Luscious Four-layer Pumpkin Cake Recipe

How to make it

---

• HEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round baking pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended.
• Pour into prepared pans.
• BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.
• Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese in small bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP.
• CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers.
• (Do not frost top layer.)
• Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.
• Tips .....................
• How to Slice and Stack Cake Layers
• Place 1 of the cooled cake layers on serving plate. Make 2-inch horizontal cut around side of cake, using long serrated knife. Cut all the way through cake layer to make 2 layers. Remove top layer by sliding it onto 9-inch round cardboard circle. Frost cake layer on plate with 1/3 of COOL WHIP mixture. Slide top half of split cake layer from cardboard circle onto frosted layer on plate. Place the remaining unsplit cake layer on a cutting board. Cut into 2 layers as done for the first layer. Repeat process of transferring cake layers to stacked cake layers on plate using the cardboard circle.
• Substitute
• Omit caramel sauce. Microwave 10 KRAFT Caramels and 1 Tbsp. milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until caramels begin to melt. Stir until caramels are completely melted. Drizzle over cake just before serving; sprinkle with pecans.
• Prep time 20 min
• Makes 16 servings
• Bake 30 min