I’m back from a summer hiatus! Yay! In June, my middle daughter had heart and lung surgery at an out-of-state hospital. There were some unforeseen complications and we’re just now finishing up her rehab program and getting back to “normal”. Now that the temperatures have dropped I can hear the oven calling me. Instead of reinventing the wheel I’m rewriting this post to highlight how easy this cozy sheet cake version is to make. Just in case you’re like me and generally skim the middle part of things, I want to call out the fact that this sheet cake version only requires a half-batch of frosting. Of course, I recommend making the full amount and just keeping a spoon at the ready but it’s a free country.
I made this gorgeous cake last fall and was so happy when it won some office taste tests and got rave reviews from some of my favorite baking friends. The weird thing was that a few days after I posted it, I ran across this almost identical concept from NYT Cooking. I’m telling you, I have my finger on the pulse of emerging fall flavors. Not to toot my own horn, but two friends of mine made both versions and brought them to work and my version was the clear winner in both cases. Toot toot!
If you are all about deep molasses flavor, tangy but not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting and tender pumpkin cake, this is the recipe for you. If you are an unrepentant show off like me, please feel free to make the six layer version, spend 40 minutes taking it’s picture and then put it on blast on your Insta. But if you just want some fall flavor, tonight, with no fuss, skip the layered version and make it as a sheet cake. The proportion of cake to frosting is slightly more permissible for every day so you don’t need to wait for a birthday to dig in.
The pumpkin cake is pretty exceptional. It has deep, rich fall flavor and a moist texture. But the frosting really takes it to the next level. SO YUMMY. This frosting would also be great with a spice cake, carrot cake, apple cake or even chocolate cake. If you do make the 9×13 version, expect to have some leftover frosting. Also expect to find yourself wandering back to the fridge throughout the day to eat it by the spoonful. It really is that good. You could make a half batch if you just need it for the one 9×13 cake. Bonus points if you make it in one of these white Staub baker
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- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 15 oz. pumpkin puree
- 1 stick butter softened
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 lbs. powdered sugar
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 6" cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment and spray again OR spray a 9x13 dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk together wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Divide the batter equally between the three pans or pour into 9x13 dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes for the three pans (or 35-40 minutes for the 9x13 dish) or until the top of the cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely in pans or dish.
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until combined, then beat on medium-high for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and continue mixing for 1 minute to eliminate air pockets. If not using right away, cover and store in the refrigerator.
- When ready to use, take the frosting out of the fridge for 15 minutes then beat again on medium-high for a minute or two. Make sure your frosting is warmer than your cake!
- For the 6 inch layer cake: Split each cooled layer. Fill the layers and crumb coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Using an offset spatula, generously frost the top and sides of the cake. Use the rounded tip of your offset spatula or the tip of a teaspoon to drag circles around the top and side of the cake.
- For 9x13 cake: Spread frosting evenly over the top with an offset spatula, dragging the rounded tip of the spatula back and forth to make a ridged pattern.
