredients with exact measurements below in recipe card.

Can of pumpkin, spice cake mix box, oil, eggs and other ingredients for recipe.

spice cake mix: I tested this pumpkin bread recipe with SO MANY different cake mixes. Hands down the best loaf came from the Betty Crocker Spice Cake Mix (13.25 oz.). You can use another spice cake mix if preferred, but if you want the very best option, it was for sure the most rich in flavor, the most dense and moist, and just the best presentation. Duncan Hines (15.25 oz.) was still really great, but something was missing for me. I DO NOT RECOMMEND using a yellow cake mix for this recipe. Even in a test round adding extra extra spice it still just didn’t add up and it wasn’t really that good at all in my opinion.
Make sure you get canned pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. The pumpkin pie filling may end up working but it will be heavily spiced and sweet in the end. I found the good and gather brand of pumpkin to have the darkest, richest orange color to make for a really good looking loaf. But I found that many common brands of pumpkin still made for a great end product.
orange zest: a very slight touch of orange zest took this cake mix pumpkin bread from pretty good to OMG and WOW as far as I am concerned. This is the ingredient that is magic in this recipe. It’s subtle, but it is such a perfect way to level up the recipe. I strongly suggest adding it, but it is also considered optional if it doesn’t sound like your jam.

Ways To Vary This recipe

add some chopped pecans or walnuts
toss in about a cup or so of chocolate chips
sprinkle the top of the pumpkin bread with cinnamon and sugar (whisk together about 2-3 tablespoons sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon–I like to use coarse sugar)
make a buttery crumble topping like in these Strawberry Muffins with Crumble Topping
add some other spices–a pinch of nutmeg or ginger is great too

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs well to beat until they start to become frothy.

Canned pumpkin, oil, milk and other ingredients added to mixing bowl with eggs.

Step 2: Add in the oil, canned pumpkin, vanilla, and milk to the eggs.

Pumpkin mixture in glass bowl with whisk.

Step 3: Whisk the wet ingredients until inorporated.

Spice cake mix, pumpkin spice and orange zest added to pumpkin bread wet ingredients in bowl.

Step 4: Add the cake mix, spices and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture.

Cake mix pumpkin bread mixture in glass mixing bowl with spoon.

Step 5: Stir to combine. At this time, do not over stir the bread batter. Sir the dry ingredients to incorporate but stop once the streaks of cake mix are gone.

Pumpkin bread batter in greased and floured loaf pan.

Step 6: Grease and flour a loaf pan (mine is 8.5 inches by 4.5 inches). Pour the pumpkin bread mixture into the pan and spread evenly.

Step 7: Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Check in at about the 40 minute mark and if the top of the loaf is browning, loosely tent aluminum foil over top of the loaf. This can slow the baking down slightly so you may go a touch longer if doing so. Once ready, remove from oven and cool on a wire cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes and then remove from pan and continue to cool.

Cream cheese creamed in mixing bowl with brown sugar and vanilla added.

Step 8: While the bread bakes, or really at any point that works for you. Cream the softened cream cheese and butter in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract and brown sugar and beat until smooth.

Powdered sugar added to cream cheese frosting mixture in bowl.

Step 9: Add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture about a half cup at a time, blending until smooth.

Step 10: Continue to add until cream cheese frosting is desired consistency. Chill until ready to frost the bread.

Frosting Tips

For best results, chill the frosting until ready to ice the bread. It will set a bit and hold up much better on the top of the pumpkin bread.
Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely before adding the frosting. If the bread is still warm, it becomes quite a mess and just runs down the sides. Some may prefer that though, and if you do, go for it!
Chill the frosted pumpkin bread for a couple hours to allow the frosting to get really sturdy for those really nice clean slices.

Frosted pumpkin bread loaf with open slice showing texture.

Recipe Tips

Do not over bake this pumpkin bread. Checking in on it at around the 40 minute mark is a great way to get an idea of how much longer it will need and then plan accordingly.
You can line your pan with parchment paper if preferred. If you are worried about getting your loaf out nicely, you are welcome to line it with parchment instead of greasing and flouring.

Storage

Store this bread in the refrigerator in an airtight container. If it is frosted, you will want to place in a container that won’t press down onto the icing for best results. It will keep for about 4-5 days.

To freeze, I like to flash freeze the loaf by placing with uncovered for about an hour to let the frosting really get solid and then wrap it in parchment and top it with a layer of foil. This keeps the frosting at its best!