Description
This cake is moist, flavorful and warmly spiced. It’s finished with a classic cream cheese frosting, and it’s a perfect holiday cake. It also freezes beautifully, so you can make it in advance.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
FOR THE CAKE
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 1/4 cups shredded carrots
- 1 8–ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts coarsely or finely chopped
- 3/4 cup full-fat buttermilk, room temperature
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 1 8–ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 2 sticks real unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Tiny bit of milk as needed
- Pecans or walnuts for garnish, optional
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 9-inch cake pans with wax or parchment paper. Lightly grease and dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, eggs, sugars, vanilla, pumpkin puree, shredded carrots, crushed pineapple and nuts. Mix on medium high speed until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add the buttermilk and dry ingredients alternately, starting with the buttermilk and ending with the dry, mixing just long enough to incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Divide the batter equally between the cake pans. Gently shake the pans and tap them on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick test comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the cakes and invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the cream cheese is light and creamy, and free of any lumps. Add the butter, vanilla and salt. Mix on medium high speed until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is light and creamy, about one minute. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, sifting it in as you go (if you want smooth frosting with no lumps). Mix well after each one cup addition, mixing on low until it’s incorporated, then turning mixer to medium high. Keep adding the sugar until the frosting is the perfect spreading consistency. You might not use quite all of the sugar. If the frosting is a little too thick, simply add a tiny bit of milk to thin it down. If it’s too thin, add a little more sugar. It’s sort of a give and take thing. You’ll know when it’s of spreading consistency.
- Spread the frosting on cooled cake layers. I like to refrigerate my cake layers for a few minutes before frosting. Decorate the top with pecan halves, if desired.
- Refrigerate the cake in a covered container until about 1/2 hour before serving it. It slices much more neatly if it’s chilled.
Notes
- You can freeze this cake for up to 3 months. Wrap securely. I place mine in the freezer for a few minutes to harden the frosting, then I wrap it in plastic wrap. I then place mine in a cake container and freeze it. Thaw is overnight in the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap. Slice it while it’s cold for neat slices and sit it out a least 1/2 hour before serving it.