Pumpkin Crunch

I got this recipe from my aunt Candace.  The original recipe called for 1 cup of melted butter to be poured over everything right before the cake goes in the oven.  We omitted the butter entirely and the dessert turned out great.  You can add the butter if you want.  This tastes like pumpkin pie and is great served warm with vanilla ice-cream.

15oz can pumpkin
3 eggs
12oz can evaporated milk
1/4 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped walnuts
white chocolate chips (optional)

1. Combine pumpkin, eggs, milks, sugar, and all spices.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.
2. Sprinkle dry yellow cake mix over the top.
3. Sprinkle walnuts over that.
4. Bake 1 hour at 350 or until set.
5. Sprinkle 1 cup white chocolate chips on hot cake if desired.
6. Serve warm with ice-cream.  It is also good cold.

Root Beer Cake

I love this frosting.  When I made this cake I used ghiradelli cocoa powder and ghiradelli dark chocolate.  We made this to celebrate Doug finishing the Colorado bar.

For Cake:
2 cups root beer (don't use diet)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

For Frosting:
1 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar

• Preheat oven to 325.  Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray.  Dust with flour, shaking out the excess.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. 
• Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt.
• In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into cooled cocoa mixture until combined.  Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture.  The batter will be slightly lumpy.
• Pour the batter into bundt pan and bake 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time.  Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack and then gently loosen the cake from sides of pan and turn it onto the rack.
• Make frosting:  put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix on medium-low until combined and satiny smooth.
• Frost the cake.  Let the frosting set before serving.