Recipes

Ingredients

Cake Topping:

• ½ c butter
• ¼ c whipping cream
• ¾ c pecans, chopped
• 1 c packed dark brown sugar    

Cake Batter:

• 1-15.25 oz yellow cake mix plus ½ c dry mix from a 2^nd cake mix
• 2 c fresh pumpkin (1 c canned solid pumpkin)
• ½ c water
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ t pumpkin pie spice

Icing:

• 12 oz cream cheese softened   
• ¾ c solid white shortening
• 6-6 c powder sugar, measure then sift
• 1 t vanilla
• ¾ t pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325° F. Add whipping cream and brown sugar in a saucepan, stir together and add butter.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted.  Spray only sides of pan with non-stick spray.  Divide mixture into 2 8 in round cake pans, then sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Set aside.

Prepare batter- blend cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice using a hand mixer on low.  Continue mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed.  Divide batter gently over pecan mixture pan, evenly without disturbing the pecan mixture.  Bake about 45 minutes or until cake springs back to touch. Cool only 3-5 minutes and remove from pans to cooling rack or parchment paper, to avoid sticking and losing pecan mixture. Cool completely (1-2 hours) before assembling cake.

Make Icing by creaming together the cream cheese and shortening using mixer until blended.  Add 5 cups of sifted powder sugar, 1 c at a time, scraping sides of bowl to blend completely.  Add vanilla and beat for additional 2 minutes. If icing is too soft, add additional powdered sugar as needed until icing is right consistency to frost cake and hold shape.

Stack cake layers with pecan sides up icing in between layers.  Frost cake completely and smooth.  Chill cake until serving.