A moist Pumpkin Cake topped with cream cheese frosting! The crumb is soft and tender, it’s easy, fast, forgiving and very versatile. Use this batter to make Pumpkin Bars, a round cake, loaf, cupcakes, muffins or even a bundt cake!
The third and final Thanksgiving recipe from a Sassy Lady from the South whose recipes are starring in the 2016 Thanksgiving Special here on RecipeTin Eats.
Wow. This Pumpkin Cake was a HUGE hit with my taste testers!
Pumpkin cake isn’t common in Australia, so I was particularly keen to hear what my taste testers thought of it. I had a group of my mother’s golfing friends around for a midweek Thanksgiving feast taste testing session and also made this cake again for my friends.
Resounding feedback was – YUM!!!!
I think I’m single handedly going to start a pumpkin cake crusade here in Australia. I know I’ve converted at least 15 people already. Just another 24.9 million to go. 😉
Dorothy – the Sassy Lady from the South who is credited with this years’ Thanksgiving Special – calls this recipe “Pumpkin Bars” because she makes it in a slightly larger pan so the cake is thinner, thus it looks more like bars when cut. Mine is around 25% taller than hers (based on rough maths!), which is why it looks more like cake than bars. And hence why I changed the name to Pumpkin Cake. 🙂
I do hope she’s not offended.
Actually, I should say I hope her son is not offended. Because I am told this Pumpkin Cake is actually her sons’ recipe. Perhaps not created by him – well, I know it wasn’t created by him. But he “owns” it now, ever since he was a wee kid and was told by the Sassy Lady from the South that if he wanted more Pumpkin Bars, he could very well get into the kitchen and make it himself.
So he did. And now he’s the Pumpkin Bar King of the family. <3
And now I’ve gone and used his recipe to make Pumpkin Cake.
Oh wait. Not exactly the same. I used fresh instead of canned pumpkin. Because, dear US readers, this may surprise you, but we don’t have canned pumpkin here in Australia!
To be honest, I’m actually sort of glad that we don’t have it here because it means I have to use fresh pumpkin.
Gosh, I have to say, I really was actually quite surprised at how enthusiastically this cake was received by my taste testers. Don’t get me wrong, I love it – a lot. But my taste testers, they LOVED it. Capital letters and bold.
Of course the cream cheese frosting scored high marks – always does. But that cake….it is just so soft, tender and moist! Truly fantastic.
Things brings to a close the 2016 Thanksgiving Special here on RecipeTin Eats. It’s been an epic one, starring recipes from the Sassy Lady from the South. You can get the full menu in the Cajun Turkey Breast recipe (that recipe is not only genius, it is so incredibly delish!).
I do hope this week will provide some inspiration for those of you in the States celebrating Thanksgiving next week! – Nagi xx
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Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 eggs , at room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups white sugar (Note 1)
- 1 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- 15 oz / 420 g canned pure pumpkin or 2 cups mashed fresh pumpkin (Note 2)
- 2 cups all purpose / plain flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp salt
Frosting
- 6 oz / 180 g cream cheese , at room temperature
- 1 cup / 225 g unsalted butter , softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F / 180C, all oven types.
- Spray and line a large pan around 9 x 13″ / 22 x 33cm with baking paper with overhang. (Note 3)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Frosting
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
Recipe Notes:
* Moist Easy Apple Cake <– This is becoming famous!
* Dorothy’s Carrot Cake
* 5 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Bars 5. Nutrition – This makes a large cake. If you cut it into large generous squares as pictured, then it will serve 12. If you can it into rectangles, then it will serve 18 – 20. Over half the calories shown below is attributable to the frosting.
Nutrition Information:
2016 THANKSGIVING SPECIAL
Get the full menu here.
LIFE OF DOZER
a) Cruel
b) Cute
c) Funny
d) All of the above
I made this cake today with fresh pumpkin!! And the cream cheese had more cheese and butter than sugar cause I ran out of it !! It turned out amazing and I used also less sugar in the cake . It took about 45 min to cook though 😅but worth it
Sooo good, but definitely needed way longer to bake. We did cupcakes and they took 45 minutes. I don’t think it’s my oven because every other recipe of yours the timing is perfect!
Absolutely yummo!
I added sultanas I baked in glass tray needed 45 mins @ 180
I have made this a few times now & it is amazing. Took some to work & got WOW reviews. Delicious!!
I made this cake this morning and took some to work. I should have taken the whole cake – everyone loved it. Thank you. xo
Coincidentally we made this exact cake at RecipeTin Meals today – they love it and keep requesting it!! N x
This is the most delicious cake. I have made it for my wife, my mother in law, my work colleagues – everyone agrees that it is one of the best cakes they’ve ever tasted.
Easy to make, and everyone loved it for Thanksgiving dessert!
Delicious as muffins! Used mashed fresh pumpkin, wholemeal flour and the lower amount of sugar option, with sprinkled cinnamon sugar in place of “frosting”. Hard to stop at one.
Cake is so easy to make and tastes great. The only thing is I needed to baked it for significantly longer than 25 minutes, so not sure why it calls for only that length of time for a 9X13 pan. Especially with the pumpkin.
yes, I had to bake it for an extra 20 mins, so 45 mins all up.
Can I substitute coconut oil for the canola oil in this recipe?? It looks SO good!🙂
Hi not sure why but 25mins was definitely way too short for cooking at 180 degrees in fan force oven…any suggestions Nagi? Or anyone else. I used fresh mashed pumpkin
Sounds like your oven may run slightly cool or there may be a problem with your thermostat! N x
I agree, making this for the 2nd time at the moment, it’s been in the oven 40 mins now and still not cooked.
Took an hour last time I cooked it.
Eventho it took a long time to cook, was the best cake we’ve tasted!
My oven temp is spot on….I’m thinking my bundt tin, and my square 21cm tin are just not big enough.
Yep – mine took 45 mins and it’s definitely not the thermostat. So worth the wait though!!!
I don’t know where you are in Australia but pumpkin cake is very common in cafes and it’s in every recipe book. Pumpkin scones too. The only thing we don’t have is canned pumpkin but that doesn’t really matter as pumpkins are readily available all year round.