It’s fall, which means everyone needs a fluffy, light pumpkin pie that smells like all those wonderful warming spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg. Top it off with a simple cream cheese frosting and the dessert is ready!
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
This easy pumpkin pie with all the flavors of fall and a fluffy cream cheese frosting will be your favorite pumpkin spice dessert. I guarantee it.
Even better, this pumpkin pie uses an entire can of pumpkin puree, meaning no forgotten pumpkin containers in the back of the fridge. Tasty and imaginative? Yes, please!
Ways to customize pumpkin pie
Nuts: Feeling a little crazy? Go crazy by adding up to a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans. Simply roast them in an oven at 177°C (350°F) for 10 minutes or until fragrant. Toasting the nuts “wakes them up” so to speak, allowing their flavor to shine through.
You could also try:
- cashew nuts
- hazelnuts
- Pistachios (my personal favorite)
Spices: If you’ve bought too many jars of pumpkin pie spice mix in your pumpkin spice craze, you can use them in place of the individual spices listed in this recipe. Simply substitute four teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
pan size: While I prefer to bake this party-style cake in a 9×13-inch pan, it is sufficient for turning into cupcakes or an 8-inch two-layer round cake.
Pumpkin Cupcakes: This batter makes 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes that are baked in an oven at 177°C (350°F) for 18-20 minutes. Share or eat now and freeze for later.
Round cake: Bake two 8 inch round cake layers at same temperature for 20-25 minutes. Both are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and/or the tip springs back when touched lightly.
How to Flavor Cream Cheese Frosting for Pumpkin Pie
The cream cheese frosting can be another flavor-shifter. Bourbon works well in place of vanilla. You can also get really fancy by browning your butter and then letting it set (just chill it a bit) before slapping it with the cream cheese.
Ride the fall theme until the wheels fall off and replace the vanilla extract with one of the following extracts:
- Cinammon
- Coffee
- maple
- rum
How to advance and freeze pumpkin pie
Prepare dessert? I like your style! Freeze this cake and there will always be a dessert on hand to serve to friends and family.
Freeze: After baking, let the cake cool completely. Wrap the cake in a few layers of plastic wrap and one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze the cake for up to two months.
When ready to enjoy the cake, defrost at room temperature and decorate to your heart’s content.
Frosting is life so I suggest frosting after freezing and not before.
More delicious pumpkin recipes!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Old fashioned pumpkin pie
- Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips
- Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin cheesecake bars with crumble topping
Pumpkin Pie with Cream Cheese Frosting
If you don’t want to measure individual spices, you can substitute 4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
ingredients
For the Pumpkin Spice Cake:
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2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
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2 teaspoon baking powder
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2 teaspoon floor Cinammon
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1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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3/4 teaspoon floor nutmeg
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3/4 teaspoon Ground carnations
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1/2 teaspoon floor Ginger
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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4 big eggsat room temperature
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1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
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1 cup (226 grams or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
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1 (15 ounces) can pumpkin puree
For the cream cheese frosting:
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8 ounces (224 grams) cream cheeseat room temperature
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1/2 cup (113 grams or 1 floor) unsalted butterat room temperature
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3 to 4 cups (360 to 480 grams) powdered sugarsieved
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
method
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Preheat the oven and prepare the cake pan:
Preheat oven to 177°C. Grease and lightly flour a 9″ x 13″ cake pan or spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Set the pan aside.
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Sift together the dry ingredients:
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt with a spatula or whisk.
Fold a piece of parchment or foil in half and place it next to the bowl. Using a measuring cup, scoop the mixture into a sieve and sift the ingredients over the parchment 3-4 times. When done, return the dry ingredients to the bowl. Aerating the flour in this way will help bake the cake as easily as possible. Set the dry ingredients aside.
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Mix eggs and sugar:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes. Scrape bowl and whisk with a rubber spatula and continue mixing until eggs and sugar become thick and pale yellow, or about 2 1/2 minutes longer.
If properly mixed, the beater should leave ribbons in the egg mixture as it passes through it.
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Add butter and pumpkin:
In the bowl with the eggs and sugar, add the melted butter and pumpkin puree. Blend on low speed until combined and no yellow streaks remain, or 1 minute. Scrape both the bowl and the beater.
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Add the dry ingredients:
Add all of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining flour until fully combined.
Mixing by hand at the end prevents you from overworking the gluten in the flour, resulting in a chewy cake. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter.
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Fill the cake pan:
Use the rubber spatula to scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
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Bake the cake:
Place the cake pan in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the sides of the cake have lifted slightly from the pan.
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Cool the cake:
Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour. If you choose to serve the cake on a platter, let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then turn the cake out of the pan onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
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Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a mixing bowl and an electric whisk), add the butter and cream cheese. Beat on low speed for 1 minute.
Once the cheese and butter are smooth, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add 3 cups powdered sugar and vanilla to the bowl. Beat on low speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down both the bowl and paddle.
Add the remaining cup of sugar, if desired, to thicken and beat an additional 1-2 minutes or until fluffy and combined.
The frosting should be thick and hold up to a point when the spatula is lifted off it.
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Frost the cake:
After the frosting is made and the cake has cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Don’t forget the falls!
Lightly sprinkle the cake with pumpkin pie spice or grate fresh nutmeg and cinnamon on top, if you like.
Although the cake is best served the same day, leftovers can be kept covered at room temperature overnight. After 24 hours, it is best to keep covered in the refrigerator.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 623 | calories |
| 31g | Fat |
| 82g | carbohydrates |
| 6g | protein |
