Pumpkin Caramel Pound Cake

Baking is my thing. If you're having an event, and you invite me over, put me down to bring dessert. I'll bake a pie, a cake, cookies...whatever you want. Just let me do dessert.
Thanksgiving was no exception. I told Mom that I would bring sweet potato casserole and a dessert. I cut this recipe for Pumpkin Caramel Pound Cake out of the Louisville Courier-Journal over a year ago and hadn't made it yet. The recipe comes from Chris Weppler, who's Pumpkin Caramel Pound Cake won a ribbon at the state fair. I had high hopes for this one. I was honestly kind of disappointed.
The cake was simple enough to make, but the flavor just didn't have as much "oomph" as I thought that it would. And parts of my cake never baked completely through, even though I rotated the cake halfway during the baking time. (But maybe that problem was due to operator error...who knows?) The cake was fine, but it wasn't as special or tasty as I hoped it would be for the Thanksgiving holiday. But I guess that's what you get when you make an untested recipe for a family gathering!

Pumpkin Caramel Pound Cake

Chris Weppler

Cake:

2/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

3 cups sugar

3/4 cups caramel ice cream topping

1 cup canned pumkin pie mix (not pure pumpkin puree)

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

5 eggs

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tbs. caramel ice cream topping

4 tsp. water

Pecan halves for garnish, if desired

Finely chopped (or crushed) pecans for garnish, if desired

For the Cake:

Grease a 10-inch tube pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine shortening, butter, and sugar, and beat to blend evenly. Beat in caramel icecream topping and pumpkin.

Combine and sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and other spices. Add eggs and dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating eggs with dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Bake 70 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

For Glaze:

Combine sugar, caramel topping, and water, and beat until no lumps remain. Drizzle over completely cooled cake. Garnish with nuts if desired.