Pecan Pumpkin Cake Pie

Hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Since it was just us this year, we missed traveling and bowling with frozen turkeys and two meals in one day and a table full of desserts. I had to make something, but deciding between pumpkin pie and pecan pie and spice cake and all the other choices was too hard so we settled on the pecan pumpkin cake pie. Variations on this theme can be found all over the internet. The version I used is from Betty Crocker herself. It is a great compromise to make one Thanksgiving dessert that covers all the bases!

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix or spice cake mix
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
Whipped cream, if desired
Additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired

Start by melting the butter. (I forgot to do that!) Oil, grease, spray or just melt your butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish*.
Mix the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar and spice mix in the mixer. You could probably do this by hand but watch for lumps. Pour into the baking dish. It will be runny.
Sprinkle the cake mix on top. Put the pecans on top of that. Slowly pour the butter over all of that. Make sure you distribute the butter and don't just pour it in a pool in the middle. Sprinkle some more spice on top of that. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 - 60 minutes.

*I am baking mine in my microwave using the convection function. I put it into an 8 x 12 inch baking dish. It was full but not quite overflowing. Both the cake and the pie were thicker than would be expected in a larger pan but it was yummy never the less.

I have no idea what the additional pumpkin pie spice is for or why you would desire it. If I were to use it again, I would probably add it to the cake mix. I would also be likely to try for a caramel or spice cake rather than the yellow cake.