Everyday Mom's Meals: Thanksgiving Wishes

With only TEN days until Thanksgiving, I hope your menus are starting to come together. Mine is planned, the turkey has been purchased and is waiting in the freezer, as are the fresh cranberries. Next Sunday the bird will make its way into the fridge to begin thawing, and before you know it, the parade will be on and Santa will be making his way down 34th Street!

Twelve years ago the EMM Thanksgiving recipe was for Pumpkin Dump Cake, and when I was trying to decide what this year's would be, I decided it was time for an update, beginning with the name.

Don't get me wrong, I am not hating on anyone's "dump cake" game. The entire concept is you can dump all the ingredients together and bake. Super easy and the name completely makes sense. I just have this aversion to the word dump. It's one of those that makes me cringe every time I hear it. We all have those words, right? We will get to the new name in a bit.

The next step in this recipe upgrade was decided when I was wandering the baking aisle looking for the yellow cake mix that was on sale that week. That is when I found a spice cake mix and it was like the angels were singing right there in Walmart.

Pumpkin and spice are a match made in heaven, after all they are the stars of an entire flavor craze every fall. So why not add another layer of flavor to this dessert, knowing it would be perfect for Thanksgiving dessert.

Now, for the name. I still hadn't decided what I was going to name this 2023 version, until I took it out of the oven. The little guy was walking past and said "Mommy, your cobbler smells so good!" Ta-da! Sure, it's not a traditional cobber, but if it looks close enough for a 7 year old, that's good enough for this food blogger.

If you have never made this style of "dump" (ugh!) dessert before, the most important things to remember are to use the cake mix dry, you will not need the oil and water on the back of the box, and yes, you truly do need both sticks of butter. This isn't the time to start counting calories!

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with bountiful blessings, people you love and memories to last a life time. And if you still need one more dessert, this Pumpkin Cobbler would be a tasty choice.

What kind of pumpkin do I use?

For this recipe you want a can of pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix.

What kind of cake mix can I use instead of spice?

You could also use yellow cake mix or even white. I would love to try a gingerbread cake mix too.

Do I have to use pecans?

You could swap them for chopped walnuts, or omit them completely.

What is Ceylon cinnamon?

Ceylon cinnamon has a lighter, brighter and spicier flavor than the cassia variety, which is what most of us use. I like using Ceylon when baking, but traditional ground cinnamon would work too.

Does this have to be refrigerated?

Yes! Keep any leftovers in the fridge, covered for 2-3 days. I actually really like how this tastes chilled

Best Tips

Make sure your 9x13 baking dish is deep enough to prevent spilling over.

The mixture is very wet. Don't be alarmed when it looks like soup before baking.

Be sure to pour the melted butter evenly over the top. This is how the cake mix turns into a crispy topping.

If you use ground cinnamon instead of Ceylon, you might only want 1 teaspoon.

Ground nutmeg can be swapped for allspice.

Pumpkin Cobbler

1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

3 eggs

2 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 (13.25 oz.) spice cake mix

2 sticks butter, melted

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 baking dish. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, cinnamon and salt. Stir well. Transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle with DRY cake mix. Sprinkle with pecans. Pour butter over top. Do NOT mix. Bake for 50-60 minutes until browned and a toothpick inserted into middle comes out mostly clean. If it is still loose in the middle, don't worry. It will continue to set as it cools down. Serve with whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon.