Carved Pumpkin Cake Recipes

PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
• In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the melted butter and sugar on medium speed until just combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well combined.
• Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Cut into squares and serve. Cover any leftover cake tightly with aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days (bring to room temperature before serving) or at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The cake can be made and frosted up to two days ahead of time. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator; allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Freeze the unfrosted cake, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost the cake to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve.

CARVED PUMPKIN CAKE

Steps:

• For the buttercream: Place the butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
• Sift the powdered sugar if needed. Add the sugar to the bowl 1 cup at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated, and then increase the speed to medium-high and allow to double in volume and lighten in color. Add the vanilla and salt. Stream in a little oil at a time until the buttercream is smooth and light. Use immediately or store at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated for a week.
• For the cake: Separate the buttercream into 3 bowls and color one yellow, one orange and one dark orange. Place the colors into piping bags and cut the tip.
• Remove your cake from the freezer and place on a turntable cake stand. Ice the cake with a layer of the yellow icing. If the icing stiffens from the chill of the cake, then you are ready for the next layer of icing. If the icing is still soft, place the cake in the freezer and allow to set, about 1 hour (or overnight in the refrigerator).
• Once the yellow layer is hard, ice the cake in light orange and follow the same steps as the first layer.
• Ice the cake in the final layer of dark orange and place the cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days until you are ready to carve.
• Once the cake is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and start carving. You can use a stencil of a cake found online or in a pumpkin carving book or from your imagination. Have fun and be creative. Involve your kids or carve with friends.

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 mins, or until golden and springy to the touch.
• To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.
• If you like, trim the edges of the cake. Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls. If you're making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.

PUMPKIN & CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of two 23cm cake tins. In a big bowl, beat the oil, cake mix, pumpkin purée, milk, eggs and spice mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into the cake tins and bake for 22-25 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins while you make the filling.
• Beat the cream cheese briefly in a medium bowl until fluffy, then add the icing sugar, spice and pumpkin purée and beat until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat or it will go runny. In another bowl, whip the cream and fold it gently into the cream cheese mixture.
• When the cakes are cool, cut each one in half horizontally so you have four thin sponges. Put the bottom layer on a plate, spread with 1 tbsp dulce de leche, then smooth over a quarter of the filling. Add the next layer and repeat until you have an amazing tower of pumpkin, cake, caramel and cream, then sprinkle the pecans on top. Boom.