Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Super moist pumpkin cake layers frosted with cream cheese frosting and filled with graham cracker crumbs and homemade salted caramel sauce. It's got all the flavors of a caramel pumpkin cheesecake but in a layer cake.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 Whisk
- 1 large bowl
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 piping bag
- 1 round piping bag
- 4 6 inch cake pans
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 3 cup (360g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp ginger
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 cup (240mL) canola oil
- 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (59mL) water
- 1/2 cup (118mL) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, spooned and leveled
- tiny pinch of fine sea salt
- 2-3 Tbsp (30-45mL) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3 sheets graham crackers crumbled
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325F (162C) and grease and line four 6 inch cake pans (my pictures show three layers there's enough batter to make four).
- In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices until they're evenly distributed.3 cup (360g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp fine sea salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp ginger
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin aggressively for 1-2 minutes, until they're well combined.4 large eggs, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, lightly packed, 1 cup (240mL) canola oil, 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until they're well combined.
- Distribute the batter evenly among the cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, just until the edges release from the pan and/or the center springs back when you press on it gently.
- Remove from the oven and flip over onto a tea towel. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Place the sugar and water in a medium size heavy bottom sauce pan. Swirl the pan until the sugar is immersed in water. Place the saucepan over medium heat and allow the sugar to fully dissolve in the water, gently swirling the pan every minute or so.1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1/4 cup (59mL) water
- Bring the sugar and water to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Place the lid on the pan and allow the mixture to simmer until the color begins to darken to a light amber color, this should take about 10 minutes. Make sure to remove the lid and check the color at least every minute.
- You can gently swirl the pan every couple of minutes but DO NOT STIR IT WITH ANYTHING. If there are crystalized pieces of sugar on the sides of the pan, the steam running down from the lid should dissolve them but if it doesn’t, you can use a pastry brush wet with water to brush them away.
- Once the sugar is an amber color, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour in the heavy whipping cream while stirring constantly until it comes together.1/2 cup (118mL) heavy cream, 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter softened
- Pour the caramel sauce in a heat proof jar and stir in the salt and vanilla extract.1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Once the cake and caramel have cooled completely, place the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until the color turns to a pale yellow.1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- Add in the cream cheese and beat at medium speed for a minute, just until they're combined8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese, room temperature
- Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix on low speed, just until it's combined. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat the buttercream for 2-3 minutes, until all of the sugar is fully dissolved and the buttercream no longer feels gritty.4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, spooned and leveled, tiny pinch of fine sea salt
- Pour in 3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and vanilla bean paste and beat for another 1-2 minutes on high speed.2-3 Tbsp (30-45mL) heavy whipping cream, room temperature, 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Assemble
- Place the first layer of cake onto a flat surface. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting on top. Use a piping bag fit with a round piping tip to pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the cake (see photos).
- Sprinkle the crushed graham crackers within the border of piped frosting. Drizzle a generous amount of salted caramel sauce on top of the graham crackers but make sure to stay within the border of frosting so it doesn't leak out.3 sheets graham crackers
- Place the next layer of cake on top and repeat until the cake is fully assembled. Feel free to freeze the cake for 15-30 minutes between stacking each layer of cake.
- Once it's all assembled, refrigerate or freeze the cake until it feels firm. Then frost the outside of the cake.
- To leave a border at the top, spread the frosting on the cake and use a cake scraper to smooth it out, allowing it to naturally create that border at the top. Fill it in with the caramel sauce and top with some graham cracker crumbs.
Nutrition
Calories: 706kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 6gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 565mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 1gSugar: 67gVitamin A: 884IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 2mg
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