Thanksgiving Favorite

This post might shock and surprise you. Anyone who knows me, knows I love chocolate. I mean really and truly love chocolate. The words, "If it has fruit in it, it isn't dessert" have come out of my mouth on several (okay, millions) of occasions. However, I do have a dessert that I make every Thanksgiving that has....NO CHOCOLATE. And I love it. I mean really, really, love it.

I have nothing against traditional pumpkin pie. It's good, but this is great. You still get the pumpkin pie taste...just kicked up a notch, if you will.
Here it is:
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter (don't insult me by using margarine)
4 eggs
1 30 oz. can pumpkin (I can only ever find 29 oz, but it works just fine)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I use the whole bag because it tasted so good!)
1/4 cup softened butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 pan. Remove 1 cup cake mix and set aside. In small bowl beat one egg. In large bowl stir remaining cake mix, melted butter, and beaten egg. Press that into prepared pan. In the same large bowl, lightly beat remaining eggs. Stir in pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, milk, and cinnamon. Pour over cake mix in the pan. To the reserved cake mix, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, pecans, and softened butter. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over pumpkin mix. Oh yeah! Bake 50-60 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Also, put a dollop of French Vanilla Kool Whip on top. Then sit back, unbutton your top button, and dig in.

If you want to run to the store right now, grab the ingredients and make one before Thanksgiving to make sure I am telling the truth, I would understand. Just make sure you leave a comment about how unbelievably good this non-chocolaty dessert is!