As of this past weekend, it is officially fall! I couldn’t be more excited. I just love this time of year. Every morning, when I wake up and brush my teeth in the bathroom, I look out the window that faces our woods. Each day, I notice the leaves changing more and more. There is nothing more beautiful than a gorgeous, brightly colored tree in October.
Speaking of beautiful trees, let me tell you where my favorite trees are. Every year, they take my breath away. They are literally right across from the Kwik Fill in Newberry. Can’t miss them. It’s two trees, but it looks like one big one. That’s what makes the colors so extraordinary. Last year, I took a picture of them each time I got gas. I loved seeing how each time I went, how much more they changed. From all green to slowly changing colors. Full-color changes right down to the last leaf that fell. I have a file of them on my phone from last year, and I wanted to do a time capsule on them but have never had a chance to do so yet. It has so many different colors! It’s seriously magical-looking; take a look!
Want to know something else magical? It’s a dessert I make over and over and over again, and people just go crazy over it. Every. Single. Time. There is hardly any ever left.
I made it for our church picnic this year, and so many people told me how good it was. My dear girlfriend, Audrey Confair, asked for the recipe and if I could put it in the Webb Weekly. I told her, “Absolutely!” I was sure I had it in before, but this is another one of those recipes that needs to be in once a year. It’s THAT good, and the best part is that it is so easy to make.
We always attend our riverlot neighbors’ (who are like family to us) Labor Day party every year. Last year, I made my pumpkin dump cake. As I was carrying it to the table, people followed me to get some. They went nuts over it, and it was gone in less than ten minutes. It was such a hit that I promised I would make it again this year. Except this year, I made a double batch! I figured that would be loads. I made a single batch for the church picnic, and there were probably 30-40 of us, and I only had a little left. This double batch didn’t stand a chance at this party! Gone in less than thirty minutes once dessert started.
But before dessert even started at this party, people put some into bowls and took it to their campers to make sure they got some. This made me giggle and feel so good! Next year, I will be working on a quadruple batch. Oh! And no lie — some sweet younger guy asked who made the pumpkin dump cake, and Jess Lukowsky pointed at me, saying, “The Chef did over there!” This man looked and pointed at me, and I quote, yelled, “You are the s**t!” I was dying!
People just go nuts over this. For the first time, I had a little left over, like I said from the church picnic, and it was cold. The first time I ever ate it cold out of the fridge. Oh, my goodness, it was just as amazing cold, too! You must dollop with Cool Whip. It completes it.
So, for your next fall function or holiday party, check out this recipe. It is sure to be a hit. There is something magical in this recipe that all comes together in your crockpot. I can’t explain it. Just try it for yourself and watch the magic happen.
It’s officially fall, y’all!
Crockpot Pumpkin Dump Cake
Ingredients:
• Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying the slow cooker insert
• Two 15-ounce cans pumpkin pie filling
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• One 15.25-ounce box of french vanilla or any white cake box
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
First, spray the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
Gently combine the pumpkin, granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a bowl, then dump it into the slow cooker insert. Mix in sugar and spice just a bit. Sprinkle the cake mix over the pumpkin, then, as evenly as possible, pour the melted butter on top and finish with the chopped pecans. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 4 1/2 hours (the edges of the cake should be starting to brown and crisp slightly).
Serve warm with a dollop Cool Whip, or even great cold!
