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Earthquake Pumpkin Cake

Earthquake pumpkin cake with yellow cake mix and a cream cheese layer dropped on top for crackled, caramel-swirled slices. Bakes until the cream cheese sinks and forms dramatic “earthquake” cracks across the golden pumpkin cake.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For pumpkin cake
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
  • 0.5 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 0.333 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.25 cup water
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
For cream cheese earthquake layer (dropped over batter)
  • 16 oz cream cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.667 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For caramel drizzle
  • 0.5 cup caramel sauce

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prepare the pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 pan with a thin, even coating so the cake releases cleanly.
Make and spread the pumpkin cake batter
  1. Beat together yellow cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs, vegetable oil, water, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth, then spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Drop cream cheese blobs over batter
  1. Beat cream cheese until smooth, then beat in eggs, powdered sugar, and vanilla until thick and creamy.
  2. Drop large spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter without mixing them in, so they sit on top in visible blobs.
Add caramel and bake
  1. Drizzle caramel sauce over the cream cheese blobs, letting some caramel fall into the batter between cracks.
  2. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350F until the top looks cracked and swirled; the cream cheese will sink as it bakes, creating the earthquake pattern.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool completely before cutting so the set cream cheese layer firms up and the slices hold their shape.

Notes

For the clearest “earthquake” cracks, don’t stir the cream cheese into the batter—keep it as large blobs on top before baking. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze slices (well wrapped) up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and swap to a reduced-sugar caramel sauce if desired.