Pumpkin Cake With Buttercream Frosting

Pumpkin cake is a dessert that tastes warm and comforting and captures the essence of fall. It is often served as a dessert at Thanksgiving gatherings, Halloween parties, or just as a sweet treat.

This cake is made mainly from pumpkin purée and has a nice mix of spices and a moist texture that makes it a favourite during the autumn season.

Pumpkin Purée: The main ingredient in pumpkin cake is, of course, the pumpkin itself. Pumpkin purée is made by cooking and blending pumpkin flesh. It gives the cake a unique taste and makes it moister.

Spices: Pumpkin cake is usually seasoned with warm spices like ground cinnamon, ground allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. This spice blend makes pumpkins natural flavours more comforting and aromatic.

Frosting: Buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or a drizzle of caramel sauce can be used to cover the pumpkin cake. Moreover, you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the top for more flavour and aroma.

Pumpkin Cake

Preparation: 15 minutes

Baking Time: 45 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Number of serving: 6

Ingredients for the cake


2 Cups	Cake flour
1 Cup	sugar
1 Cup	Chopped walnuts
1 Cup	Pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp	Greek yogurt
1 Cup	Rapeseed oil/ Vegetable oil
3	Large eggs
1 1/2 Tsp	Pumpkin pie spices
2 Tsp	Baking powder
1/2 Tsp	Vanilla extract
A pinch	Salt to taste

Ingredients for the buttercream frosting


400 G	Icing sugar
200 G	Unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3-4 Tbsp	Milk
1 Tsp	Vanilla extract
A few drops	Food colouring (orange and green)

The instructions for the cake:

Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (180°C).
In a deep bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for about 3–4 minutes, until the mixture becomes soft and creamy, smooth, and the sugar dissolves well,
Now add the yogurt and oil and mix the ingredients.
Add the pumpkin purée and mix the batter again until it is just combined.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spices, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients with a spatula and add them to the batter in 2 to 3 steps. At this stage, do not use a mixer at all, and stir with a spatula.
Add the chopped walnuts and mix thoroughly.
Now, use a bit of oil to grease a mould. (As a mould, I used a large Pyrex bowl with a diameter of 20 cm). Pour the batter into the mould and bake for 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the type of oven) or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Turn off the oven and wait for 5 minutes. Take out the mould and let the cake cool on the mould for about 10 minutes. Then invert it on a wire cooling rack.

The instructions for making buttercream frosting:

Sift the icing sugar once or twice.
Beat the softened butter with a mixer for one or two minutes until it is smooth and even.
Add the icing sugar in two or three steps and mix it with the butter.
Add vanilla extract and milk to the mixture.
Use food colouring to colour the buttercream. Divide the buttercream into two parts. I used half a cup to make the pumpkins stem and turned it green. The other part for icing the cake was orange. It is better to add the colours little by little and stir until you reach the desired colour.
Transfer the buttercreams into individual pipping bags. Place the green one in the refrigerator until the cake is ready for the addition of the pumpkin stem.

The instructions for covering the cake with buttercream:

After the cake became completely cool, nicely coat it with the orange buttercream and make its surface smooth. Put the cake in the fridge and let it cool for about 10 minutes. (for the first layer)
To make a pumpkin-like shape, add another layer to create a concave edge. Use a spatula and the back of a teaspoon to shape the buttercream into a pumpkin shape. Then, transfer the cake to the fridge to chill for about 5–10 minutes. (for the second layer)
Take the cake out of the fridge. Add an extra layer of buttercream to the previous step to achieve a more convex shape. To place the pumpkin stem, extract a small amount of orange buttercream from the top. Refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes.
Please return the cake to the counter and smooth the surface by heating the spatula and the back of the spoon slightly, without causing the buttercream to melt. If necessary, remove a small amount of orange buttercream from the top of the cake, so that the surface of the cake is slightly visible.
Pipe the green buttercream on top of the cake and make a stem.
Put the cake in the fridge to keep it cool before serving.
I hope you enjoy it.

Tips for enhancing the cake baking process:

Before you start, take the ingredients out of the fridge at least 30 minutes in advance.
Preheat the oven for 10–15 minutes before putting the batter in.
Avoid opening the oven during the first 20 to 30 minutes of baking, as this will cause the cake to sink.
To check if the cake is done, insert a wooden skewer or toothpick into the centre of the cake. If the cake does not stick, then it is done. (Of course, do this after 20–30 minutes)
Sifting the flour helps the cake puff up and get crispy, and it also prevents clumping in the batter.
Make sure to choose a mould that leaves 1 to 2 cm of space above the surface after pouring the batter, so it does not overflow.

Pumpkin Cake