Happy Halloween! What a fun reason to play with costumes and eat lots of candy. I’ll take that any day. Here is a recipe for a delicious treat for a busy day, whether Halloween, a weekend football party, or just because it tastes so good and your family is craving dessert. I’m making this dessert for my friend Beth. Where as many of us view pumpkin as a seasonal food, she would eat almost anything pumpkin flavored any day of the year. I made this for her a long time ago and she’s still talking about it – so I thought maybe everyone should have this great recipe. Here is the best part; it’s made in the crockpot! That means you literally add a few ingredients, set the timer, and wait for the most marvelous smell to fill your home. Once you walk away, you have four and a half hours to do other stuff, read a book, take a walk, work a crossword, clean out a closet - the possibilities are endless.
The idea behind this recipe is nothing new. My family has made the notorious “dump cake” for years, which basically involves putting some kind of batter in a dish and topping it with fruit and butter. You put it in the oven – no stirring - and somehow it just works out and turns into a version of a cobbler/cake. What makes this different is using pumpkin and pouring everything else over the top – well, that plus the novelty of making it in a crockpot. My family was intrigued but kind of dubious. They’ve had some of my less successful attempts at crockpot desserts – here is a hint – caramel sauce burns. About an hour in the aroma was so irresistible that I had to put the ominous note on the actual crockpot – “DO NOT OPEN.” It was worth it. The pumpkin cake steamed it’s way to perfection – delicious cake top with pecans and luscious maple flavored pumpkin underneath. A little ice cream or whipped cream, though not essential, is a very lovely addition. By the time you read this you may be making your way through a bowl of chocolate delights not yet claimed by trick or treaters, but wait and read it again tomorrow. You will want to make this. Yum!
Ingredients
2 cans pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cloves, ginger, cinnamon)
½ tsp salt
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
cooking spray
Directions
Spray crockpot with cooking spray.
Mix pumpkin puree with sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
Put pumpkin mixture in crockpot.
Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture.
Pour melted butter over the top of the cake mix.
Sprinkle with nuts.
Cook on low setting for 4 ½ hours.
Enjoy with ice cream, whipped cream or all by itself.
Great cold leftover too!
BB8 (CC8)
