For years I’ve seen the recipe for Pumpkin Crunch Cake in various cookbooks and thought it looked good in the pictures, but since it called for margarine and frozen whipped topping, I never tried it. Those are two substandard and disgusting ingredients I refuse to use in cooking and refuse to have in my house, not only because they have no nutrition to speak of and are full of horribly scary ingredients and preservatives most of us can’t pronounce, but most importantly because they truly don’t taste good, especially when compared with the real ingredients they’re supposed to duplicate. I’ve always felt sorry for those unfortunate souls who have never tasted real whipped cream, and also for those who are under the impression that margarine is actually an edible foodstuff. However, when one of my friends told me that her family won’t have Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Crunch Cake, and that her family likes it even better than pumpkin pie, I decided to try it. (Of course, I substituted butter for margarine and topped mine with real whipped cream – what a waste it would be to spend precious time making a dessert with inferior ingredients.)

Unfortunately, there are no health benefits in this dessert to speak of, except for the fact that almost everyone feels better after eating it. It’s delicious and moist, with the flavors of the holiday season. It’s easy, too, and can be put together in 10-15 minutes, partly due to the fact that it calls for a commercial cake mix (which, regrettably does contain a few unpronounceable ingredients and preservatives but is worth it due to the time saving aspect). Pumpkin Crunch Cake stays moist for days if it lasts that long, and is a great dessert for a buffet or to take to a pot luck or holiday party. Hopefully, you’ll make yours with real butter and top it with real whipped cream; you can then call your version “Better than My Neighbor’s Pumpkin Crunch Cake,” and believe me, it will be.

24 Servings

1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 15.25 ounce yellow cake Mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup melted butter

2 cups sweetened real whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray a 9 x 13" glass casserole dish with non-stick spray.
3. Whiz the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in the blender or food processor, scraping the sides once. Alternately, mix the ingredients with a mixer or by hand with a whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
5. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture and top with the pecans.
6. Drizzle the butter over the pecans.
7. Bake 60-70 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and the middle is set.
8. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
9. To serve, cut into squares and top with sweetened whipped cream.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 298 Calories from Fat 154
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 52% Protein 4% Carb. 45%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 17 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Cholesterol 68 mg
Sodium 302 mg
Total Carbohydrate 33 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 22 g
Protein 3 g

Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% Iron 2%