Magic Pumpkin Cake

I love FALL!  Not just the cooler weather and harvest but the tastes of fall.  My favorite taste of fall is pumpkin.  So, when I found this recipe the other day, I knew I needed to give it a try.  It was just magical in taste and how it baked.  Enjoy!

1 box vanilla cake mix (plus ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil, water)

1 (30 oz.) can Pumpkin Pie Mix*

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

2 eggs

1 (3.5 oz.) box instant vanilla pudding

2 t. pumpkin pie spice, divided use

1 cup cold milk

1 (8 oz.) tub whipped topping, thawed

*Pumpkin Mix Note:  use pumpkin pie mix NOT canned pumpkin.  Pumpkin Pie Mix already has the pumpkin and seasoning and sugar added to it.  All you have to do is add the eggs and evaporated milk to it.  Canned pumpkin is pure pumpkin and we don't want that here.

Preheat oven to 350*.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish (don't bake yet!).  

Now prepare the pumpkin pie mix.  Combine contents of can of pumpkin pie mix with eggs and evaporated milk and one teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.  Stir well.  Slowly pour the pumpkin pie mix right onto the cake batter (over the entire cake).

Bake for about 50-60 minutes.  The cake will look a little darker than what you're used to and that's normal.  And fear not - there will be layers under there!

Allow cake to cool completely - at least a couple of hours.  Once cake is cooled, begin making topping.  Combine package of instant pudding with teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.  Then pour in cold milk.  Whisk mixture until pudding begins to thicken.  Then gently fold whipped topping into the pudding.  Spread topping onto cooled cake.

You can serve it immediately but I would recommend putting it in the fridge for at least an hour.  

Optional:  sprinkle some mini chocolate chips on top of finished cake.  Keep refrigerated if not eating immediately.