Donna's Almost All Homemade Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake

My friend Donna Cruz is an accomplished hostess. She can serve a crowd of hungry men and women in the blink of an eye. Her food is tasty, filling, and served with laughter and love.

Recently, she had a group from high school over for a delicious dinner. After we ate just about everything in sight, we managed to "ooh and ahh" over this layer cake as she sliced and served it. It is very moist and filled with flavor.

When making a dinner for a large crowd, sometimes you want a little help in the dessert department – and that's where some cake mixes can come in handy. I am not always a fan of using cake mixes, but in this recipe, there is almost no way you could tell the difference. Adding the canned pumpkin and walnuts makes it your own.

Frosting a layer cake is enough work – so make life a little easier on yourself and take a small shortcut with this recipe.

Donna's Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

1 package spice cake mix

1 cup water

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

¾ cup walnuts

1 package (8 oz.) Neufchatel cheese, softened

1 tub Cool Whip, any style, thawed

1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix, water, pumpkin, oil, and eggs together with electric beaters on low until well combined. With a spoon, mix in about half of the walnuts.

Pour batter into two greased and floured 9" round cake pans. Bake about 30-32 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat the cheese, cool whip and brown sugar together. Frost cake as desired, topping with remaining walnuts.

Serve immediately, or keep in a cool place or refrigerated until ready to serve.

Serves 10-14                        

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on January 6, 2011.