BWW Cooks: Easy (No Work) Pumpkin Cake

Thanksgiving again? Sure, it's everyone's nearly favorite holiday, and time to start the annual argument over what businesses should be open and what should be closed so that everyone can spend the day with family and friends whether they want to or not. If you're the one cooking, either you love to cook for a crowd or you're the friend or family member who got conned into it, unless you're doing a potluck dinner and someone else got the turkey.

Remember dessert - and if it's a potluck, this year, offer to bring it. Because this year, you have an alternative to pumpkin pie. An alternative to pumpkin pie that many who have tried it prefer to pumpkin pie. An alternative that's not as sweet, or as damp, or as messy to make, as pumpkin pie. An alternative that makes a 9 by 13 inch pan of dessert in one recipe. An alternative that's easier than pie, and that tastes great. But give it another name. Because, let's face it, "pumpkin dump cake" doesn't have a fabulous ring to it.

Yes, dump cake, the mock cobbler of heaven. The super-simple answer to desserts for a few decades now. Pumpkin dump cake comes out looking rather more attractive than most dump cakes, it has interesting possible variations, and you can practically mix it in your sleep. Also, many baking websites now bear reports that both men generally, and many families, including children, will choose it over pie given the chance to pick just one, after trying both. If you're like me and you can't make a decent pie crust to save your life - though I've had old farm wives tell me how amazing my secretly-used frozen store crusts were once or twice - the dump cake option is a real winner, especially made with a spice cake mix and topped with French vanilla ice cream.

For those of you unfamiliar with dump cake, a truly non-artisanal piece of home cooking beloved of busy moms, the basic idea is that you throw things in a baking dish, one on top of another, and then just put it in the oven to bake for 45 to 60 minutes. The basics are a fruit layer (fruit pie fillings are easy and quick and work very well), evenly sprinkle on cake mix, and cover the dry cake mix with a layer of melted or thinly sliced butter - an entire stick of it. Spices may be added, or the fruit layer composed and even cooked. The result is usually somewhere between a fruit cobbler and a fruit buckle, with a thin layer of rich cake over a thick, rich fruit filling. In pumpkin dump cake, the more aesthetic effect comes from being able to spread a very even, flat layer of batter-like filling in the baking dish, with the cake on top. An additional layer of pecans topping it off makes it ready-garnished prior to covering with whipped cream or ice cream.

First off, you have a choice of cake mixes. The better the quality of the mix, the better the cake. It's all about taste here. Many recipes call for white cake mix. I prefer yellow cake mix, especially a butter cake mix, to white. (Like Paula Deen, I believe that the more butter involved, the more delicious a dessert will be. Butter isn't just a fat, it's a food group.) No, this is not a time for showing off your light, fluffy, delicious layer cake that involves a meringue. Dump cakes were invented by busy women who needed something they could assemble in ten or fifteen minutes. We're not generating a high, light topping here, but a thick, dense one. If your grocer is well-stocked on mixes other than white, yellow, and chocolate, check for a spice layer cake mix for this particular dump cake. It will make the flavor completely wonderful as it complements the pumpkin. Otherwise, use yellow cake mix. You want a two-layer mix.

This is one of the few dump cakes baked with something on top - in this case, pecans. Use chopped, not whole, pecans. Be sure they're not pre-roasted or toasted, as the baking will take care of that for you. You'll want a half-cup to a cup of pecans, depending on how much you love them. Yes, if there are nut allergies, omit the pecans - but if you don't have to omit them, be sure to use them. The flavor and crunch are worth it.

Now, you can't use pumpkin straight out of the can here. You can't even use pumpkin pie mix straight out of the can. Apple pie filling is ready to go, but these things aren't. You'll need to add eggs and milk. For those of you who were around for a recent column, think evaporated milk. The easiest way to do this is to get the two-pie can (or two one-pie cans) of the pre-mixed pumpkin pie mix, and follow the directions, which will include beating in milk (use evaporated) and eggs. Once mixed, spread them evenly in the pan. Don't worry about a greased pan here. You won't really need it. If you only have plain canned pumpkin, use enough for two pies and follow the traditional pie custard recipe on the can. Pie filling mix saves the time of measuring and adding spices and sugar and the effort of wondering if you have allspice or pumpkin pie spice in the house.

Open the dry cake mix - spice is best, followed by yellow cake - and sprinkle it as evenly as possible over the top of the pumpkin filling. This is not going to come out as layer cake, but as a dense, buttery, thin top crust. Make it as even as possible with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

Now it's time for the butter. One stick is called for in most recipes, but you can use up to two sticks depending on your taste and the degree oF Browning you want. Butter can be melted and poured evenly, or very thinly sliced and placed evenly across the top of the cake mix. There are those who swear by sliced butter, and others who insist melted butter yields better results. The truth is that your dinner guests will eat it either way. It depends almost entirely on your desire for delicious, soothing, buttery richness. If your guests are already going to be stuffed to death on turkey and mashed potatoes and aren't about to eat huge pieces of this, use one stick. If they prefer a lighter dinner menu with more vegetables and less tryptophan, you can use two sticks of butter without worrying about either digestion or everyone falling asleep at the table.

Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top, and send it off into a 350 degree oven. Check it around 40 minutes in; it will take from 5 to 20 minutes longer, depending on how cooked and how golden the top is. My own oven almost always needs an hour. It can be served hot or cold, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream - or go all-out and plop on some rich butter pecan ice cream, if you're me. For bedtime noshing, a small square in a cereal bowl with heavy cream over it is a huge treat for rich food snackers.

This isn't an elegant dessert, but neither is the traditional pie. If you need a lighter, more exquisite dessert, make a pumpkin mousse. If you want everyone to dig into something rich and delicious that's not one more pie, however, this is a go-to recipe that is easily made a day in advance. Try the switch; you'll be happy to escape the same old pie, while keeping the familiar Thanksgiving flavors.

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