My Great Aunt’s Holiday Cake Turns Boxed Mix Into ‘Magic’

Every family has heirloom recipes that they can’t imagine a holiday without. Mine consists of the pumpkin roll my great aunt used to make for Thanksgiving, the Croatian nut roll my grandma insisted on having for Christmas, and my mom’s Polish pound cake that’s so good we sometimes make two and freeze one for later.

We still haven’t perfected the pumpkin roll since my great-aunt passed away, but we try every year. And, even though I don’t even like my grandma’s nut roll, I can’t fathom a holiday without it now that she’s gone. 

However, it wasn’t until recently that my family recalled another favorite that was a signature at holiday gatherings but has been lost to time: my great aunt’s pumpkin cake.

How to Make My Great Aunt’s Pumpkin Magic Cake

The original recipe came from Valerie Bertinelli’s Food Network show, “Valerie’s Home Cooking,” as one of her many “love cakes.” Bertinelli’s cakes follow the same pattern but have different seasonal ingredients. However, the secret to the dessert—and why Bertinelli swears by it for so many occasions—is that the cake batter and creamy cheesecake-like layer switch places in the oven. 

So, the pumpkin cake starts with a box of spiced cake mix—prepared as the box says—and gets topped with a mixture of pumpkin and cream cheese. Once baked, the layers flip in the oven—practically like magic—to give you the decadent layer on the bottom with the fluffy, airy cake on top.

The cake is then finished with a pumpkin pudding frosting for the perfect sweet dessert to bring to any fall or winter party.

When my aunt made the cake, she’d follow Bertinelli’s recipe that called for ricotta and mascarpone in the cheesecake-like filling and mascarpone in the frosting. However, to make it even easier on you (and your wallet), the Allrecipes test kitchen developed a Pumpkin Magic Cake recipe that uses cream cheese for the second layer and whipped cream for the frosting.

With the boxed mix and simple layers, this cake is one of the easiest desserts to make that will wow the crowd with flavor.

Now that I’ve unearthed this family favorite—and found an even easier version—I’m sure my great aunt’s favorite holiday cake will be a staple at my family gatherings once more.