This pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese icing is a delicious addition to any fall or Thanksgiving meal. And since you can make it the day before, it doesn't take up any time or oven space on the day of your dinner.
2 9-inch round cake pans or 1 9-inch x 13-inch sheet cake pan
parchment paper (optional)
wire racks
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Cake Ingredients:
½cup (or 1 stick)buttersoftened
1 ½cupslight brown sugarfirmly packed
2large eggs
1cupcanned, unsweetened pumpkin
2cupsflour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspooncinnamon
½teaspoonground ginger
¼teaspoonground cloves or allspice
¼teaspoonnutmeg
½teaspoonbaking soda
½cupbuttermilk
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1inchpiece of fresh gingerabout 2 teaspoons of grated ginger
1cupchopped pecansoptional
Ginger Frosting Ingredients
1 ½8-ouncepackages cream cheesesoftened
½cup (or 1 stick)buttersoftened
1 ½inchpiece of fresh gingerapproximately 1 Tablespoon of grated ginger
4cupspowdered sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
To Make the Pumpkin Spice Cake
Heat oven to 350°F.
Mix the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until it is fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the pumpkin and beat again. Set aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves (or allspice), nutmeg and baking soda. Set aside.
Peel and grate the fresh ginger.
In a third mixing bowl, mix the buttermilk, vanilla extract and grated ginger together.
Add part of the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter and sugar. Beat on low speed until combined.
Add part of the buttermilk mixture to the butter and sugar. Beat on low speed until combined.
Continue to alternate adding parts of the flour and buttermilk mixture to the butter bowl, beating in between until everything is combined. The first and last addition to the mixture should both be the flour mixture (so there will be one more flour addition than you have buttermilk additions).
Add the pecans and mix in with a spoon just until combined.
Line the bottom of the cake pans with parchment paper or grease with butter or shortening.
Bake at 350°F in 2 9-inch cake pans for 28 to 30 minutes or 1 9-inch x 13-inch cake pan for 40 to 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Cool on wire racks in the pans for about 10 minutes.
Then cut around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan.
Remove the cake from the pans and let it cool completely on wire racks.
Spread the cream cheese icing (below) over the top. Make sure the cake is completely cool before doing this or the frosting will melt.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days in advance.
How To Make Ginger Cream Cheese Icing
Grate the ginger.
Beat the cream cheese, butter and ginger with an electric mixer.
Continue beating while you gradually add the powdered sugar.
Then mix in the vanilla.
Beat the mixture until it is smooth.
Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to set before frosting the cake.
Notes
The butter and sugar mixture should be a light yellow color and fluffy when it is finished mixing. If it has turned white, you have beat it too much.
Once you add the flour to the cake batter, don't mix too much. The more you mix it, the tougher and denser the cake will be.
The baking time for the cake can depend on the temperature of your oven and environmental conditions in your area. So use the toothpick test to make sure it's done. A wooden toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean.
Substitutions
In the cake:
substitute 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger or 2 teaspoons of pre-minced ginger for the grated fresh ginger
substitute 2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie spice for the cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves (or allspice) and nutmeg
to make the cake gluten free, substitute measure-for-measure gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour.
in the icing, substitute 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger or 1 Tablespoon of pre-minced ginger for the grated fresh ginger