PUMPKIN CRUNCH CAKE

Fall is here! I absolutely love fall! I love everything about fall: cool crisp air, cozy sweaters, changing leaves, harvest parties, the anticipation of the coming holidays, and pumpkin everything–pumpkin pie, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread – I could go on and on! And I am beyond excited to work on my delicious pumpkin recipes to share with you!

Funny thing, we don’t really have a true fall season in Hawaii. The leaves don’t change, and the air doesn’t get cool and crisp here, but having grown up in the Northwest and having experienced fall almost my whole life, it’s kind of ingrained in me. I have very vivid memories of fall; I can still smell the smells, feel the cold air, and hear the leaves crunching under my feet. So taking those memories, I recreate fall in our home, decorating with beautiful fall leaves and pumpkins and making delicious fall desserts! And here is one recipe that I make every fall.

This recipe is really easy–it only tastes like it was a lot of work! But that will be our little secret.

• In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix until completely incorporated and smooth. Then, pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared 9×13 baking dish.
• With your hands, sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin. DO NOT STIR! Equally distribute the cake batter (you want it as flat and level as possible, so when you pour the butter on top, it spreads out evenly and doesn’t puddle).
• Melt 1 cup of butter and set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon of melted butter (from the butter you just melted), and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir until the pecans are evenly coated. This creates candied pecans, which will have a nice, sweet crunch when baked.
• Pour the remaining butter over the top of the dry cake batter. Without mixing it into the cake batter, spread it out evenly, avoiding large puddles of butter forming.
• Evenly distribute the sugar-coated pecans on top of the butter.
• Bake for 40 minutes, then check the cake. If the top is browning, cover with tin foil and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes (total of 50 minutes of cooking time). To check for doneness, insert a knife to check. If the blade comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
• On a wire cooling rack, allow the cake to cool completely. Once cooled, place in refrigerator to chill and to finish setting up for a few hours before serving.
• Top with whipped cream and chopped pecans (optional). Serve.