This is the BEST Pumpkin Cake I have ever made! It’s a three layer cake of super moist pumpkin cake and a crazy delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
Since it is September 1st, and I am dying for it to be Fall already, I am throwing it back to 2012 with my all time favorite Pumpkin Dream Cake!
If you are new to the blog, this cake is one of the best rated recipes I have ever shared. Just read all those comments — you HAVE to make this cake! And while you are at it, check out all the other Dream Cakes.
It’s an incredibly hard choice for me, but I have to say that the Banana Dream Cake and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Cake tie for second place!
Though it looks fancy and decadent, this cake is simple to put together and an easy enough recipe for even a beginner baker. Plus it’s guaranteed to impress all of your friends as they’ll never guess how easy it was to make!
This is the perfect cake to make a day in advance, since the layers need to cool before assembling it. Then all you need to do is assemble and frost before serving. Easy peasy!
P.S. I love this cake so much that I have even made it into cupcakes: Pumpkin Maple Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole milk
- 12 oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease 3, 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl/stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes. (This keeps the cake moist by immediately stopping the baking so the cake does not continue to bake when you remove it form the oven.)
- For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.
- Assemble the 3 layers with a thick layer of frosting in between each layer. Then apply a thin crumb coat on the top and sides. Pop back in the freezer to harden the crumb coat for about 10 minutes.
- Apply one final thick and even layer around the outside of the cake. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in October 2012.
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