Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake from Paula Deen

Do you still need to come up with a dessert idea for Christmas, or like me, a pot luck dinner? We had our annual Christmas pot luck at our church on Sunday and I wanted to whip up something different, so I gave this Paula Deen recipe a try. I've got to tell you I almost backed out of making this when I saw the ingredient list, but decided it was a Christmas dinner after all! Who counts calories at Christmas? This gooey, decadent dessert was a great hit at the dessert table, with hardly a piece left!

I loved the gooey texture and creamy pumpkin flavor. It is really rich though, so rich that my kids didn't really enjoy it. So, I may not make this for my family again, however, the recipe will be in my file for future pot lucks! It is easy to assemble, tastes great and the gooey factor makes it rather decadent, especially when topped with homemade whipped cream!

The recipe has a very high 5 star rating on Paula' site. My photos don't do it justice, but when in a hurry to get to the dinner, this was the best I had time to do. I topped this Pumpkin Gooey butter Cake with whipped cream and dusted it with ground cinnamon. Let me know if you give this recipe a try. Now here's what you do:

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE - from Paula Deen

Ingredients

Cake layer:

1 18 1/4 ounce package yellow layer cake mix

1 egg

8 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened at room temperature

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 tablespoons melted butter

1 16 ounce box powdered sugar (yup, you read that right)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg- I only used 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, the egg, and 8 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix thoroughly and pat into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.

To prepare the filling, beat cream cheese and pumpkin together in a large bowl.

Add eggs, vanilla and butter and combine well. Now add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well.

Spread filling over the cake mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a bit gooey. Over baking will also make the bottom layer too dry. Serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!