Pumpkin Cake with Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting

Can this moist pumpkin cake get any better? Yes indeed with this delicious frosting!

Moist Pumpkin Cake Is A Good Keeper

This cake is nice and moist and will not go stale very quickly. Not only is it a “keeper” because it’s so darned good, but also because it doesn’t dry out fast as some cakes of this type do.

My Pumpkin Crumb Cake, while similar in taste, has quite a different texture than this one. The crumb cake is more of a coffee cake. This one is more of a standard dessert cake.

Awesome Frosting

First I have to admit that I prefer a plain cake to one that’s frosted.

Frosting (at least to me) is often so sweet with no tempering flavor, that is sweetness overkill. However, I found this icing interesting inasmuch as it had a tempering flavor–the sharpness of the cream cheese.

Another thing that intrigued me was the addition of a small amount of molasses. I’m kind of “meh” about molasses, but molasses having slight bitter undertones seemed perfect to me. The original recipe said you could substitute maple syrup for the molasses. Where I absolutely love maple syrup, I didn’t think it would be as good as the molasses in this frosting.

Thanksgiving Dessert? Why Not!

If you’re looking for something different from the usual pumpkin pie for a Thanksgiving dessert, why not make this instead or in addition to the pie?

This cake keeps with tradition because of the pumpkin, but it’s different enough if you want to get a bit radical–while keeping some traditions!

It can be made well in advance and it’s easy too–another boon at the holidays when there is so much preparation there aren’t enough hours in the day!

The Recipe

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Pumpkin Cake with Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting

This pumpkin cake is nice and moist and will not go stale very quickly. Not only is it a “keeper” because it’s so darned good, but also because it doesn’t dry out fast as some cakes of this type do.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream cheese frosting, fall desserts, pumpkin cake

Servings: 12

Calories: 612kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 15 oz canned pumpkin puree not pie filling

Frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 tbs molasses
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices until well combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the brown sugar, butter and grapeseed oil. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds between each. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin purée and mix until well combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Turn the mixer to low, and add the dry ingredients. Stir until a few spots of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and use a rubber spatula to finish folding in the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick and fluffy, so make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure it is evenly mixed.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and firmly tap the pan on the countertop a few times to release any large air bubbles. Bake the cake until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Cool the cake, still in the pan, on a rack for 15 minutes, then use the tip of a knife to loosen the edges and carefully invert it onto the rack to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: Add the cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high until smooth. Turn the speed to low and slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, mix until the sugar is moistened, then turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip until smooth. Add the molasses, lemon juice and vanilla, and whip until smooth.
• Invert the cooled cake to a serving platter, frost and serve. Alternately, you can also frost and serve this cake in the pan it was baked in, if you’d rather not transfer it to a serving platter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 6280IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 2.1mg

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*Adapted from NYT Cooking