If there was a cake that could encompass fall, Halloween and decadence all in one~ it would be this Pumpkin Layer Cake.
First of all the Pumpkin Cake Recipe by itself is amazing, so imagine what happens when we pair it up with cinnamon spiced pumpkin buttercream and rich chocolate ganache!?
You will ditch the Halloween candy for a second helping of this cake for sure!
In my opinion (and not only because I am a chocolate loving freak) the thin layer of ganache really ties the whole cake together.
My mom agrees, since she and I basically finished this whole cake ourselves!
We are building on recipes of course, as with any layer cake project, so be sure to go get your base recipes prepared ahead of time and then meet me back here for the fun finishing decorations!
- 1 Recipe Pumpkin Cake baked into 3- 7" Pans
- ½ Recipe Swiss Buttercream
- 1 Cup Pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Recipe Ganache
- Orange Chocolate for decorating
- Follow along with the video instruction
For longer storage keep refrigerated up to 10 days
19 Comments
Waioohh……. I wil surely do dis for my son s birthday next week, thank you so much all ur recipe ‘re wonderful…….. weldon
Okay Gretchen, you are killing me. How am I ever going to stay on a diet? This looks absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to try the new pumpkin cupcakes. I have a quick question…what brand of chocolate do you use for ganache?
You are so generous sharing all of your recipes and tips and tricks.
Thank you!!!
Yeah tell me about it! Its just about impossible!
I use baker’s brand for ganache, its not necessary to use a high quality chocolate for ganache
Made this today and it is well worth the effort.
We loved it.. A WOW cake for sure.
Just saying .
Gretchen,
OMG !! made this today and wanted to tell you, it is to die for!! I will be making this again and again, especially for Halloween… Just had to do a test run to see if
we would like it,, My husband and I just loved it wanted to eat more and more, but only ate one piece for now.. LOL What a wonderful treat. I thnk I will make this for Thanksgiving also.
Love ya,
Carole
Great! thanks for the comment Carole!!
Hi Gretchen, made this cake this weekend and we all enjoyed it, thanks :). Hope to do the mini bundt cupcakes for Thanksgiving :).
In the meantime, I need to do a birthday cake for next weekend and I was hoping to cover it with your poured fondant — but I didn’t save the recipe from your old site. Can you post your poured fondant recipe? (Even without the video the recipe would be good.)
Thanks!
White Poured Fondant Icing
Yield 1 Qt of Icing
Confectioners Sugar (Icing Sugar) 9cups (1080g)
Corn Syrup or Glucose Syrup warmed 1/2 c (120ml)
White Chocolate or Candy Melts 4oz (112g)
Almond Extract or any Extract 2tsp optional
Water Warm 1/2 c – 1 cup adjust consistency for desired result
Mix Method: (hand beater will work for this also)
Place the sifted confectioners sugar (and cocoa powder if you are making the chocolate variation) in the bowl of your Kitchen Aid Mixer with the paddle attachment.
Add the warmed corn syrup and the melted chocolate all at once, and continue to mix smooth.
Add the warm water starting with a half cup first, then add more to adjust to your desired consistency.
Add extract of your choice and food color as desired.
How would you increase the ingredients to make 8 inch cakes.
I know you use 7 inch pans. But I own 8’s.
I made your Apple spice and pumpkin cake.
The taste was on target, but would have preferred a taller cake.
Thank you. Patricia
Right you wouldn’t increase anything, just divide the batter equally between the 2- 8″ pans that all
Just keep in mind the larger (diameter) your pan though- the THINNER (not taller) you layers will be and why I used 7″ pans.
I thought I explained it in the video for the actual CAKE RECIPE the different pans sizes and how you can use this recipe for a multitude of sizes- check it out it’s at about 4:00 minutes into the video where I talk about it
If this is not what you are talking about though- you can double the recipe of course, and whatever pan you are using (it doesn’t really matter) just give it room to grow- fill pans half way no more
Dear Gretchen, I am following your recipes over a year now. It was quite an important moment when I discover you, because I did not get so much good recipes and tips from professional baker before. I am from Slovenia (south Europe) and I am passionate home baker, baking for friends and family. This pumpkin cake was turned to small portions pumpkin cubes for my granddaughters’ 4th birthday and was a great success. It is simply delicious. In Slovenia we do not have pumpkin pure, so following your advice I make my own. It was quite thick, because I slowly on low temperature (130°C) bake pieces of pumpkin, and they become quite dry.
Thank you again for all your wonderful recipes, tips and tricks.
Srecka
HI Srecka! Thanks for hte message I am so happy you are finding success here!
Hi Gretchen. I haven’t made this recipe yet, but am thinking about making it for a church bake sale in October. I was wondering if the pumpkin cake recipe could be made without separately whipping the egg whites, instead just adding them one at a time, after the sugars and butter have been creamed. Would this compromise the texture or leavening, do you think?
Also, would these cake layers freeze well??
Thanks!
the whipped white does add lightness to the recipe, if you add them as is (LIke I do in my white cake recipe) you will get a more dense cake
Can you use oil in place of the butter? If so how much oil?
not for a creaming method recipe, CLICK HERE FOR MORE