Jacque's Pumpkin Pie Cake

If you are a regular reader of Near to Nothing, you know that we like to tweak other people’s recipes.  In fact, when I cook, I rarely even use a recipe.  But Jacque’s Pumpkin Pie Cake is one recipe I do not mess with!  You just can’t improve upon perfection.  It was given to me by a sweet woman who has known my husband since he was in kindergarten.

I generally do not make dishes that call for mixes or ingredients that I do not normally keep in my pantry, but this one is worth it.  I have to plan ahead to make this because it calls for a box of cake mix and evaporated milk.  In the fall and winter I usually keep puréed pumpkin in my pantry or freezer.

If you are buying canned pumpkin, be sure to check the label carefully.  It is usually found right next to the cans of pumpkin pie filling.  You want straight pumpkin for this recipe.

Evaporated milk is milk that has had about 60% of the water removed.  Do not substitute sweetened condensed milk for evaporated milk.  Sweetened condensed milk has about 15% sugar added and is then condensed to about one-third of its original volume.  When baking with either of these milk products, I always use regular, not fat-free.

Jacque’s Pumpkin Pie Cake

4 eggs

20 oz. (2½ c.) evaporated milk

2½ c. pumpkin purée

1½ c. sugar

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 box yellow cake mix (vanilla is amazing too!)

1 stick butter, melted

1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease 9x13 pan; set aside.  In large bowl, whisk eggs by hand to break up yolks and whites.  Add evaporated milk, pumpkin, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Whisk until smooth and blended well.  Pour into prepared pan.

Whisking the eggs first helps
incorporate them more
uniformly.

Pour cake mix into medium bowl.  Add melted butter and mix until all cake mix is wet.  Sprinkle over pumpkin mixture.  Sprinkle nuts on top.  Bake about 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm or chilled with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

Topping should be crumbly with
hardly any dry spots.

I prefer to serve this dessert
chilled with whipped cream.

I normally chop the nuts bigger,
but I was at the bottom of the bag.

So simple, yet elegant enough to
look amazing on my china.

Note:  Ok, I did change one little thing.  I decreased the baking time from what Jacque wrote.  She lives at a higher elevation, and I live practically at sea level.

On a semi-related note, Kimiko promised a picture of our dad's grandkids pumpkins in her roasted pumpkin seed post.  You can find last year's pumpkins at the bottom of that post.  Here are this year's: