The most delicious pumpkin cake is perfect for everything from an easy Sunday dinner dessert to the most elegant Thanksgiving cake on the dessert table!
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The most beautiful fall weekends…and a new Sunday dinner treat!
Michigan autumn is most certainly second to none. Aside from the incredible weather and autumn foliage, I’ve been soaking in all I can of my girls as they are getting older, and still wanting to do all the “fall fun” things. It has hit me that my oldest has less than 2 years left of high school! So we savor our weekends, and part of that is making a special Sunday dinner most weekends.
A Sunday dinner tradition
When the girls were little, I started adding a small homemade treat to the end of our dinners on Sunday evenings. It was a great way for us to not only demonstrate the how to balance having a once and a while treat versus everyday, but also a fun family tradition that I hope my girls will remember as they get older. Most Sunday’s it something super simple such as berries and whipped cream in the summer. We make a lot of apple crisp in the early fall too since we are always swimming in apples. But last weekend when we were celebrating the end of cross country season, and pumpkin carving day, I decided we needed a pumpkin treat!
Fast enough for an everyday Sunday, and fancy enough for Thanksgiving!
One of my goals in a Sunday dessert is that it doesn’t take a lot of fuss and time. I love a fun dessert, but most Sundays I’m working on getting things ready for the upcoming school week, and fussing around with a fancy dessert isn’t one of those necessities! This pumpkin cake takes less than 10 minutes to get prepped into the pans, and the rest is an easy frosting.
The *best* pumpkin cake texture
If you have been around here for a while, you know that I actually have quite a few pumpkin recipes on the blog. I love working with pumpkin – both savory and sweet! But it does have a tendency to make baked goods dense and even a little dry if you don’t balance it the right way. This pumpkin cake has the best fluffy and moist texture.
The Method :: The pumpkin cake batter
Blend the wet ingredients and mix in the dry! That’s it! This pumpkin cake batter shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes, which makes it perfect for everything from a Sunday dinner to the Thanksgiving Day food prep.
The Method :: Bake the pumpkin cakes
I used two 9 inch round cake pans to bake this cake, but there are lots of options. I think a bundt pan would be so cute. You could also bake all of the batter in a 9×13 inch cake pan, or 3 smaller, 6 inch cake pans. Once the cake has baked and a toothpick comes out clean, you can let them cool completely before frosting.
The Method :: The cream cheese frosting
I kept the frosting of this cake simple. Just a simple layered look with some swoops on the top. That is simple enough for a weekend dinner, but also elegant looking enough for Thanksgiving. If you want to add more embellishments or frost the sides, go for it! You could also leave it without frosting or dust with powdered sugar. If you are dairy free, swap the cream cheese for either dairy free cream cheese, coconut yogurt, or just more palm shortening.
Tips for baking ahead for the holidays
I love the idea of a pumpkin cake on the Thanksgiving day dessert table! I felt like after 2 days, the cake was starting to feel more dry. So, if you want to bake ahead of time, simply wrap the individual cakes in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag in the freezer to maintain freshness and moist texture. This is a great way to get ahead start on Thanksgiving Day food prep!
The Most Delicious Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Cake:
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp blackstrap molasses
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup coconut oil or butter melted
- 2 cups Namaste Gluten Free Flour Blend See Notes for flour swaps
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese See notes for DF version
- 1/2 cup palm shortening or butter
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp coconut milk or whole milk or cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-9 inch cake pans. I also like to fit the bottom of the cake pans with parchement paper to ensure the cakes come out easily. I also think that baking this cake in a Bundt pan would be cute.
- Blend the eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, molasses, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Slowly add in the melted coconut oil, blending that in as well.
- Blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth and combined, and divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans.
- Bake the pumpkin cakes at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back to touch.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting
- To make the cream cheese frosting, blend the frosting ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Frost the cake how you desire.
Notes
- All purpose flour will swap cup for cup if you tolerate gluten. Most cup for cup GF flour blend brands should work here as well.
- If you are dairy free, swap the cream cheese for either dairy free cream cheese, coconut yogurt, or just more palm shortening.
- If you want to make the cake ahead of time, bake the cakes, and then after they cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. If storing for more than 1 or 2 days, put the wrapped cakes into a freezer bag and freeze them to maintain moisture and freshness. You can frost the cake before serving.
