Pumpkin Cake

With all the fall hoopla comes all the fall flavors. Pumpkin everything right? Well, I personally love pumpkin everything so judge me all you want! Instead of the traditional pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread, let’s try something different shall we? A pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting topped with berries? Yes please! This recipe is the perfect dish to bring to any fall party, especially thanksgiving!

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/4 (270g) cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (172g) packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil, divided
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup (424g/15 oz) canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk

Frosting

12 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened (I used 6 Tbsp salted 6 Tbsp unsalted)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 – 5 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with a round of parchment paper, butter parchment and set aside.

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for 20 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and 3 Tbsp of the vegetable oil until pale and fluffy (occasionally scrape down sides and bottom of bowl throughout mixing process). Mix in remaining 1/4 + 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. Blend in eggs one at a time, adding in vanilla with last egg. In a bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together pumpkin with milk. Working in three separate batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with half of the pumpkin mixture and mixing just until combined after each addition.

Divide batter among three prepared cake pans and spread batter into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 30 – 35 minutes. Cool in cake pans 15 minutes, then run a knife around edge of cake to loosen and invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cool frost cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting (I recommend letting cake rest in refrigerator for a bit in an airtight container (such as a cake carrier) for cleaner cut slices. Store cake in an airtight container in refrigerator, if fully chilled, let rest at room temp only until not cold before serving.

For the frosting:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add cinnamon, vanilla and powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined, then increase to medium and whip until pale and fluffy (if frosting is runny, cover and refrigerate just until it no longer is runny before spreading on cake).

// recipe adapted from here

Photo by Sarah Hill Photography