From Pillsbury: Best of the Bake-Off

This recipe won the grand prize in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Try it and you’ll know why.

Filling:

• 1/3 cup low-fat, sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cake:

• 1 (1 lb, 2.25 oz) pkg pudding-included devil’s food cake mix
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 (16 oz) can sliced pears in light syrup, drained
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans
• 2 tsp water

Sauce:

• 1 (17 oz) jar butterscotch caramel fudge ice cream topping
• 1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9- or 10-inch spring-form pan with non-stick cooking spray. In small saucepan, combine filling ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. In large bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon, and oil; blend at low speed for 20-30 seconds or until crumbly. Mixture will be dry.

Place pears in blender container or food processor bowl with metal blade; cover and blend until smooth. In large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of the cake mix mixture, pureed pears and eggs; beat at a low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spread batter evenly in spray-coated pan. Drop filling by spoonfuls over batter. Stir nuts and water into remaining cake mixture. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in the center. Cool 10 minutes.

Remove sides of pan. Cool 1 1/2 hours or until completely cooled. In small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until well blended, stirring occasionally. To serve, spoon 2 Tbsp warm sauce onto each serving plate; top with wedge of torte. Serve with vanilla ice cream and garnish with chocolate curls if you want to be really fancy.