Pumpkin Pumpkin-Spice Cake

When my roommate and I decided 6 months ago we were going to have a Halloween party, I knew what I wanted to make: a pumpkin cake in the shape of a pumpkin. I'd seen it done before, using two bundt cakes set end-to-end. I had a vision, and I was intent on carrying it out.

I'm very picky about my cakes, and only wanted to make something that would be dense and moist (perfect for a bundt cake recipe anyway). I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and knew it would be perfect when I saw that it called for instant pudding mix (adding that to a cake recipe is a guarantee that it will bake into bites of pure bliss). I modified it slightly, and my version is below:

Ingredients (for one cake - if you want to make it into a pumpkin shape afterward, you should make two cakes so they can be stacked):

• 1 (18.25 oz) box spice cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
  
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup canned pumpkin

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium for 4 minutes. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

The original recipe suggests using whipped cream with it, but I think cream cheese and/or cream cheese frosting would be phenomenal. I didn't use any frosting, but rather melted orange candy melts, and used a piping bag to pipe the design onto the cake. No matter what you put on top of it, it's sure to be delicious. Enjoy!