Spice Cake with Cinnamon-Sugar Pecans

I love this cake in fall. I make it probably a half a dozen times between October and December for various reasons. It's incredibly easy to make and can be literally whipped up in less than 5 minutes and then baked off. Therefore, it's a great Emergency Dessert or Breakfast Item for unexpected guests who drop by at the last minute or a quick and seasonal alternative to donoughts to bring by church on Sunday morning. It transports very easily, so bring it to your neighbor's house or next dinner party you've been invited to. I've even added a little royal icing on the top, added candles, and served it as a birthday cake! My grandma still requests this every year in January for her cake!

It's Paula's Deen recipe but I've tweeked the directions a tad to be more clear. The best part in my opinion is the unexpected vein of cinnamon-sugar chopped pecans through the middle of the cake. So good! And it goes perfectly with that morning coffee!

Spice Cake with Cinnamon-Sugar Pecans

1 box spice cake mix

1 (4 serving) box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 cup corn oil

5 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Using a handheld mixer fitted with the paddle beaters (or a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat together the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, and oil until well combined. The batter will be very thick. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Set aside.

Portion out half of the cake batter into the sprayed bundt pan, evenly spreading it out. Top this layer with the pecan mixture, like so:

Then cover the pecan layer with the rest of the batter. You will probably have to dollop the batter around, as it's very thick and not easily spreadable. You don't want to diturb the pecan layer too much, so spoon out smaller amounts around, then using a spatula or knife smooth out the top like this:

Bake in oven for 40 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let stand to cool in pan 3 minutes. Then turn out the cake onto a serving platter. To do this, place a plate or serving platter on top of the bundt pan with the cake still in it. Then grabbing hold of the plate together with the bundt pan, flip it over so the bundt pan is now resting on top of the plate. Tap the top of the pan around to help losen the cake, then carefully lift the pan off. You should have a perfectly positioned bundt cake now on a plate or platter. Dust with confectioner's sugar if desired and serve.