Dessert

Pumpkin Spice Lava Cake

Warm pumpkin spice cake with a molten center. Autumn in a crock pot.

Prep 5 min HIGH 2–2½ hours Serves 8

Pumpkin Spice Lava Cake, finished and plated — Serving suggestion

Pumpkin spice has become a punchline, but the actual combination — cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and allspice against sweet squash — has been a fixture of American baking since long before it was a coffee flavor.

This is the molten cake structure applied to it. Batter in, hot water over the top, no stirring. The pumpkin makes it denser and moister than the chocolate versions, and the spice comes through warm rather than sharp.

One thing that trips people up: buy pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and using it here makes something cloying.

Why you'll love it

Autumn in a bowl.

The whole house smells like it for two hours.

Moister than a chocolate lava cake.

The pumpkin keeps it soft and dense.

Feeds eight for a holiday table.

An easy dessert on a day when the oven is full.

Frees up the oven.

On Thanksgiving that's worth more than the dessert itself.

What's already in the packet

Granulated sugarBrown sugar powderAll-purpose flourPumpkin pie spiceCornstarchCinnamonInstant milk powderBaking powderVanilla powderFine sea saltBaking soda

Two sugars with pumpkin pie spice and extra cinnamon layered on top of it.

Choose your setting

This one cooks on HIGH

HIGH · 2–2½ hours

Desserts cook on HIGH. Put a paper towel under the lid to catch condensation.

Done when

Edges set; center soft. Pumpkin holds more moisture, so give it the full rest.

You'll Need

1 packet Cook SLO Pumpkin Spice Lava Cake
1 cup Canned pumpkin purée
2 Large eggs
¾ cup Whole milk
½ cup Butter, melted
1¼ cups Hot water

What you add

1 cup

Canned pumpkin purée

Large eggs

¾ cup

Whole milk

1¼ cups

Hot water

Desserts cook on HIGH. Paper towel under the lid

Toppings & mix-ins

Vanilla ice creamWhipped creamToasted pecansCaramel drizzleExtra cinnamonCream cheese frosting

Whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon is the simplest finish and hard to beat.

Before anything goes in the pot

1
Whisk the batter in a bowl, not in the crock
Lumps mixed in the pot stay lumps. A bowl and a whisk take one minute and the difference is visible in the finished cake.

These happen outside the crock pot, before it's switched on.

Tonight's Plan

1
Grease the crock pot or drop in a liner.
This batter sticks.
2
Whisk the packet, pumpkin, eggs, milk and melted butter together until smooth.
In a bowl. Pumpkin needs proper whisking to blend evenly.
3
Pour the batter into the crock pot and spread it flat.
Even layer.
4
Pour the hot water gently over the top and do not stir.
Same rule as every molten cake.

Right before you serve

Finishing touches

Turn it off and let it stand 15–20 minutes with the lid off.

Pumpkin cake needs slightly longer to set than chocolate.

Spoon from the pot, scooping sauce from the bottom over each serving.

Dig deep.

Stirring

Do not stir once the lid is on

Cakes, cobblers and puddings set in layers. Stirring collapses the separation between the cake and the sauce underneath, and you end up with one uniform wet layer instead of two good ones.

Swaps and add-ins

Add pecans.

Half a cup over the batter before the water.

Make it a pumpkin cheesecake version.

Dollop four ounces of softened cream cheese on the batter before the water.

Add chocolate chips.

Half a cup. Pumpkin and chocolate is underrated.

Use maple instead of some sugar.

Two tablespoons of maple syrup in the batter.

Tips for success

Purée, not pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced. Using it makes the dessert cloying and throws off the balance.
Do not stir after the water. Same rule as every molten cake in this book.
It needs a little longer to set. Fifteen to twenty minutes resting, versus fifteen for the chocolate versions.
Drop in a liner before anything else. Smooth it against the sides and fold the edges over the rim. When you're done, lift it out and throw it away — the crock never needs scrubbing.

Finish it right

Whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

The simplest finish and genuinely the best one for this cake.

Toasted pecans.

Crunch against a very soft dessert.

A drizzle of caramel.

Pumpkin and caramel is a natural pairing.

Serve it over

Warm with vanilla ice creamWith whipped cream and cinnamonWith toasted pecansOn a holiday dessert table

Tomorrow night

Warm it up.

Twenty seconds in the microwave.

Pumpkin parfaits.

Layered with whipped cream and granola.

Pumpkin milkshake.

Blended with vanilla ice cream.

Cold with coffee.

It sets dense, almost like a pumpkin bar.

Keeping it

Fridge

Covered, up to 3 days

Freezer

Not recommended — the sauce layer separates.

Reheating

Twenty seconds in the microwave.

Questions people ask

Recipe card