If you like all things pumpkin I think you will love this cake! The oil in the recipe was decreased from 1 cup to 2 tablespoons keeping great pumpkin flavor minus the calories! My mother said, “This has the texture of a pumpkin pie but looks like a cake. How did you do that?”
I especially love the icing. Substituting browned butter for regular butter mellows the sharp taste of the cream cheese. For visual appeal and great taste, store bought caramel sundae syrup in a squeeze bottle is an easy way to decorate the cake. My friend Megan Barnes and her mother drew a large caramel flower on top of their cake. It was so pretty! Pumpkin Pie Praline Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Icing and Caramel Glaze
Praline Layer
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons whipping cream
3/4 cup chopped pecans toasted in a 350ºF oven for 3 to 5 minutes
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray two, 9-inch cake pans with non- stick spray. Line both cake pans with parchment paper that has been cut 1/2-inch larger than the bottom of the cake pan. This additional 1/2-inches should hold the praline layer so it won’t seep under the parchment paper.
Make praline sauce: Place brown sugar, unsalted butter, and whipping cream in a small saucepan and cook on low heat until mixture simmers and sugar melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and divide evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Sprinkle praline sauce with toasted pecans. Place both pans in the refrigerator so the praline layer will set up while you make the cake batter.
Pumpkin Pie Cake Layer
1 box Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix (See “Tip” below to use Pillsbury’s Perfectly Pumpkin cake mix)
2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
One (15 ounce) can pumpkin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish: Caramel sundae syrup in a squeeze bottle (I used Hershey’s brand)
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Pour cake mix, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon in the bowl of a mixer. Stir with a fork to combine. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix again on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter on top of praline layer dividing equally. Smooth top of batter with a rubber spatula. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove pans from oven. Run a knife around the edge of each pan to release cake from pan. Set timer and cool for only 5 minutes. (If you wait longer the praline layer will glue itself to the bottom of the pan!) Place one layer on your serving plate pecan side up. Remove second layer to a wire rack- pecan side up. Place a plate underneath the wire rack to catch any drips. Cool for at least 4 hours until praline layer has hardened.
Ice cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting and garnish with caramel sundae syrup. See assembly directions below. Tip: You can also use Pillsbury’s Perfectly Pumpkin cake mix. Just delete the pumpkin pie spice from the cake recipe.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing with Caramel Glaze
1/2 cup unsalted browned butter, chilled for 1 hour or until it sets up (Directions below)
One (8 ounce) package of real cream cheese (Not Neufchatel), at room temperature
One (16 ounce) box powdered sugar
One Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
To make browned butter (about 7 to 8 minutes cooking time): Place butter in a small saucepan. Melt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Butter will crackle and pop as the water evaporates. Keep boiling and swirling the pan occasionally until the butter begins to form tiny bubbles and foam (about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops). All of a sudden the milk solids in the bottom of the pan will turn an amber color. (Keep looking, this happens pretty quickly. Once it turns an amber color the milk solids can burn in about 30 seconds). Immediately remove pan from heat and scrape both melted butter and browned bits into a bowl. (This stops the cooking process so the brown bits don’t burn) Cover and chill until butter solidifies- about one hour.
After butter solidifies, cream browned butter and cream cheese on medium speed of an electric mixer, about 2 to 3 minutes. Change speed to low and gradually add powdered sugar. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat again until combined.
To assemble cake: Place first cake layer pecan side up on a serving plate that has wax paper underneath the edges of the cake. (To keep the cake plate clean). Place 1/4 of the icing on top of the first cake layer spreading icing to the edge. Add second cake layer pecan side up. Ice top and sides of cake with remaining icing. Remove wax paper. Refrigerate cake until cold. Garnish with caramel sundae syrup from a squeeze bottle. Decorate cake in a decorative pattern (i.e.- swirls, circles, lines, etc.). To serve: Slice cake cold then bring slices to room temperature before serving. Enjoy, friends!
Mary Duke Cooks! 
Beautiful!