Pumpkin Crunch Cake ~ everything the name implies!
Loaded with pumpkin fall spices that are perfectly balanced (if I do say so myself!)
Cream cheese icing with pumpkin cake is my all time favorite combination of cake & icing.
The crunch for this cake? Granola Cereal! Kashi GoLean Crunch to be exact!
I know you may be thinking, “Cereal” Really?” But it worked perfectly!
Super crunchy and the flavors of that honey and almond with the pumpkin and cream cheese!? How many times can I say perfection!? LOL
Now of course many of you may not want to use the cereal for whatever reason, or you may not be able to get it.
You can substitute the crunch part with anything really! How about crushed wafer cookies like I used in my Orange Crunch cake?
My cowboy cookie recipe was going to be a second option if the cereal didn’t work out, or just make up some granola of your own to use; honestly anything you like will work great!
This is quite a large recipe and it made 4 beautiful layers of 7″ cake. Yes I am obsessed with 7″ cakes lately, even though my recipes yield 8″ cake layers.
Just fill the pans half full with batter no matter what pan size you use and you will be OK.
The cream cheese icing recipe can easily be turned into cream cheese buttercream if you prefer, so you see this cake is very open to changes!
Just have fun and I know you will love the outcome!
- For the Pumpkin Cake
- All Purpose Flour 3 cups (375g)
- Baking Powder 1½ teaspoons (7g)
- Baking Soda 1½ teaspoon (7g)
- Ground Cinnamon 2 teaspoons
- Ground Nutmeg ½ teaspoon
- Ground Ginger 1½ teaspoons
- Cocoa Powder 1 Tablespoon
- Salt ½ teaspoon (3g)
- Unsalted Butter 1½ cup (340g)
- Granulated Sugar 1 cup (200g)
- Light Brown Sugar ½ cup (100g)
- Eggs large 3 (150g)
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- Pumpkin 1½ cups (425g)
- For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- Cream Cheese 6 Cups (1360g)
- Unsalted Butter 16 Tablespoons (226g)
- Confectioners Sugar 4 cups (480g)
- Clear Vanilla Extract 3 teaspoons (15ml)
- Kashi Go Lean Cereal for garnish
- For the Pumpkin Cake:
- Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy (approx 5 minutes)
- Combine the eggs with the vanilla extract and then add slowly to the creamed butter/sugar mixture.
- Be sure to scrape the bottom & sides of the bowl often if you do not have a metro blade attachment as I do in the video.
- Add the sifted flour, baking powder, soda, cocoa powder and all the spices and salt all at once and mix just until combined
- Add the pumpkin last mix well.
- Divide batter into greased and parchment lined cake pans
- Bake at 350°F for approx 28 - 35 minutes or until they are done
- Cool while you prepare the cream cheese icing
- For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- Smooth out the cream cheese, but do not whip on high speed.
- Add the softened butter and mix the two together until smooth.
- Add the sifted confectioners sugar all at once and mix just until blended.
- Add the vanilla extract
- Proceed to build the cake as per the video instructions
- Kashi Go Lean Cereal for garnish optional
For best taste it can be brought to room temperature for about 1-3 hours for serving but be sure to get the remainder back into the refrigerator for longer storage.
This cake will stay fresh for up to 1 week wrapped airtight in the refrigerator
Did you say 6 cups of cream cheese?? And 2 sticks of butter? Holy Moly!! Has to be good!
Yes! I know! It needs a large recipe for the filling AND icing
Hi.Gretchen.
Pumpkin has to be steamed n pureed ?pardon my ignorance.Pls answer.Thnx.
Yes thats correct you can buy it in a can or CLICK HERE for fresh made
Hi made this pumpkin cake but I don’t know if I did something wrong my cakes did not get fluffy or rise up? And it looks like it need it more time to cook, at the bottom of my cakes you can see raw parts, I think I want make a new batch.
Hmm, perhaps a measuring error? I have made this recipe several times
thanks for coming up with a tasty way to eat kashi cereal
What can I use instead of egg as I m vegetarian?
Try EnerG egg replacer CLICK HERE
Hi Gretchen, is this cake strong enough for a three tier cake covered in fondant? It is for a 50th birthday that I would like to make this cake.
YES! CLick here for more
Gretchen,
I was asked to make cupcakes without eggs so I had been thinking about making either pumpkin (until this recipe came out I was looking at your pumpkin cupcakes from last year), Carmel Apple, or your chocolate peanut butter ones. I often see that in your vegan conversions, flax eggs are used. Which of your recipes would you recommend? I asked and there was not a preference for the cake flavor. It will be one of the cupcakes for when my daughter is promoted in the military and she said that one of the people in her unit has an egg allergy so she wanted something available for that person. Thanks!
Ok Great! I have not yet tried this one with the flax egg substitute, have you ever tried EnerG egg replacer?
Hi Gretchen,
I made this cake recipe yesterday and it turned out amazing – thank you for this wonderful fall recipe.
I do have one question for you. Do you prefer the Cream Cheese frosting that you listed above or your Cream Cheese Buttercream frosting on this cake?
Hi Great! I like full on cream cheese icing but it can get costly with 6 packages of cream cheese!! the Buttercream makes it a bit lighter too
Hey Gretchen,
I had a problem with the icing. It was runny and i had chunks of butter in it. I avoided overbeating the cheese and butter was room temperature. When i added the icing sugar it became more runny. i put it in the fridge but nothing i did seemed to work. What did i do wrong?
The pumpkin cake was perfect
Did you happen to have BAR cream cheese or Whipped Tubs? CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
Hi, do U bake the pumpkin first or just add it raw?
it is technically raw (although canned pumpkin will be slightly cooked) as will be the homemade pumpkin puree if you decide to make your own
Hello Gretchen,
Instead of using this recipe in a regular cake pan I was wondering if it’s suitable for a Bundt pan instead? I want to make two of these and put them together to make a pumpkin! Thank you for the great recipes!
yes it is the same recipe I used CLICK HERE
Hi gretchen!
The recipe mix method is a bit different to the one on the pumpkin cake recipe. Which gives a moister,lighter cake? I am planning on making pumpkin cake for the first time today can’t wait!
Thank you gretchen!
Hi Gretchen,
Does the granola become a bit “flabby” with the contact of the cream cheese if you keep the cake a couple of days? How to avoid it?
I plan to make the cake for my sister’s tearoom this week-end and want to make sure the granola will remain crunchy!
Following you from France 🙂
Thanks!!
Yes it will become slightly “less crunchy” Im not sure how to avoid that. Its sort of just the law of hygroscopicity
Gretchen have you seen the momofuko milk bar cookbook? They do some really interesting things with cereal in their recipes…I’m sure you can adapt and make it stay crunchy!
Does this recipe actually make all 4 7″ layers?
yes
Hi Gretchen
I will be attempting a pumpkin dessert for the first time. I want to make cupcakes but I’m a bit confused looking at all the pumpkin recipe options here. Please advice which recipe would be best for cupcakes.
Thanks
I love this recipe here, it bakes beautifully! But I also did one last year you may like too CLICK HERE
Hi Gretchen,
1) Can I gel color a small amount of this cream cheese for borders or will it get soupy with extra mixing..? (I’m not using the crunch cereal)
2) Also…I only have 2. 7 inch pans…(and I do need to make this a 7 inch cake) but I don’t like to bake two thick ones and cut them into 4.. So can I make a full recipe..bake 2.. clean the pans..and bake the other two right after? Or do I have to make two half batches to get 4 layers? Thx in advance! Sorry…meaning make and bake a half batch…then bake a separate half batch after the other two come out the oven….(so the batters not sitting out on the counter for 40 minutes)
You can color it yes, but you are right too much mixing is going to make it softer, so be gentle.
This recipe is more forgiving in that aspect so yes to leaving it wait, CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Oh, I see the additional comment, yes to half would be best! Be careful with your math! CLICK HERE
Once again…thank you very much for all your awesome recipies and baking tips! And the time you spend responding to all these people is BEYOND generous. I made a small donation to gretchens bakery as a thank you..would love to have done more, but I did what I could.
One last question….will be delivering this cake right after its completed..and they won’t be eating it till 5 hours later. Will the cereal be soggy by then? If yes then I will omit and just decorate it myself. But the crunch looks so good! So I have to try! ? 5 hours? Thanks again. : )
Hi! Thank yoU! I got it ! thank you so much! and you are also very welcome! I love helping everyone with baking so it is no problem at all!
Im sorry for the late reply though, I think you may have already been done with this cake?? Yes the cereal will tend to get soggy after several hours in a humid refrigerator not to mention the moisture from the icing will also add to that.
Hi Gretchen long time follower here just wanted to ask you would it be ok if i use ALL Cake Flour instead of A.P. flour (or a combination of both)? I dont have the whole amount of reg. A.P. flour
Thanks in advance love!!! And Happy Holidays to you and your family
combo of both is better in a high liquid recipe like this one, AP absorbs a bit more for a smoother mix
and THANKYOU!
Thx Gretchen!!! ALWAYS the BEST lol
Hello, Gretchen!
Thank you for the perfect recipe! You solved my problem – what’s new to cook from a pumpkin.
Milen
Weedit.photos
Hi Gretchen,
Can we steam the pumpkin and make a puree to use it in the cake ? Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe will try out and let you know the outcome 🙂
yes definitely! CLICK HERE
Wow looking yummilicious cake! Thanks for sharing Pumpkin Crunch Cake recipe and i will surely try at my Kitchen as soon.
Regards
https://onlinecake.in
Hey Dear, I have seen the video. you made it exception well. As i never had pumpkin cake so, this one is special for me. Thanks for sharing ingredients.
Hi Gretchen, Your recipe and your way of making this was awesome. I have tried your recipe last week. But I didn’t get a taste as I was expected.
The recipe is so easy and great that I couldn’t stop my self by trying this and it would really turn out as a delicious and healthy cake.
If you want to check out some delicious cakes to order then you can follow the link mentioned here. https://www.winni.in/cake-delivery-in-hyderabad
This cake is looking delicious. I would love to bake this cake for the coming occasion of mother’s day. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This cake is looking delicious. I would love to bake this cake for the coming occasion Thanks for sharing the recipe
Do you have any. Vanilla rum cake recipe ?
Click here for my best version of a rum cake:
nice post thanks
YUM! It’s looking amazing and delicious ♥ although I have tried other cakes but never tried any pumpkin cake. Now, I will surely copy your recipe and will try on any upcoming occasion 🙂
I want to ask u What kind of baking pans do you use?
Thanks! CLICK HERE FOR THE PANS
Hi Gretchen,
Would I do 1.5 of the recipe for it to fit in a 9×13 pan? or double it?
Love your frosting and cake recipes. Your swiss meringue buttercream converted me to a buttercream fan.
1 recipe for 1 layer of 9″x13″ cake
Awesome! thanks!! 🙂
It’s never too late for this cake One of my favorite flavors!!
This is beautiful. God bless you.Hope to try it soon
I can’t wait until Passover for this one! Great tips on baking this cake..
How easy & delicious is this!!! My kids would totally beg me for more:P
great post thanks
Wonderfull
The best I read till date!!