Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - made November 19, 2017, adapted from Divas Can Cook 

Okay, yeah, I'm going a little longer between posts again. I'll spare you the details of working a lot and trying to do my regular holiday stuff and doing non-holiday stuff. It's all getting done but I'm not sleeping much. Or blogging much either.

I made this cake last month. If you see the inside, you might mistake it for a carrot cake like one of my coworkers did. Nope, it's a triple layer pumpkin spice cake. It'd make a great dessert for Thanksgiving but I didn't get it up in time to share with anyone for Thanksgiving. Bookmark it for next year or make it any time year-round because it's really good.

I'm having a thing with triple layer cakes. As in, I've now made two three-layer cakes (remember the Most Amazing Chocolate Cake?) that have turned out and I'm getting a little bold and sassy. Two-layer cakes seem kinda wimpy. Go three layers or go home.

I did make a couple of modifications to this recipe. Instead of 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, I used 2 teaspoons instead plus 1 teaspoon of Penzey's Vietnamese cinnamon. Because you know me and Penzey's Vietnamese Cinnamon. We can't be parted for long.

I also skipped the heavy cream and cinnamon in the frosting because I wanted a straight up cream cheese frosting to go with this cake. My cake layers didn't come out as fluffy as on the original blog, Divas Can Cook, as I think I should've left the cake in the oven just 1-2 minutes longer. But still, this was a delicious cake. It doesn't have a strong pumpkin flavor and I'm glad I subbed in a little cinnamon. Because Penzey's cinnamon....

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon heavy cream
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste

1. Preheat oven to 3590 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 round 9" cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cram together butter and sugars.
4. Beat in egg, one at a time. Fold in vanilla. Alternately add dry and wet ingredients. Fold in pure pumpkin. Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Do not overbake. Let cool for 5 minutes then overturn onto plates lined with wax paper. Let cool completely before frosting and assembling.
6. Frosting: Cream together cream cheese, butter and heavy cream. Mix in powdered sugar, a cup at a time, beating until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and cinnamon to taste, mixing completely. Frost and assemble cake layers.