pumpkin spice cake

This time of year, when the leaves are falling from the trees, and the house is warm with the fireplace on, there is something about the weather which makes me crave pumpkin. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bars, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies--and especially pumpkin pie. I appeased a bit of my craving the other day by making a pumpkin cake.

It was a breezy afternoon and the noon sunlight was pouring in through the windows as I pulled out the recipe and began to gather the ingredients. Mixing things together, pouring this and that into the mixing bowl, cracking egg after egg and chopping the nuts one by one, the cake began to form.

Once it was put into the oven, I sat and waited rather impatiently for it to bake. The minutes ticked by slowly, but as they did, the air was filled with the sweet aroma of autumn. Softly, music played on the radio, and I sat with a book in hand waiting for the beep of the oven when it was done.

While it was certainly not the most beautiful cake I've ever seen, it was delicious. My mother got the recipe from a friend at church last year, and ever since, it's been a favorite at our house. The nuttiness of the walnuts mixed with the creaminess of the pumpkin was sensational. The taste of cinnamon and the hint of ginger collided together to create the most extraordinary burst of spices. It definitely satisfied my longing for pumpkin, until of course, I find another magnificent pumpkin recipe that I can't pass up.

recipe:

1 29 oz. can of pumpkin

4 eggs, beaten

1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teas. ginger

1 teas. cinnamon

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup of chopped pecans {i used walnuts instead}

1 cup melted butter.

Mix pumpkin, eggs, milk, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon and beat well. Pour mixture into a glass 13"x9" pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle nuts on top; drizzle melted button evenly over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream {my personal favorite}. Allow to bake during your meal--it smells wonderful! 

-Kimberly