We originally designed this recipe for a pumpkin sheet cake with a very good cream cheese frosting recipe, but we used this to make our whipped cream layer cake and it was perfect. You’ll find both frosting recipes here.
We used a Vanilla Bean Baby Cakes Mix. It makes a cream cake, denser than store mixes but lighter than a pound cake. It is the perfect density for a pumpkin cake. You add spices, nuts, and canned pumpkin.
Pumpkin Cake Recipe
You may substitute one tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg listed in these instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 Vanilla Bean Cake Mix
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- Whipped cream frosting and decorations
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Mix the cake batter in your stand type mixer, per package instructions.
- Add the canned pumpkin, spices, and walnuts to the cake batter. Mix just until combined.
- Spread batter in a greased or parchment-lined 9×13 cake pan and bake for 18 minutes at 325 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack. If you are using parchment paper, grab the edges of the paper and lift to transfer it to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- After it has cooled, trim the edges back 1/4 to 1/2-inch. Use a ruler to cut the cake in half either long ways or short ways.
- You are now ready to stack and assemble your cake. Put either frosting or a filling between the layers, cover the cake with frosting, and decorate it.
Original Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
- 4 ounces of cream cheese (1/2 of an eight-ounce block), softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon meringue powder
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
Cream the granulated sugar with the cream cheese.Add the other ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.
Caramel Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces of cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup meringue powder
- 2 teaspoons Marsden and Bathe Caramel Flavor, or equal
- 2 cups Darigold 40% Heavy Whipping Cream, or equal
Baker’s Note: This is heavier whipping cream than many brands. It has six grams of fat per tablespoon. Lighter cream will work though you may wish to increase the meringue powder depending on how long before you use the cake. The meringue powder acts as a stabilizer.
Directions
- Cream the cream cheese and the granulated sugar together until mixed thus avoiding cream cheese lumps in your whipped cream.
- Add the meringue powder, one teaspoon of flavor, and the cream. Beat with a whip at high speeds until the cream thickens.
- Taste the thickened cream for sweetness and flavor. Add more sugar to taste if desired. Depending on the brand, you will probably want to use the second teaspoon of flavor.
- Continue whipping until very stiff. (If you whip too long, it will turn to butter and buttermilk—though flavored and sweet. It takes quite a bit of whipping to do so.)
