PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

A Paula Deen favorite - I should have known when I saw how much butter to use! I don't know how I lived to nearly 40 y/o without ever tasting this but SIL introduced it to me a couple years ago. I was planning on making this for a surprise dessert tonight and thought I had all the ingredients, but unfortunately, I'm missing the cream cheese. Well, there's always tomorrow...One of these days I'm going to try the chocolate/peanut butter variation.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
  
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar*
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

*Reviews of this recipe said that it's very sweet and the sugar can be reduced to 3/4 or 1/2 the amount included here.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations: For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.