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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Here’s a wonderful, easy to make, delicious cake for fall: pumpkin crunch cake!

It’s got all the cinnamon flavor you love, plus the richness of pumpkin and the crunchy topping of walnuts or pecans, whichever you prefer. It all works together to make one of our favorite cooler-weather cakes. If you need a Thanksgiving dessert that isn’t pie, this one might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake topping layer:

One boxed yellow cake mix

One tsp pumpkin pie spice (If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves or nutmeg, whatever you have! If you have two of the above spices, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of whichever two spices you have on hand.)

For the pumpkin pie layer:

15 ounce can pumpkin (Not pumpkin pie filling)

12 ounce can of evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon molasses

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

2 sticks butter, melted (for pouring over at the end)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine cake mix with 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, whisking together. Set aside.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients EXCEPT butter and nuts. Whisk together until smooth and combined.

4. Pour pumpkin mixture into baking dish.

5. Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin, completely covering.

6. Sprinkle nuts over cake mix layer.

7. Drizzle melted butter completely over the top, covering from corner to corner.

8. Bake for 50 minutes; top will be brown and crunchy!

(Note: If you don’t have molasses, you could also use 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar in place of the 1 1/2 cup white sugar. The molasses is simply there to add another level of flavor. The brown sugar adds a touch of that rich flavor that the molasses brings.)

Serve warm or cooled, and top with whipped cream or a small scoop of ice cream on the side, if desired. For me, the perfect accompaniment is hot coffee or tea!