By Yossy Arefi
- Total Time
- 2 hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- 5(1,564)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Warmly spiced pumpkin cake and toasty caramel are a natural pair in this fall showstopper. The cake is light and fluffy with just enough spice to highlight the pumpkin flavor, while a generous pour of caramel sauce between the layers adds richness. (Store-bought caramel sauce will also work, but expect a slightly sweeter result.) For an impressive presentation, top the frosted cake with a bit more caramel sauce, and let it trail down the sides. It’s just the thing for a fall birthday treat or the Thanksgiving table.
Featured in: Not Everyone Loves Pie. For Them, There’s Cake.
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Ingredients
Yield:10 to 12 servings
- 2½cups plus 2 tablespoons/330 grams cake flour
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- 1½teaspoons baking soda
- 1¾cups/350 grams granulated sugar
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 1tablespoon cinnamon
- 1½teaspoons ground cardamom
- ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼teaspoon ground allspice
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 3large eggs, at room temperature
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½cups/610 grams pumpkin purée, at room temperature
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾cup/180 milliliters heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1tablespoon whiskey or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 4large egg whites
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 2cups/450 grams unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoons
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the Cake
For the Caramel Sauce (see Note)
For the Buttercream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
965 calories; 55 grams fat; 34 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 112 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 65 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 499 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Flour the pans and paper.
Step
2
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.
Step
3
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, butter, spices and salt. Beat on medium-high until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds between each egg. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin purée and mix until well combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. The mixture will look curdled.
Step
4
Set mixer to low, and add the dry ingredients all at once, stirring until a few spots of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and use a rubber spatula to finish folding the dry ingredients into the batter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed.
Step
See AlsoAunt Phillomena’s Pizzelle RecipeApple Bourbon Bundt Cake RecipeSalted Caramel and Peanut Butter Shortbread RecipeApple Cranberry Baked Brie Recipe5
Divide the batter among the prepared pans (about 3 cups per pan), smooth the tops, and tap the pans on a countertop to release any large air bubbles. Bake the cakes until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Step
6
Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then use the tip of a knife to loosen the edges and carefully invert them onto the rack to cool completely.
Step
7
Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Swirl the pan occasionally until the sugar dissolves, but do not stir. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally to help the mixture brown evenly, until it is deep amber in color. At this point, don't walk away from the pot: The caramel will go from amber to burned in mere moments.
Step
8
Remove the pan from the heat, and carefully whisk in butter and heavy cream. The mixture will expand and sputter before turning into a smooth sauce. Add the whiskey and salt. Carefully pour the caramel into a heat-safe container and cool to room temperature. You will have about 1½ cups.
Step
9
Make the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.
Step
10
Use the whisk attachment of the stand mixer to beat the egg white mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture and bowl are cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
Step
11
Switch to the paddle attachment and reduce speed to medium. With the mixer running, add the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time and beat the buttercream until smooth and fluffy. During this step, the buttercream will likely break and look curdled; turn up the speed on the mixer for a few seconds, and it will come back together. Continue until all of the butter is incorporated then add the salt. Slowly add ½ cup cooled caramel sauce, and stir until well combined. If the buttercream is extremely soft or runny, put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, then whip until smooth.
Step
12
Assemble the cake: If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim the cooled cake layers so they are flat and even. Add a small spoonful of buttercream onto a cardboard cake round or serving plate, and place the first layer of cake, cut side up, on top.
Step
13
Spread about ¾ cup buttercream on top of the cake. Drizzle the buttercream with 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce. Be careful not to drizzle the caramel all of the way to the edge so it doesn’t spill out the sides.
Step
14
Place the second cake layer on top and repeat with buttercream and caramel. Place the final layer on top, cut side down, and spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin, even layer of buttercream. Refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is firm, about 30 minutes.
Step
15
Spread the remaining buttercream in an even layer over the cake. If you’d like to add a caramel drizzle, refrigerate the fully frosted cake until firm then carefully spread about ⅓ cup of room temperature caramel sauce over the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to gently ease it towards the edges so it drips down the sides. Serve at room temperature. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving. Leftover caramel sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Tip
- You could use store-bought caramel sauce instead of making your own, but expect a slightly sweeter result. You’ll need approximately 1½ cups.
Ratings
5
out of 5
1,564
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Cooking Notes
DG
1) Butter the inside bottom of the pan so the paper will stick. (It doesn't have to be the whole thing - just enough for "glue.")2) Insert paper round that fits the bottom.3) Butter the top of the paper and sides of the pan. 4) Flour everything.
LoLo
Has anyone made this with a cream cheese frosting? I imagine it would be quite tasty with the caramel sauce. Not a huge fan of buttercream.
Mark McEvoy
In general, I do not recommend this cake. Few of my Thanksgiving guests enjoyed it (and the one that said that it was good may have just said that to be nice). The finished cake is not difficult to make, but there are a number of steps to go through. The taste of the cake was dull, and the icing much too buttery in flavor. Adding the caramel sauce did not help matters either. However, by itself, the caramel sauce was very good. Overall, I must say that I was very disappointed with this recipe.
Rachel
Important: add a squeeze of lemon to the sugar and water when making caramel to keep it from crystallizing.
Meadbh
Cake tastes great. The frosting was disgusting. All it tasted like was pure butter and ended up throwing it completely away (what a waste of butter) and making a cream cheese frosting instead.
Courtney
Made this yesterday as written for “Friendsgiving” along with pie and cookies—this was by far the runaway hit! Beautiful and delicious. I had no issues with the rising or making 3 layers and it came out so well spiced and moist. I was skeptical of the buttercream and considered doing cream cheese frosting instead, but am glad I didn’t. Somehow despite the four sticks of butter, the frosting is super light and airy and the perfect complement to the rich buttery caramel and the spiced pumpkin.
SharonATX
The cake portions themselves were delicious, but the buttercream frosting was so buttery that it was almost inedible--we kept having to cut it with the caramel and then had none leftover to drizzle. Also, I've never seen such unkind instructions for making caramel--no times, no temps. Overall, not worth it. Her pumpkin/molasses cake from last year is SO MUCH BETTER and takes about half the time and effort.
MSH
After reading the comments, I have 5 words for you: brown butter, cream-cheese frosting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/carrot-cake-brown-butter-cream-cheese-frosting/17809/
CKW
The proportion of butter in the buttercream recipe is way, way, way too much, even after adding in the caramel sauce. The frosting hardens in fridge. Butter is half to one fourth in proportion to sugar in other buttercream recipes.Caramel sauce is tasty. When making caramel sauce, make sure to whisk in cream and butter first before adding the salt. The whiskey is a strong flavor so you might want to use vanilla (we used good whiskey). Cardamom flavor tastes like it smells, don't overdo.
English
I got rave reviews on this cake! First time making caramel & burnt my fingers badly but it was so worth it. I too substituted basic cream cheese frosting which I though was great. Rave reviews from those served - watching their reactions - in a great way - was fun.
SCDC
You only need to line the bottom (you can buy pre-cut 8-inch rounds with which to do this, or cut your own); you can run a knife around the sides when the cake is cooked to release it, the parchment prevents it from sticking to the bottom. I usually butter the bottom before putting in the parchment, just to help the paper stay in place, then butter and flour the top of the paper along with the rest of the pan.
Alice1957
What I like to do with pumpkin bread is use a tablespoon of good, sweet curry powder instead of the the traditional spices. I think this substitution would work with this recipe, especially with that gorgeous caramel glaze.
Janice
How can I make a smaller version of this cake?
Jones
For everyone saying it’s too much butter: you did not do a good enough job emulsifying the butter into the egg whites. It’s really important when making Swiss and Italian meringue buttercreams to have the butter be the same temperature as the egg whites before you start adding the butter. It should be very soft. If you see specs of butter in the buttercream it was too cold. Leave the butter out overnight and use the whisk attachment for the majority of the butter additions.
Emily
Highly recommend! Instead of pumpkin pie, I made this cake for Thanksgiving with cream cheese frosting. I followed the directions for the cake exactly. It was delicious, moist and light. The cream cheese frosting (not overly sweet) made it reminiscent of pumpkin cheesecake, without the heaviness. Left off the caramel sauce...too sweet for us.
Cooking in Flagstaff
Made this for a birthday cake. Spread the caramel between layers and on top and used a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Claire
Cake and caramel were delicious but frosting was only ok. I made ahead and kept in the fridge overnight and the frosting got super hard—and did not get softer when left at room temp. The extra work of whipping the egg whites isn’t worth it. Next time I’ll just make a basic buttercream…
Heather C
I decided to make two 9 inch cakes and the caramel sauce but not the buttercream. Serving a slice of the cake with a little vanilla ice cream on the side and the caramel on top is out of this world. I really don't think it needs icing. It's truly spectacular. The cake is very delicate and flavorful.
Bijoux Mcloud
Delicious. Made 1 mistake - didn't add the cooled caramel sauce to the buttercream frosting. It was great as we made it and won't add it next time. Making the frosting is not difficult. It does require precision. I recommend using instructions from Serious Eats Swiss Buttercream recipe. Will definitely be making again next fall.
Fiona
I made the recipe as directed but only 3/4 of the frosting recipe. Delicious! I used bourbon in the caramel and very good butter for the frosting (including a stick of salted butter) which contributed to the flavor.The first time I made the caramel the sugar crystallized. After doing some research, I did the following:1) Put the water in before the sugar.2) Added a squeeze of lemon to the sugar and water.3) Heated on low and swirled until the sugar dissolved.4) Then raised heat to med-high
Sara
I could not bring myself to make a cake with so much butter. I found if you halve both the buttercream and the caramel you have an adequate quantity.I generally prefer cakes made with vegetable oil as they are lighter and don’t get so firm in the refrigerator
NHcook
This recipe is enough for 24 standard sized and delish cupcakes. I replaced 1 C of the butter with 2 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese in the icing recipe. Disappeared quickly and rave reviews from the party where they were served. The candy corn I used to decorate them? Not so much.
Grey
Anyone can help with how thick each layer of cake is ? I’m trying to decide if I can bake them in one half sheet tray instead of three 8 inch rounds
david
My caramel sauce came out, granular looking, not smooth. Any hints? It tastes fine, and it is not gritty on the tongue.
Kirsten
For Italian Meringue Buttercream (which this is) it is essential to continue beating for 8-10 minutes after the last of the butter is incorporated. Beating for less time, all you’ll taste us butter. Beating for enough time, and it will taste like ice cream.
Kristi
I love this cake so much, but I have only made the cake (without the caramel sauce & buttercream). For the cake’s spices, I leave out the cardamom & allspice, & have only used dry nutmeg, because that’s what I’ve had available. Cream cheese frosting on this cake is perfect! Also, I highly recommend freezing the frosted cake and eating it straight out of the freezer. The texture is amazing. I’ve made this cake at least 10 times, & even non-pumpkin-pie partner loves loves loves this yummy cake.
Madeleine
This cake sounds simple, but everything about it was extraordinary. I DID use fresh sugar pumpkin, roasted and pureed, instead of canned. But man this was a delicious cake.
Vivian
So the cake itself is lovely though I would dial back or perhaps even eliminate the cardamom if I ever make it again. I love cardamom but it is overly dominant here IMO. The sugar never caramelized though I followed the recipe exactly but the syrup was quite tasty regardless. Based on comments I abandoned the frosting and made cream cheese frosting instead. In the end this cake had a carrot cake vibe and it was moist and delicious despite its flaws.
Claire
I really like the cake itself, and the caramel was so good and easy to make.But the icing was too buttery and I think if it was a little sweeter it would be amazing.
picassso83
A delicious cake. Delicious Carmel. Terrible buttercream recipe. Let’s me know if you have any questions.
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