Pumpkin Cobbler

Half pumpkin pie, half dump cake, all crowd-pleaser. This pumpkin cobbler layers a spiced custard base under a crunchy, buttery cake mix topping that bakes into something between a crumble and a cookie crust.

The base is basically a crustless pumpkin pie: canned pumpkin puree blended with eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, and the classic spice trio of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Pour it into the pan, then sprinkle dry yellow cake mix straight from the box over the top. No mixing. Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix, scatter brown sugar and slivered almonds or walnuts, and bake.

The butter soaks into the dry cake mix during baking and creates a crisp, golden crust while the custard sets underneath. You get two completely different textures in every bite.

Chef Tips

• Spread the dry cake mix as evenly as possible. Thin spots burn while thick spots stay powdery.
• Drizzle the melted butter in a grid pattern across the cake mix so it distributes evenly. Don’t pour it all in one spot.
• The cobbler needs the full 80 minutes. The custard sets slowly and pulling it early leaves the center jiggly.
• Let it cool at least 15 minutes before serving. The custard firms up as it rests.

Variations

• Use spice cake mix instead of yellow for double the warm spice flavor.
• Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
• Add pecans instead of almonds for a more classic fall flavor pairing.