Pumpkin Crunch Dessert with Frosting

A cross between gooey butter cake, dump cake and pumpkin pie, this dessert is a fall favorite and perfect for the holidays or to carry to a church supper, family gathering or potluck.

Pumpkin Crunch Dessert

Apple and pumpkin recipes are definitely fall favorites, though I lean more toward the apple recipes than the pumpkin. Unless we're talking about pumpkin pie, of course, or... this Pumpkin Crunch!

This recipe has been a personal favorite for way too many years than I care to admit! Though you'll find variations around the internet today, and in older church and community cookbooks, this is the one that I love dating back to sometime in the 70s.

A vintage sweet treat, pumpkin pudding is a dessert that falls somewhere between a dense cake and a crustless pumpkin pie. Slice into squares and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a garnish of freshly grated nutmeg.

Old-Fashioned Baked Pumpkin Pudding

There are a few pumpkin pudding recipes out there, but for the most part, they are just that. Pudding, with pumpkin puree, very often including a box of pudding mix, and usually prepared in individual custard cups.

This, is not that.

A tender quick bread made with sweet potatoes, raisins, orange juice, cinnamon and pecans, with an oatmeal crumble topping. Serve with my whipped honey butter with cinnamon.

Southern Sweet Potato Bread

So, the calendar says that we've reached the Autumnal Equinox, meaning summer is now officially over and that it's finally fall.

Somebody needs to tell Mama Nature to hurry on up and turn on the air conditioning down in this part of the good ole U.S. of A. because the heat is definitely still on.

That's typical though, while a lot of y'all are enjoying nice, crisp seasonal changes, we're still in beach weather for awhile. We're pretty accustomed to it being this way, but at least it's a good excuse to start featuring a few fall dishes.

A classic pumpkin pie from Libby's, made here with a praline topping and served with a maple rum sauce.

Praline Pumpkin Pie with Maple Rum Sauce

I use Libby's Perfect Pumpkin Pie recipe as the basis of my pumpkin pie and I have for years.

After all, if it's good enough for Martha Stewart, it's good enough for me too.

Yes, it's true! That's the pumpkin pie recipe Martha recommends.

Really though, I know myself well enough to know that I am not about to roast a pumpkin and go through all that mess to make a pumpkin pie, and frankly Libby's 100% pure pumpkin product and Perfect Pumpkin Pie recipe have always provided a consistently great pumpkin pie, so why try any other?

Believe it or not, folks who comment on Facebook that they had used a recipe for anything for years and it's always perfect but "I might just try this one," I always respond - why would you? You know the old saying... if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

So as to Libby's pie, don't go messing with it, you hear?! It's absolutely perfect as it is, I promise!

I do say, however, carry your own unique signature in the way that you top it, and in the sauces you can make, like this maple rum sauce ... this is where you can make your own signature pumpkin pie!

I happen to like pumpkin pie with a praline topping, but you can omit that altogether if you like and serve it unaltered - but for a dollop of whipped cream, which, frankly, is almost required!