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Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread

Cake mix pumpkin bread with a moist, tender orange-gold crumb—stir together cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, and spices for an easy loaf. Baked at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean, then finished with a simple powdered sugar glaze drizzle.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 370
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake bread
  • 15.25 can (15.25 oz) spice cake mix or yellow cake mix
  • 15 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.3333 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 cup water (only if batter is very thick) Add only if batter seems very thick; it should be pourable but not runny.
  • 0.5 cup chocolate chips or chopped pecans Optional.
Glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and bake the loaf
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray or grease. This helps the loaf release cleanly after baking.
  2. Stir together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs, vegetable oil, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon until smooth. Mix just until no dry streaks remain, aiming for a pourable batter.
  3. Add water only if the batter seems very thick, then stir until the batter becomes pourable but not runny. Use 1/4 cup at most as directed.
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips or chopped pecans if using, distributing them evenly through the batter.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350°F for 55–60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and glaze
  1. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it. This sets the crumb so the glaze sits on top.
  2. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth, then drizzle over the warm loaf. Let the glaze set briefly before slicing.

Notes

For best texture, measure the pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) and stop stirring once the batter is smooth—overmixing can make the loaf tougher. Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days; reheat slices in the microwave for 10–15 seconds. Freeze baked loaf (glazed or unglazed) up to 2 months, wrap tightly, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat milk in the glaze; the flavor stays close with a thinner drizzle.