Homemade Pumpkin Torte
Published: October 28, 2018 · Updated: October 3, 2025 by Cindy Gibbs
This Homemade Pumpkin Torte totally deserves a place on your Thanksgiving dessert table. It’s light and airy with a creamy and light filling that totally complements the warmly spiced cake layers. Oh yes, a drizzling of caramel doesn’t hurt either!
I love pumpkin desserts, but some pumpkin desserts tend to be heavy and dense in texture, but not this Pumpkin Torte. This torte is light and airy with a creamy and light filling that totally complements the cake. I promise you’ll love it! 🙂
I played around with this recipe a couple of times in order to achieve the perfect texture and flavor. I wanted there to be a taste of pumpkin and spice in every bite, therefore, I added pumpkin and spice to both the cake batter and the filling. I also played around with the amount of oil, baking powder and eggs in the cake to achieve that light and airy texture.
How To Make Pumpkin Torte
- Mix the cake batter as directed in the recipe below. Easy!
- Transfer to two 9-inch cake pans lined with waxed paper and lightly greased and floured.
- Bake the cake layers at 350 degrees until a toothpick test comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pans. Run a sharp knife around the edges. Then invert the cake layers unto wax paper or wire racks to cool completely.
- Use a cake splitter, dental floss, or a long serrated knife to cut each cake layer into two thin layers. If you’re using dental floss or a long knife, you can measure half way up the side of the layer and insert toothpicks to make sure you make an even cut.
How to make the filling
- This filling is so delicious. It’s made with cream cheese, cool whip, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar. Simply mix them together as instructed in the recipe below.
- Place the first layer, cut side up on a cake plate and spread one-fourth of the filling over it, stopping at the very edges. Repeat this step three more times, spreading the last fourth on the very top.
- Drizzle caramel over the top and sprinkle toasted pecans over it.
Some tips for you!
- Make sure to toast the pecans as directed in the recipe. That way the flavor is more pronounced, and they won’t get soggy on your cake.
- To save time, any part of this recipe can be made in advance. You can make the filling in advance and refrigerate. You can toast the pecans in advance and keep in an airtight container. You can also bake the cake layers in advance and assemble when you’re ready.
This Pumpkin Torte might look elegant but it’s super easy to make. Impress your guests this holiday!
Check out more great pumpkin recipes!
Marbled Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
If you make this recipe please rate it, and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
Wanna see different recipes each day? Feel free to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, & Instagram.
Print
Description
This Homemade Pumpkin Torte totally deserves a place on your Thanksgiving dessert table. It’s light and airy with a creamy and light filling that totally complements the warmly spiced cake layers. Oh yes, a drizzling of caramel doesn’t hurt either!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie Spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 can 15-ounces pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup Smucker’s salted caramel ice cream topping
For the Filling
- 1 cream cheese, 8-ounces, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cool whip, 16-ounces, thawed
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
For the Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut two 9-inch rounds of wax paper and grease and lightly flour. Grease and lightly flour two 9 inch cake pans and add the papers to them and set aside.
- Spread the coarsely chopped pecans on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven. Leave the pecans in the oven 3-4 minutes until you can smell the aroma from them when you slightly open the oven door and immediately remove. They go from toasted to burnt in a matter of seconds. Watch closely!! Set pecans aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, mix together the eggs, sugars, oil and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add the dry ingredients one half at a time mixing just until they are incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Gently shake the pans to level out the filling and tap the pans on a surface a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Allow cakes to set in pans for about 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges. Gently shake pans up and down until you feel the cakes give way. Invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool. I place two pieces of wax paper, side by side, on the wire rack before inverting the cakes onto it. Allow cakes to cool completely before assembling.
For the Filling
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk the cream cheese on medium speed until the cream cheese is very light and smooth and free of all lumps. Add the powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are well combined, about one minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl and under the whisk attachment as needed. Fold in the cool whip on low speed, mixing just until combined. Again, make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl and under the whisk attachment.
To Assemble
- Using a long serrated knife or a cake splitter, cut each cake horizontally into two thinner layers. Place the first layer, cut side up on a cake plate and spread one-fourth of the filling over it, stopping at the very edges. Repeat this step three more times, spreading the last fourth on the very top.
- Drizzle the caramel topping back and forth over the cake, stopping right before the very edge. That way, the caramel will slowly run over and down the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the top of the cake.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- This cake freezes nicely. I placed the cake in an airtight cake container, then placed the container in a large plastic bag before freezing it. You can freeze for up to three months, but I wouldn’t suggest freezing it any longer.
- This cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days, refrigerated.