I started with a cake mix! Okay, you can pick yourself off the floor, now. Believe it or not, I actually keep a couple of boxed cake mixes in the cupboard, for those days when I want a quick treat. I am particular, though, and won’t buy just any partially-hydrogenated variety! (I usually buy the A&P/SuperFresh Yellow Cake mix because it’s one of the only ones out tere without partially hydrogenated fats…)

Now… just because it’s a cake mix doesn’t mean I’m not going to futz with it. After all, I have my reputation to uphold, right?!?

I found a great, quick recipe, and just happened to have all the ingredients on hand:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• (I added a tsp of vanilla)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in bowl of electric mixer. With electric mixer, blend all ingredients until moistened on low speed, then 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into greased and floured Bundt or tube cake pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from pan as this is a very moist cake.

It gets better…..

I bought this weird cake pan many moons ago to make an artichoke cake for a friend. (I’ll look for a picture…) Anyway… It sucks. Every cake I have ever made in it has stuck, no matter what I used to grease, flour, whatever. And today’s cake was no different…

It gets even better…..

I put the cake in about 2pm and was kinda planning what I was going to do for dinner when, at 2:25pm Victor comes into the kitchen saying “We’re supposed to be at the bank in 5 minutes!” Ooops!!

I looked in the oven, knowing the cake had at least 20 more minutes, and probably more, so… I lowered the heat to 275 and ran out the door.

We get home at 3:40pm and lo and behold, the cake looks perfect! Out of the oven it comes, and onto the rack to cool. Life is good.

It may have stuck, but damn, did it taste good!

And the cake pan?!? I threw it out.