Description
This moist and flavorful pumpkin cake is made with fresh or canned pumpkin puree and perfectly spiced with cinnamon. Topped with a creamy and fluffy cream cheese frosting, drizzle of maple syrup, and crunchy pecans, it’s a delightful autumn-inspired dessert perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin Puree Options
- 1 2/3 cups fresh pumpkin puree (400g) or 15 oz / 425g canned pure pumpkin (1 can)
Other Cake Batter Ingredients
- 4 large eggs (55-60g / 2oz each), at room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups white sugar (or caster/superfine sugar)
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil (or other neutral flavored oil)
- 2 cups plain/all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt (reduce to 1/2 tsp if using table salt)
Frosting
- 6 oz / 180g cream cheese block, at room temperature
- 1 cup / 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar, sifted
Finishing
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced). Prepare a large 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan by spraying with oil and lining it with baking paper, allowing for some overhang for easy cake removal.
- Mix the Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix thoroughly until smooth and uniform in texture.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is cooked through.
- Cool the Cake: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a cooling rack. Let it cool completely for around 2 hours to prepare for frosting.
- Prepare the Frosting: In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and softened butter together for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add the sifted icing sugar in three batches, starting the mixer on low speed with each addition to prevent sugar dust clouds. After incorporating all sugar, increase speed to high and beat for 3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Finally, mix in the vanilla extract. Use immediately.
- Frost and Garnish the Cake: Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled cake. Using the back of a spoon, create swirly dents in the frosting. Drizzle maple syrup generously over the frosting, focusing on the dents to create pools of syrup. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Using fresh pumpkin puree enhances the flavor. To prepare fresh pumpkin puree, peel, seed, and cut 800g to 1kg pumpkin into chunks. Boil for 10 minutes until soft, drain, steam dry, cool, and blend until smooth.
- You can reduce sugar to 1 1/4 cups for a less sweet cake without compromising texture.
- The salt amount might seem high but is essential to bring out the pumpkin flavor; adjust accordingly if using table salt.
- If using spreadable cream cheese, you may need to add extra icing sugar to achieve the correct frosting consistency.
- Use soft icing sugar (not pure icing sugar) for a creamy frosting that doesn’t harden.
- This cake is very versatile; try making it as muffins (bake for 25 minutes), bundt cake, or loaf.
- Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for best flavor and texture.
- Recipe source is from a reader named Dorothy from Tennessee, shared in 2016.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (assuming 16 servings)
- Calories: 370 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
