Turn A Box Of Cake Mix Into This Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake
Chilly air, changing leaves, and chunky sweaters wouldn't be complete without a sweet pumpkin recipe. There is an abundance of cozy desserts to be made during fall, and the best ones come from basic pantry staples. Give your boxed cake mix a spiced spin by turning it into pumpkin gooey butter cake.
St. Louis' gooey butter cake is one of the Midwest's best inventions, and adding canned pumpkin puree into the mix elevates the treat into the perfect autumnal dessert. Like the standard version, pumpkin gooey butter cake relies on boxed cake mix. Tasting Table recipe developer Hayley MacLean loves how the cake combines multiple desserts into one. "This treat is like a slice of cake, a cookie, and a bar all in one," she says. Hence the name, the cake has a custardy, gooey center that tastes incredibly luscious. The earthy pumpkin adds depth to the buttery cake, making the treat the perfect nightcap or midnight snack.
To make your own gooey butter pumpkin cake, mix the cake mix with an egg and melted butter, and add the batter to a baking dish. Mix the pumpkin puree with cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and butter before stirring in powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Once the ingredients are well-combined, spread the pumpkin mix atop the cake batter and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.
What kind of cake mix should you use in pumpkin gooey butter cake?
The recipe calls for yellow packaged cake mix, but you can go with any flavor you like. White and yellow cakes allow the pumpkin puree and spice to stand out; however, different varieties complement the squash wonderfully. Either gingerbread or spiced cake mix will enhance the pumpkin-flavored gooey butter cake. The extra spices give the cake a headier finish, perfect for people who like to add an extra dash of cinnamon or nutmeg to their desserts.
Dark chocolate cake mix can also add delicious depth to the pumpkin cake. Pumpkin puree's earthy, sweet flavor can easily stand against the richness of dark chocolate, making the two a delicious pair. Best of all, the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in pumpkin pie spice bring out the deep, woodsy nuances of dark chocolate.
To take your pumpkin gooey butter cake to the next level, elevate the ingredients you top it off with. Whipped cream is a common accompaniment to the dessert, but spiced or honey whipped cream is fitting for the autumnal treat. To give the cake a boozy kick, make a glaze with rum, butter, and sugar to drizzle atop the dessert once it's out of the oven.