pumpkin patch layer cake
Two layers of soft, fluffy pumpkin chai cake frosted with a maple cream cheese buttercream. Oh, and there's cute lil buttercream punkins, too! Awwwww.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
maple cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, cold
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp maple extract (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 1/2-5 cups all purpose flour
- red and yellow food dye
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9 inch cake pans with butter or oil.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Whip in the vanilla, pumpkin, and Greek yogurt. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, and salt. With the mixer running, slowly stream in the buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until the center is set and an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to release the layers and flip onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
- When the cakes are cooled, make the frosting. In a bowl, whip the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, maple extract (if using), and vanilla on low speed until combined. Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix to combine, then increase the speed to medium high and whip until very light and fluffy. If needed, pour in more sugar 1/4 cup at a time until the frosting is soft and spreadable.
- Pull out about 1 cup of frosting. Mix the yellow and red food dyes according to package directions to achieve the desired orange hue.
- Place one cake layer on a flat plate or cake stand. Frost the top generously, then add the second layer. Frost all the way around the cake until completely covered. Use a star piping tip to swirl on some pumpkin designs. To make little stems, add more dye to the remaining orange frosting to create brown. You may need other dye colors to achieve this.
Notes
*To make ahead: Cake layers can be baked ahead, cooled, and stored in the fridge, undecorated, for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the layers for up to a month. Be sure to wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or place in a secure ziptop bag. I recommend storing the layers separate so they do not stick together.
*To store: Because of the cream cheese frosting, a finished cake should be stored in the fridge and will last up to 5 days, though the frosting structure may begin to do weird shit by day 3. If you don’t mind a less aesthetic cake, you’ll have a nice tasty treat for the full 5.