Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray to ensure the dessert doesn't stick. Set it aside while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, whisk together the solid-pack pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, salt, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and the eggs are fully incorporated with no streaks of yolk or white remaining. This is your pumpkin batter.

Pour the pumpkin batter (from Step 2) evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the entire box of dry butter pecan cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture, covering it completely. Next, drizzle the melted butter evenly across the surface of the cake mix. This layering technique helps create a delicious contrast in texture between the creamy pumpkin base and the crunchy cake topping.

Evenly sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cake mix and butter layers. Then, lightly sprinkle the packed brown sugar over the top of the pecans. This will add a satisfying crunch and a hint of caramelized sweetness to your dessert. I love how the brown sugar creates little pockets of gooey texture on top!

Place the assembled dish in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. After about 45 minutes, check the cake: if the top is getting too brown, loosely cover the pan with foil and continue baking. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Spoon warm portions of the dessert onto plates or bowls and serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. This is my favorite way to enjoy this dessert—the cold creaminess perfectly balances the warm, spiced layers.