Pumpkin Lust Cake

Why is this dessert called "Lust cake?"  I'm not certain, but it must have something to do with the fact that once you finish one slice, you lust after more. 

I came across the pumpkin lust cake recipe over at Sweet Treats and More. Apparently, the original recipe calls for chocolate or vanilla pudding. This particular version has you using the seasonal Pumpkin Spice flavor of Jello Instant Pudding.

One word of caution, the Pumpkin spice pudding is only available seasonally. The seasonal pudding flavors (Turtle, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Spice, Dulce de leche and Peppermint) are not always located in the regular pudding aisle. At my store, they were in a special area in a center aisle along with other seasonal baking items.  If you can't find them at your store keep looking, or better yet, ask!

This dessert tasted like a silky, slightly cheesecake-y version of pumpkin pie. I think I might just like this dessert better than your basic pumpkin pie. That could just be the Cool Whip talking. There's lots of Cool Whip in a Lust Cake.

Another win for this dessert is that the crust didn't get soggy on day two like a pie crust does. I love pie crust, but frankly, it's kind of gross when it gets mushy. The Lust Cake's crust is more like a Russian Tea Cake/Mexican Wedding Cake Cookie. That's probably why I liked it so much. Russian Tea Cakes are like crack for people.

The down side to the Pumpkin Spice Lust Cake is that there is no actual pumpkin in the dish.  You can't even pretend that you are being healthy eating a vegetable for dessert.  The Lust Cake is all garbage.  Yummy scrumdiddlyumptious garbage.

I thought this cake would be difficult to slice and get out of the pan.  The crust didn't stick at all, even though I neglected to spray the pan.  The pudding and Cool Whip held their own too.  

The layers got a bit smeared when I cut into the bars, but you can clearly see all the different strati. 

I also feared the cake would collapse once out of the pan.  Nope.  The remaining cake did not fall when slices were removed from the pan. Everything stayed exactly where it should be without proper support. 

Hey, maybe this cake is the secret to keeping a trim body.  I mean, everything staying where it should be without support?  Isn't that what we're all striving for as we lose our fight against gravity?  Move over Spanx, here comes Pumpkin Lust Cake!

Anyhow, Mrblocko convinced me to make a half batch of this cake. I am both happy and sad that he did so. Happy because we do not need a 9x13 pan of this dessert hanging around the house for just the three of us, and sad because I wanted to eat the entire 9x13 pan myself.

Pumpkin Lust Cake - Half Recipe from Sweet Treats and More
1/2 stick butter(1/4 c), melted
1/2 c flour
1/2 c chopped pecans
1 tbs sugar
4 oz cream cheese (1/2 a package), soft
1/2 c sifted powdered sugar
one 8 oz container cool whip
one 3.4 oz package Jello Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding
1 1/2 c cold milk
Nutmeg for sprinkling

Crust: Combine butter, flour, chopped pecans and sugar and press into 8x8" baking dish. Bake at 375 for 10-15 min. Let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Layer: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 3/4c cool whip until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.

Pumpkin Layer: Mix pudding mix with cold milk, whisking for several min. Set in fridge 5-10 min to thicken. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Cut into squares and serve. Keep refrigerated.