This recipe is for a pumpkin cake with a caramel cream cheese icing. This is a quick and easy recipe that will leave your family thinking you spent all day in the kitchen making it, or that you bought a cake from a professional bakery!
The icing will need to be chilled for a bit in the refrigerator, so let’s make it first! The first thing is making the caramel. This recipe makes an amazing caramel, but cooking sugar to this temperature can be very dangerous! If you are not comfortable making it, you can buy any store bought caramel in liquid form. I think there is even a company that makes caramel melts, like chocolate candy.
First, in a medium sized sauce pot, dissolve 1 cup of sugar into 1/2 of a cup of water and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. The original recipe calls for a vanilla bean. I cannot find those where I live, but the vanilla extract works just as well. If you have vanilla beans handy, go for it!
Once sugar is dissolved, cook on moderate heat, without stirring, until a medium to dark amber color. About 9 minutes.
Immediately stir in 1-1/2 sticks of butter and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. It will not mix well but that’s okay. Stir until butter is melted and transfer to your stand mixer’s bowl. (Or any bowl, if using a hand mixer). Mix well until the caramel cools. You can tell by touching the bottom of the bowl. Do not touch the caramel. After about five minutes the caramel will start to cool ad come together.
Cut one pound (2– 8oz packages) of cream cheese into 2 inch squares. I just cut mine once down the middle long ways and then into thirds.
Add each cube of cream cheese in, one at a time letting it mix well before adding each one. Mix until smooth and creamy. It will have the consistency of pudding. Place in refrigerator to firm up a bit.
Now for the cake! The original recipe I will be sharing is courtesy of Woodland Bakery in Chatham, New Jersey. The owner, Gretchen Price (no relation), is amazing. She has a blog, YouTube channel and Facebook page. Be sure to check her out. She has a lot of great recipes and tips on her site!
Cream together 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter and 1 cup of sugar yogurt until fluffy. Add 3 egg yolks. In a separate bowl whip the 3 egg whites together. Beat to a stiff peak.
Measure 1 cup of pumpkin solid. In a bowl wisk together 1-1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 3/4 of a cup of cake flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients in with the butter/sugar mixture. Then 1/2 of the pumpkin. Alternate this way ending with dry ingredients. Gently fold in the peaked egg whites.
This makes 2–8 inch rounds. Bake at 350F.
Frost your cake with the caramel cream cheese icing and serve. If this isn’t a fall dessert, then I don’t know what is! I make mine with a cinnamon buttercream and a dark chocolate ganache. These are my secret recipes though; you’ll just have to enjoy this delicious photo!
2 sticks (1 c) butter
1 c. Sugar
3 eggs (separated)
1 c. Pumpkin solid (packed)
1-1/4 c. All purpose flour
3/4 c. Cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy and add egg yolks. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl to a firm peak. Alternate between dry ingredients and pumpkin, starting with dry and ending with dry. Gently fold in egg whites and bake for about 25 minutes. Or until done.
Yield 2. 8 in round cakes.
Now that you’ve done all of this hard work, here is a little recipe to reward yourself!
