Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting

October 13, 2011

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting

Confession: I am a pumpkin addict… and nothing can satisfy the craving like Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting.

It’s unfortunate that pumpkin is strictly seasonal. If you dare bake a big pumpkin pie in the summer, people will look at you like you’re wearing undies on your head. Pumpkin cookies on Easter? Not on your life!

So that means, right now, while we have the chance, we MUST stuff ourselves with as many pumpkin dishes as possible. No really… that’s an official component of fall.

This Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting is my absolute favorite pumpkin recipe for feeding the pumpkin fetish. Granted, I do love these Creamy Chocolate Pumpkin Bars and a good Pumpkin Milk Shake. Yet this cake, folks, is off the charts.

Let me start by telling you it’s a BIG cake–three 9 inch layers with a thick layer of maple frosting for each; perfect for sharing with a large group… or not.

The cake itself is incomparably moist with a good amount of spice. I offer three options for spicing it up. The play-it-safe option: Pumpkin Pie Spice, a standard blend of your favorite fall spices. For the adventurous cook, I suggest adding either Garam Masala or Chinese 5 Spice Powder. Both include the comfort of cinnamon, but also provide an extra kick of various exotic spices (potentially) including: nutmeg, fennel, cardamom, coriander, cumin, star anise, ginger and clove. Some of these are thought to be “savory” spices, but you’d be amazed at what they can do for a cake.

The Maple Frosting is the perfect complement to the Pumpkin Spice Cake, with an earthy sweetness and creamy texture. It takes this pumpkin masterpiece to the next level.

L.O.V.E. this cake.

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Yield: 16+

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting

Ingredients:

For the Pumpkin Spice Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ baking soda
1 ½ salt
1 ½ Tb. Garam Masala (sub. Pumpkin Pie Spice or Chinese 5 Spice)
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 sticks melted butter (1 1/2 cups)
6 eggs
28 oz. can pure pumpkin puree (3 cups)

For the Maple Frosting:
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese
3 sticks butter
2 Tb. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
5-6 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

For the Pumpkin Spice Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour THREE 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter, pumpkin and eggs and beat (or whisk) until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top bounces back when pressed on.

Cool for 10 minutes then flip out of the pans and cool completely.

Use a serrated knife to trim the top of each cake to make a level surface.

For the Maple Frosting: Place the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until light and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until the desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Assemble. Place one cake on a cake plate. Spread 1/3 of the frosting in a thick layer over the top. Add the second cake on top spread another 1/3 of the frosting. Top with the third cake. Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a decorative tip. Pipe stars over the top of the cake. Garnish with chopped nuts if desired.