LUSCIOUS FOUR-LAYER PUMPKIN CAKE

Steps:

• PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
• Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
• Beat cake mix, 1 cup of the pumpkin, the milk, oil, eggs and 1 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
• Pour evenly into prepared pans.
• BAKE 28 to 30 minute or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.
• Cool in pans 10 minute Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and remaining 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Stir in the whipped topping.
• CUT each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife. Stack layers on serving plate, spreading the cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top of cake.).
• Drizzle cake with caramel topping just before serving; sprinkle with the pecans.
• Store leftover cake in refrigerator.
• NOTES - How to Slice and Stack Cake Layers:.
• Place one of the cooled cake layers on a serving plate. Make a 2-inch horizontal cut around side of cake using a long serrated knife. Then, cut all of the way through the cake layer to make two layers. Remove the top layer by sliding it onto a 9-inch round cardboard circle. Frost the cake layer on the serving plate with one-third of the whipped topping mixture, then slide the top half of the split cake layer from the cardboard circle onto the frosted layer on plate. Place the remaining unsplit cake layer on a cutting board. Cut into two layers as done for the first layer. Repeat the process of transferring the cake layers to the stacked cake layers on plate using the cardboard circle.