Pumpkin Layer Cake with Creamy Cinnamon Whip
Our youngest daughter is always full of sweetness and compliments. And she’s a very truthful soul. So when she declared that this Pumpkin Layer Cake with Creamy Cinnamon Whip is the best thing I’ve made, EVER…well, you just gotta believe her!
A friend and I recently attended a free King Arthur Flour traveling baking demo in our area. The subject for the evening was “Baking with Yeast and Whole Grains”, two subjects I am interested in learning more about. I have to say that I walked away from the evening more convinced than ever that I have ALOT to learn about in these specific areas of baking. Frank, King Arthur’s speaker/demonstrator, was nothing short of amazing at sharing his knowledge. He deftly fielded question after question from the audience of obviously more-experienced-than-me bread bakers. I was in awe.
One of the things that particularly stood out for me that evening was learning about King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour. Because, truthfully, I’m not the biggest fan of regular whole wheat’s heavier flavor and texture. I’m just not willing to wholly sacrifice the milder flavor and lighter texture that all-purpose flour gives me. But I do, in fact, want the goodness that whole wheat delivers in terms of fiber and nutrition. So I was intrigued to try out this new-to-me product.
My first experiment in using King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour was with this pumpkin layer cake. And I was so pleased with how it turned out! The cake was moist, beautifully flavored and textured, and my family loved it! It made me excited to start swapping out the all-purpose flour in some of my favorite recipes.
This impressive dessert is comprised of alternating layers of moist spiced pumpkin cake and the dreamiest creamiest cinnamon spiked whippy frosting. It’s easy to put together. I purposefully didn’t use any special decorating equipment, like frosting tips and special spatulas, so you could see just how approachable a beautiful layer cake really can be. I’m confident that this fall pumpkin treat would look mighty gorgeous on anyone’s Thanksgiving table.
Disclosure: Thank you to King Arthur Flour for providing flour and cookbooks for my review. All text and opinions are 100% my own.
Pumpkin Layer Cake with Creamy Cinnamon Whip
This Pumpkin Layer Cake with Creamy Cinnamon Whip is the Thanksgiving dessert you've been waiting for!
Ingredients
- for the pumpkin cake:
- 2.5 c. King Arthur white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1.5 c. sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 15-oz. can pumpkin (not pre-spiced)
- 3/4 c. butter, melted
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- for the creamy cinnamon whip:
- 1.5 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1.5 c. powdered sugar, sifted
- 12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cinnamon, plus more for dusting the assembled cake
- 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
Instructions
for the pumpkin cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare two 9” round cake pans by first buttering and flouring each pan. Then line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper rounds, and butter the paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in sugar to incorporate. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
- In another medium bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened (batter may be just a bit lumpy). Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or just until a wooden toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Do not overbake. Let cool completely in pans on a wire rack.
for the creamy cinnamon whip:
- Using a chilled bowl and beaters, whip the cream until stiff. With mixer on low, add powdered sugar and beat just to combine. Remove sweetened whipped cream to another bowl and set it in the refrigerator.
- Add cream cheese to the same chilled bowl and cream until very smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Blend in the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger. Now add the sweetened whipped cream back into the chilled bowl with the cream cheese, gently folding to combine.
to assemble the layer cake:
- Arrange first layer of cake on platter or cake stand. Place about half of the creamy cinnamon whip on top of the cake, in the center. Using a spatula or the back of a serving spoon, start to gently spread the frosting out to the edge of the cake, making an even layer.
- Place the second layer of cake on top of the creamy cinnamon whip and press it down very gently to compress the layers just a bit. Add the remaining creamy cinnamon whip to the center of the top cake layer and spread it out to the edges in the same fashion. Incorporate swirls with the back of a spoon, if desired.
- Dust top of cake with additional cinnamon. Chill cake for 2 to 3 hours for best cutting results.
Notes
Pumpkin cake adapted from my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Creamy cinnamon whip adapted from my aunt Patsy’s Strawberry Pie.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 411Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 422mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 34gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
This cake looks wonderful! I pinned it and can’t wait to try it. I have a layered pumpkin pie recipe that has similar flavors that I love. Pumpkin pairs so well with whipped cream and cream cheese.
I was as excited as you are about white whole wheat flour when I discovered it. Now I use it in everything. There are very few things where you can taste a difference (pie crust, sugar cookies, and gravy), but even some of these I have learned to make work or at least in part. Have fun experimenting with white whole wheat flour, I know you will love it!
Great Website, and recipes…
Great website…
My son wants “something pumpkin” but not pie so I think this will work perfectly!!! Thanks
Awesome! I hope you like it, too!
I love King Arthur flours! I use White Whole Wheat regularly.
Your cake looks wonderful.
Could it be that you’ve just had bad whole wheat baked goods? I know that before I started baking them myself, I thought of them as pretty terrible. Texture, taste, everything was off. The thing is that only some baked goods are good with whole wheat. You need something to cover up that whole wheat taste! But I suppose now that you’ve tried white whole wheat flour, it doesn’t matter. :) And great giveaway! I’d love to enter but unfortunately I don’t live in the US at the moment.
Oh gosh. And somehow I forgot to mention the cake which is why I came here in the first place! It looks amazing. I’m all for not frosting the sides. It’s a pain in the butt and there’s enough frosting anyway. :) And thank you for not using Cool Whip in the cinnamon whip!
I rarely buy Cool Whip (maybe 1 or 2 tubs a year, for certain recipes). My dad pretty much banned it from our house when we were growing up (and he still does to this day), always insisting on real whipped cream. He is so right. :)
I definitely like whole wheat in breads, especially when they have just a touch of sweetness to them. But I’ve had a hard time with sweet baked goods. I need to do more experimenting in my own kitchen!
Everything about this cake is very appealing. First, I love LOVE layer cakes. Can’t expain why…I just love them and think every cake should have at least two layers. Second: pumpkin. Third: creamy whip frosting. Amazing. Delicious. Want the whole thing to myself. :)
Thank you so much, Julia. There really is something about a layer cake. ;)
I love pumpkin anything, what a cake!
I’m a total sucker for anything with pumpkin in it!
Looks fabulous! I can feel a vegan version of this cake coming on!
Ooo I heart all things pumpkin. Mmm. Thanks for the chance to win.
Oh my goodness, that is one glorious cake! YAY for pumpkin season!
What a delightful autumn recipe! And I love King Arthur Flour – an amazing company!
the flavors in the cake sound perfect for thanksgiving!!!
I love KAF! I know I would be eating that cinnamon whip right out of the bowl!
This looks amazing! I will definitely be trying this recipe out sometime this fall!
Wonderful, I’d love to know what you think of it!
I am not eligible for this give away because I live in Canada, but I DO have a question about the cake. Do you think it could be made from regular flour with the same measurements? It looks so good! OR, could you also use spelt flour? I have a friend that cannot have regular wheat flour but is able to eat spelt flour and I would love to make this for her birthday. Thoughts?
I was intending to experiment with all-purpose flour, thinking I would get this very question, but have not had the time to do so yet. So I asked the experts at King Arthur Flour and they suggest adding an additional 1/4 cup of flour to this recipe when using all-purpose, as whole wheat absorbs moisture more than all-purpose. If you try this, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks, Stacy!
I made it with spelt flour using the extra quarter cup and it was amazing! Everyone raved!
Thank you so much for letting me know!
My favorite Thanksgiving dessert is that pumpkin roll, with the cream cheese filling. To me, it just isn’t Thanksgiving without it. Thanks for a great giveaway!
I’ve always wanted to try making that!!