Pumpkin Pecan Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
This pumpkin pecan cake with cinnamon buttercream frosting is the perfect fall dessert. Full of pumpkin deliciousness, topped with a yummy cinnamon buttercream frosting, this pumpkin cake is the perfect way to start the Fall season.
Calories:
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Pecan Cake
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp cloves
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅓ cups shortening
- 2 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° and grease and flour (2) 9 inch cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla and pumpkin puree until creamy.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together. set aside.
- Mix flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until well combined. Stir in pecans. Spoon into prepared pans, ¾ full (mixture will be thick).
- Bake at 300° for approximately 60-70 minutes or until wooden tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and place of cooling rack.
For the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add vanilla and cinnamon, mix well.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
- Frost once cake has cooled completely.
Notes
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze a whole cake wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil for up to a month.
- Freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag for up to a month.
- Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Pumpkin puree and pie filling are often sold side by side. Be certain you buy the puree.
- Be sure your baking soda and powder are fresh. Old leaveners result in a flat, dense cake.
- Never scoop flour directly from the bag with your measuring cup. This compacts the flour, leading to using too much.
- Mix your batter until just combined. Overmixing will develop the gluten in the flour, making the cake dense and tough.
- Fold your pecans into the cake batter rather than using a mixing motion. This helps limit gluten activation, resulting in a more tender cake.
- A hand mixer is best for achieving the richest, creamiest frosting texture.
- Be sure your cakes are fully cooled before frosting them. Even slightly warm cake will thin the frosting and make it slide right off.