Pumpkin Cinnamon Pudding Cake

Yum, look at that nice caramelish sauce...so delish!

Pumpkins are just so magical to me. Maybe it is because when I was younger I often dreamed of becoming Cinderella 2.0. I remember asking my mom if I could scrub the kitchen floor, not because I wanted to be helpful, but because in my mind if I scrubbed the floor my prince would finally find me. Alas, I scrubbed and scrubbed and and no prince ever came. Apparently his GPS is broken and he is too stubborn to ask for directions...typical. All scrubbing aside, I do love me some pumpkins.

Did you know that pumpkins are technically a fruit? Only because they have seeds, but really they are more like a vegetable in my opinion. I mean come on, if I ordered a fruit salad and they gave me apples and pumpkin I would probably be really confused. Then I would just eat it because the only thing that helps with confusion is eating. : ) Okay where am I going with this point? Did I even have a point?

My mom kindly bought me this magazine at the store the other day. It is called "Mixing Bowl", by Better Homes and Gardens. I had never heard of it or seen it before, but was pleasantly surprised by the recipes I found inside. I have several pages dog eared and on my "recipes to test" list. This recipe instantly caught my attention. First of all because it has pumpkin in it; second of all because it was different; and third, because it was so simple sounding. Of course I had to tweak it a bit because I am weird like that. It sounded like an awful lot of sugar so I cut back on the sugar, and I am glad I did. It was super yummy and loved by all!!!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Pudding Cake
adapted from the Mixing Bowl magazine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a white casserole dish...you know the ones that are slightly bigger then and 8x8 pan.

Sift together the following and set aside:
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cream together the following in separate medium bowl 2-3 minutes:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

Then add the following and mix another 2-3 minutes:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

Add the dry to the wet and mix just until it comes together. Spread into pan and smooth with spatula. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Mix together 2 TBS butter and 1 cup boiling water until butter is melted and pour over batter and put into oven. Bake 30-40 minutes until the top springs back when lightly touched. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, sweetened cream cheese, or mascarpone cheese.