This is a variation of two recipes.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter melted
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 (29 oz) can pumpkin not pumpkin pie mix
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- 1 cup table sugar
- 5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 package cream cheese softened in microwave oven
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 package instant vanilla pudding
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- Carbohydrate 41.0562827106358 g
- Cholesterol 66.3715625065405 mg
- Fat 20.3867302107888 g
- Fiber 1.47741878088616 g
- Protein 5.7740325000193 g
- Saturated Fat 7.5920216265557 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (98g)
- Sodium 371.33102085082 mg
- Sugar 39.5788639297496 g
- Trans Fat 1.92010822933458 g
- Calories 363 calories
Step-by-step
- Grease 9 x 13 pan or 12" Camp Dutch Oven with (2) tablespoons butter.
- In one bowl combine cake mix, pudding, (1/2) cup graham crackers and (2) teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
- In one bowl blend pumpkin, eggs, evaporated milk, table sugar, salt and (3) teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
- Pour pumpkin mix into pan or dutch oven.
- Sprinkle cake mixture evenly over pumpkin mix.
- Cut in the cake mix in with a fork or knife. Do not over do it. There should be some dry cake mix on top.
- In a small bowl warm up cream cheese in microwave and blend in (1) cup powdered sugar.
- Spread cream cheese mix over cake mix.
- Sprinkle (2) tablespoons brown sugar over cream cheese.
- Mix remaining graham crackers with (2) tablespoons brown sugar. Blend in (6) tablespoons of melted butter until it makes a crumbly topping.
- Sprinkle graham cracker topping over the cream cheese.
- Sprinkle walnuts over the crackers.
- Bake in Camp Dutch Oven at 350 F for about 1 -1/2 hours (cold start) or until done. Bake in 9 x 13 at 350 F for about 1 hour or until done.
Cutting the dry cake mix into the liquid pumpkin base requires restraint. Overworking this interface dissolves distinct pockets of leavening agents, preventing the characteristic rise expected from dry-blend additions. Gentle knife strokes leave visible patches of flour mixture intact, which hydrates during baking to form localized crumb structures rather than a heavy batter. Pure pumpkin purée must replace pumpkin pie mix entirely. Unsweetened purée allows precise control over the table sugar and pumpkin pie spice quantities, preventing excessive sweetness and uneven moisture retention. Evaporated milk provides concentrated dairy proteins that coagulate alongside the three beaten eggs, establishing a firm custard matrix beneath the crumb topping. Softened cream cheese blended with powdered sugar creates a dense barrier layer. Powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which stabilizes the high fat content of the cream cheese during heating, preventing separation.
Baking Mediums and Thermal Transfer
Baking this dessert in a standard 9x13-inch metal pan requires approximately one hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Metal conducts heat rapidly, setting the edges and center through direct thermal radiation. Utilizing a 12-inch Camp Dutch Oven demands a longer window of one and a half hours under a cold start protocol. Cast iron transfers heat more gradually, requiring sustained thermal energy to penetrate the dense layers of squash custard and graham cracker crumbs without burning the exterior walnuts.Structural Toppings
The final layer relies on precise fat-to-crumb ratios. Six tablespoons of melted butter bind the remaining graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar into cohesive clusters. Insufficient butter yields a powdery dust that burns on the surface, while excess butter causes the topping to submerge into the cream cheese layer. Walnuts scattered across the top contribute polyunsaturated fats that toast during the final stages of baking, introducing contrasting texture against the soft custard below.
