Hey Pumpkin...Orange you glad it is Fall!

Okay please don't click off this blog from my title.

Mom always said I got my sick sense of humor from my dad. Love ya Dad!

Well I have to share with you one of my favorite go to cakes. You can make it really easy by using a box cake mix.

What I plan to share with you is a recipe for Pumpkin Orange Spice Cake.

Pumpkin Orange Spice Cake 

This is what you will need to gather up for this recipe:

For the cake-
1 boxed Spice Cake mix
1 15 oz can of Pure Pumpkin
1 orange for juice and zest (I prefer to use naval oranges)

YOU WILL NOT USE EGG OR OIL JUST THE PUMPKIN AND ORANGE

For the glaze-
1 c. Confectioners Sugar (powdered sugar)
1 orange for juice and zest (I prefer to use naval oranges)

Okay here it goes...

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or you can use butter. 

Let me give you a hint. It is easier to zest your orange before trying to cut it and squeeze the juice out of it. Believe me, I have gotten side tracked and cut the orange before I zested. Not pretty.Take your handy zester and zest one of your oranges finely (not pretty strips). Set to the side.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, pumpkin, and the juice of one orange along with 1/2 T fine zest. Mixture will be thick. I mix by hand with spoon. No need to dirty up your Kitchenaid mixture for this.

Spoon the cake mixture into the bundt pan. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes (Ovens will vary). If you decide to bake in a regular cake pan refer to the cake mix box for cooking times. Stick the cake with a pick. The pick should come out clean when done.

Let the cake sit in the pan for about 5 minutes then invert onto your serving plate. Nothing like hearing the nice plop sound of the cake nicely releasing from your pan.

Okay so while the cake is cooling a bit. It is time to make the glaze.


Take your zester out again and make pretty strips out of second orange rind this time and set to the side for garnishing. In a small to medium bowl, mix together Confectioners sugar and the juice of the second orange.

Another hint, sift your confectioners sugar as you put it in the bowl. It will help keep your glaze smooth without lumps.

Now the creative part of the recipe, you get to drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Once you have the amount of coverage you desire, sprinkle the beautiful orange zest strips you made over the top for a decorative touch. 

*Now if you don't care for spice cake, you can substitute about any other cake mix and it will work. I have done chocolate, yellow and even banana cake mix and it turned out delicious.

Warm someone's heart by sharing a piece of this cake with them. 

My little confession...
It is really tasty with some seasoned whipped cream on it (season your whipped cream with some mulling spice).

-Michelle