Pumpkin Pie Gooey Butter Cake

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I do realize this is my third gooey butter cake recipe I've posted lately but hear me out - it's both baking season AND pumpkin season so how could I not make a pumpkin pie gooey butter cake?!

Ok, now that we all agree on that, let's continue.

So as you know, I'm a huge fan of baking season. Pumpkin season is nice but I'll admit I don't look forward to it. Cranberry is more my go-to fall flavor. And although I absolutely despise enduring these freezing cold temperatures (anything below 80ºF...burr!!!!) I am also thrilled for it to be October because scary movie season has begun!

I don't really make it to the movie theater very much since my schedule is planned out by a nine month old but I always tell you guys how I celebrate scary movie season every year so let me tell you this year's plans.

1. Channel Zero: The Dream Door starts October 26th on SYFY. I cannot wait for this show to start. I'm kicking myself for somehow missing the last season (Butcher's Block) because now I don't know how to watch it. If anyone does, please let me know! I think the last season looks the least interesting out of the four but I'd still like to see it. The best season so far was No End House. It's about a "traveling exhibit" haunted house with six rooms to explore. Nobody knows where the exhibit will be each year until ads for the house start showing in the city it's expected to be in. Ok, that's all I'm saying. I wish I could tell you how to watch that one too but I don't know :(
2. American Horror Story has already started and I need to start watching it. Each season of this show seems to be hit or miss for me but I hear this new season is really good so far. I have no idea what it's about so I'm just going to be surprised.
3. Netflix. Netflix is my thing lately simply because I need something to keep me awake while I breastfeed at night. I had never watched it on the computer until this year and noticed they added a Halloween tab. Right now I'm watching Malevolent and some other scary movies I've watched on there include The Witch, The Shining, The 3rd Eye, Stephanie, Demonic, Anguish, The Boy, The Lazarus Effect, The Babadook, The Conjuring, Oculus, Gerald's Game, and Before I Wake. There's plenty more but that's all I can think of right now. Oh my god, I watch a lot of Netflix...
4. The Nun. I probably won't see this one until it makes it to Netflix or DVD but I'd really like to see it. The only thing I really know about it is that it's a sort of prequel to The Conjuring and Annabelle movies which is about all I need to know to be sure I want to see it.

About the recipe... You may remember, I have a family recipe for gooey butter cake with several variations listed out. There was a pumpkin variation which called for a spice cake or yellow cake base and canned pumpkin pie filling added to the gooey layer. Since we're avoiding dairy in this recipe, I had to start with canned pumpkin instead. I almost did a layer of pumpkin pie underneath a pumpkin pie spice flavored gooey layer but decided to mix the pumpkin with the gooey layer instead. I was worried it would be too much like pumpkin pie but it really tastes like the perfect blend of pumpkin pie and gooey butter cake.

For my chocolate sunbutter gooey butter cake recipe, I used a chocolate cake mix by Simple Mills so I was looking to see if they had a spice cake mix when I found a pumpkin muffin/bread mix. Too perfect! I know what you're thinking - that's pumpkin spice on top of pumpkin spice...isn't that a little much? Don't worry, it works. If you're unsure about it, try a yellow cake mix or even the chocolate cake mix with some chocolate chips mixed in. Something about chocolate and pumpkin together is so good!

If this blog were a movie, that last sentence would be called "foreshadowing" ;)

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Pumpkin Pie Gooey Butter Cake

• Author: Meagan Fikes
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: one 9X13 inch cake (about 18 servings) 1x
• Method: baking

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Description

A fall version of the classic St. Louis dessert, this tastes like the perfect combination of pumpkin pie and gooey butter cake. Dairy free and gluten free.

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Ingredients

Cake layer:

• 18 oz gluten free and dairy free cake mix in either spice cake, pumpkin, or yellow varieties *see notes
• 2 large eggs
• ½ C (one stick) earth balance soy free buttery sticks, melted

Gooey layer:

• 8 oz (one package) Daiya plain cream cheeze style spread, softened
• 3 large eggs
• ½ C (one stick) earth balance soy free buttery sticks, melted
• 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 ½ C pumpkin puree
• ⅓ C full fat coconut milk
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 lb powdered sugar (grain/corn free, if needed)

Topping:

• 1 can (the soup can size) of coconut cream, chilled

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a lightly colored, metal 9×13 inch pan.
2. Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the cake mix, two eggs, and ½ C melted butter alternative. Once combined, it will be crumbly.
3. Press this mixture into the bottom of the pan.
4. Using a mixer again, beat the cream cheese alternative until it is as smooth as possible (it may stay a little lumpy but you will be able to completely smooth it in the next step).
5. Add the three remaining eggs, vanilla extract, the other ½ C butter alternative, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, and pumpkin pie spice then beat until completely smooth.
6. Gradually mix in all of the powdered sugar. The end result should be like a smooth batter. Pour this over the cake layer and gently tap the pan on the counter to get it to spread out evenly.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. The center should still be a little jiggly and finish setting once it’s removed from the oven (like a baked cheesecake). Additionally, some oil may pool on the top of the cake – don’t confuse this oil with undercooked batter or you could end up over cooking it.
8. Meanwhile, use a hand mixer to whip the coconut cream and store in the fridge until you're ready to serve the dessert.
9. Once the cake has been removed from the oven and cooled, you can cut it into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped coconut cream. Sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired.

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Notes

I originally used Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin and Bread Mix in this recipe but the Simple Mills allergen chart (updated 4/9/2019) shows it is made on shared equipment with wheat (as well as milk and other potential allergens you may have, click on "Allergen Info" on their product page to read more) so I will be using a different brand going forward. Any gluten free/dairy free cake mix should work just fine but know that it is currently untested with other brands. Note that you will probably only need one egg in the cake layer if you do not use a Simple Mills mix.

Brands other than those I’ve linked to in the ingredients section may or may not work but these are the brands I tested the recipe with. An exception would be the grain free powdered sugar – I used conventional powdered sugar but either one will work fine.