Pumpkin Passion

Name: Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake Mix
Purchased At: Williams-Sonoma
Price: $19.00
Availability: Seasonal

An interpretive dance! This stuff is SOOO amazingly good that a coworker spontaneous preformed and interpretive dance inspired by the yumminess of Williams-Sonoma’s Pumpkin-Spice Bundt Cake Mix after having eaten a small piece. I’m totally serious! It’s that dang good.

The cake was moist and flavorful with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg are jammed into this cake. They got it right!!!

That was the build up and now here is the tear down: this stuff is freaking $19.00 and I still have to do a ton of work to make it! I realize it’s Williams-Sonoma, where SUPER CUTE spatulas that have raw wooden handles will cost you ten bucks, but come on! Here’s the description on their website:

A celebration of the autumn harvest, our all-natural mix yields a moist, spicy Bundt cake with minimal preparation. The pumpkin-spice cake is laced with a buttery streusel filling made from brown sugar and premium California-grown walnuts. It’s a delicious complement to the cake, which includes American-grown pumpkin, pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla, cinnamon and allspice. Created for use with Williams-Sonoma Bundt pans, this mix makes it easy to bake a cake that tastes as luscious as it looks. A sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar or a simple glaze is embellishment enough.

…Ummm, “minimal preparation” ?!?!?! The recipes calls for you to add “cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch (12 mm) pieces;” 4 eggs, water, milk, zest of an orange, minced fresh ginger, sugar and brandy. However, the last four ingredients listed are “optional” but a “simple glaze” it ain’t. Also, the instructions read “To make the cake, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater….” I have NO idea what a flat beater is but I’m pretty sure my $15.00 Target mixer doesn’t have one. Lastly, “Created for use with Williams-Sonoma Bundt pans…” the cheapest bundt pan they have is $32 but it IS IN THE SHAPE OF A FREAKING OCTOPUS, which is sooo cool that I want to SCREAM in pure joy (umm…anyone want to get me an awesome Christmas present?) but why must they try to sell me their own pan in the middle of a recipe.

I feel like they gave me the flour and some spices in a bag and now they’re asking me for all the other ingredients…that’s not a MIX. Of course it’s going to be better than any other MIX because you’re adding almost a dozen ingredients and you’re making a streusel, a cake, and a glaze.

It’s yummy and it’s almost worth it but I think you could get the same results if you made it from scratch and it would cost you less…since you have to go to the store to get all the ingredients anyway you might as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Here are some other pumpkin treats you can find at Williams-Sonoma this year:

Halloween Truffles $15.00

Pumpkin Potholders (set of 2) $24.00

Pumpkin Patch Plaque $32.00

Sprinkles Cupcake Mix, Pumpkin $14.00