I gave this 5 stars after taking the advice of others to add three eggs. I also added 1/2 cup of apple sauce, pumpkin pie spice and cinamon. When cooled, I topped with cream cheese frosting from this site. I know this is a variation from the original 2 ingredients but I wanted to let everyone know how fabulous it turned out. I regularly cook for our extended family - up to 21 people (we take turns making dinner every night) - and EVERYONE thought this was to die for! I use baking for my mental therapy and this was one of my more rewarding quick fixes. Hope you'll try my suggestions.
Maybe this should be called "Three Ingredient Pumpkin Cake!" After reading all of the other reviews, I figured this many people can't be wrong so I added two eggs to the batter. That's the only ingredient change I made to the recipe and it turned out great. I didn't have the problem that some other reviewers mentioned about the batter being so difficult to mix. I used my very powerful stand mixer and it was blended in a snap. I baked it in a bundt pan for 30 minutes, which was adequate, although next time I might add 5 more minutes. I took it to a ladies Bible study and there were no leftovers. I didn't frost it, but I think I will make a cream cheese frosting next time ... and there will be a next time. It's just too easy and too good.
This recipe is better made as COOKIES! No eggs needed--mix the cake mix and pumpkin, add some chocolate chips if desired, and scoop onto cookie sheets!! Cook about 14-16 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Super easy, and SO GOOD! Better than store bought pumpkin chocolate chips cookies.
After reading reviews, I added 2 eggs, half a cup of applesauce, and I used pumpkin pie mix instead of just pumpkin - because it's what I had. I wanted to take a moment to thank you for this recipe. My family and I are living strictly off donations from a food pantry. We often get unusual ingredients and don't know what to do with them.... but no food can go to waste, everything has to get used. So many recipes have ingredients that we just don't have, or have access to. This recipe is two ingredients. Nothing fancy. If you have more, you can do more, but the base recipe will work. I have a family Christmas party to go to today, and thought I'd have to go empty handed. This recipe allowed me to make SOMETHING so I could celebrate, too, and not hang my head in shame. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and giving me dignity.
Five stars because of both simplicity and flavor. Have synthesized the various suggestions here to nail it down spot on. To the base cake, simply adding two eggs and 1/4 cup of sugar causes the cake to bake into a nice 'dome' shape as most cakes do in a 13 x 9 pan (30 minutes at 350 degrees F). The cake is enhanced by a super simple glaze: 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons milk. Blend and pour over warm cake. Finally, if you want to take it over the top, put a dollop of whipped cream then a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice to cap it off and you're there. Incredibly simple and delicious.
I used yellow butter cake mix with a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice mixed in then the canned pumpkin. So what if the mixture is thick? I know it seems weird but it's supposed to be thick. It's still workable. You are only mixing to the point of combining the mix & pumpkin together so you shouldn't be working yourself into a sweat over it! It's not that difficult. The point of this recipe is to save fat & calories! I used cream cheese frosting with a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice mixed it. Super yummy & super easy to make.
There are a few reasons why I gave this only 3 stars. The taste of the cake was just ordinary, nothing special. The cake batter was very, very difficult to work with. The recipe said to spread evenly in the 9x13 pan but this batter was like spreading thick peanut butter in a pan that has been greased. It stuck to the spatula much more than it did to the dish. When I would move the spatula the batter literally came out of the dish. And however you make it look when you put it in the oven is exactly how it will look when it comes out. So, needless to say, it is not a pretty presentation. The cake does not puff up and even out at all. It is almost impossible to spread this evenly and get a smooth surface and when it is done baking it really shows. It can be covered up with frosting however. So while the ingredients make this cake appear very quick and easy the prep work takes up much more time than anticipated.
I loved this cake. I didn't change a thing, didn't add a thing and it turned out very moist and tasty - I didn't even add frosting. Best of all, it's low-fat, low-calorie, vegetarian-friendly and just really really good. I've heard this works well with chocolate cake mix, too...I'll have to try it.
After reading the reviews I also decided to add 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 eggs and some canned cream till it was a little easier to spread. It was fanastic!! I love this recipe. I decided to use a jelly roll pan and make bars, topped it with cream cheese icing, and then poured carmel topping over it, all I can say is YUMMY!! I took it to work and it was gone within 5 minutes. I was trying to reproduce a recipe from a place called the Bread Basket. This was even better than theirs, :)
