Pumpkin Pecan Cake With Cinnamon Icing (Printable)
Spiced pumpkin pecan cake with fluffy cinnamon cream cheese icing, perfect for fall.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
06 - ½ teaspoon ground ginger
07 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
08 - ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
09 - 1 cup granulated sugar
10 - ½ cup packed light brown sugar
11 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
12 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - 1½ cups canned pumpkin purée
15 - 1¼ cups chopped pecans, lightly toasted
→ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing
16 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
17 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
18 - 2½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
19 - 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
20 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
21 - Pinch of salt
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and melted butter until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract and pumpkin purée until fully combined.
04 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula. Do not overmix. Fold in the toasted pecans until evenly distributed.
05 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 32 to 37 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
06 - Remove from oven and let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before icing.
07 - Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until light and creamy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, then beat in the cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until fluffy and smooth.
08 - Spread the cinnamon cream cheese icing evenly over the cooled cake. Cut into 12 slices and serve.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The combination of pumpkin and pecan makes this cake taste like a cross between your favorite autumn pie and a Southern layer cake.
- That cinnamon cream cheese icing is so good you will catch yourself eating it straight from the bowl with a spoon.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter once the flour goes in will make the cake dense and rubbery instead of tender, so fold gently and stop early.
- Waiting until the cake is completely cool before icing is the single most important step, because warm cake plus cream cheese icing equals a melted mess you cannot fix.
03 -
- Take the cream cheese and butter out of the refrigerator at least an hour before making the icing, because cold ingredients will leave you with lumpy frosting no matter how long you beat them.
- Sifting the powdered sugar directly into the bowl through a fine mesh strainer takes an extra thirty seconds but saves you from grainy icing every time.