Pumpkin spice season is here! While some of you might satisfy your cravings for pumpkin spice in liquid form, I much prefer to get my fix of those warm, comforting, fall flavored spices in doughnut, loaf, bars, muffins, cake, and sometimes pie form. It's about this time of the year when I buy more than my fair share of cans of pumpkin puree. Call it hoarding or call it a fear of shortages, the idea of the fall season without pumpkin spiced confections would be unfathomable.
But there isn't a shortage of pumpkin recipes on the blog. There are twelve of them until this post. When you are someone who tries to follow and keep up with food trends, it's slightly alarming when you discover you don't have any recipes for a 'snack cake'! Snack or snacking cakes are typically single layer, almost effortless to make homemade cakes. Generally they aren't considered to be a celebration kind of cake, but rather the kind you make on a whim to satisfy your cravings for cake and icing. They are ones you don't have to wait for the weekend to make. If you want cake on a Tuesday, snacking cakes are for you!
This moist, dense crumbed, comforting, satisfying, delicious Pumpkin Spice Snack Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Icing turned out to be everything a snack cake should be.
By their very nature, snack cakes are made with simple, easily accessible ingredients. Because they are usually made with oil (canola or vegetable), you don't have to wait for your butter to come to room temperature. And other than a couple of bowls, a whisk and spatula, you don't need to pull out your standing or hand mixer to make them. Easy peasy!
The ingredient list calls for the use of both Pumpkin Pie Spice and Cinnamon. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, not to worry. you can make your own! You can find the recipe for a homemade version of Pumpkin Pie Spice in the notes section below.
Making a cake with oil ensures not only its' moistness, but its' ability to become even more flavorful days after the cake is baked. Which means the spices in this pumpkin spice snacking cake will intensify as the days go by (if it lasts that long!).
Baking the cake in a nine inch springform pan makes it easy to unmold and transfer to a serving platter. If you don't have one, use a nine inch square pan (as the volumes between the two pans are similar). In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, baking time for the cake will range somewhere between 48 and 53 minutes. But rather than going by time only, test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake.
The cream cheese icing is the perfect compliment to the pumpkin spice cake. If you make the cake early in the day, take out the cream cheese and butter to give it time to soften up. Your icing will be creamier if those ingredients are nearing room temperature. I used vanilla bean paste to flavor the icing and because I wanted the flecks of vanilla to show. If you don't have it, use a good quality vanilla.
Technically I violated the 'rules' of snacking cakes by gussying it up by piping on, rather than slathering on the icing. While it's fun to do, you don't need to use a pastry tip and bag. You can create a beautifully icing swirled cake using an offset spatula, metal cake spatula, and/or even a large tablespoon.
When I created this simple cake I wanted one fall flavored with lovely warm seasonal spices. More importantly I wanted a cake that felt like you were getting a big, warm comforting hug in each bite. As it turned out this Pumpkin Spice Snack Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Icing exceeded all of my hopes and expectations. I may never need to make a two layer pumpkin cake again! And I think I have now officially jumped on the snacking cake bandwagon!
This cake will definitely satisfy your craving for pumpkin spice. However, there it comes with two added bonuses. It will satisfy your sweet tooth and tantalize your sense of smell while it bakes in the oven. Which makes this Pumpkin Spice Snack Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Icing a winner in my world.
Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Snack Cake w/ Vanilla Bean Icing
Makes one 9" round cake
Ingredients
Cake
1 3/4 cups (228g) all-purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (see notes)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 cups (378g) pumpkin puree (see notes)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Icing
8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (250g) confectionary sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions
Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9" springform pan with parchment paper. Generously butter and set aside. Note: If you don't have a springform pan, use a 9" square pan.
2. In a medium sized bowl, add in the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and Kosher salt. Whisk to combine. Set side.
3. In a medium-large bowl, add in the sugar, light brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Whisk until well blended. Batter should be thick and clump free.
5. Add the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
6. Place the baking pan on a baking sheet. Place in the oven. Bake for 48-54 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack. Allow cake to come to room temperature before icing.
8. Remove the cake from the can pan and place on a cake plate or cake stand.
Icing
1. In small standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and well blended.
2. Add in the confectionary sugar and vanilla bean paste (or vanilla). Starting the mixer on low, beat the icing until smooth and creamy.
3. If your cake has domed up during baking (and it should), use a serrated knife to remove the dome so you have a flatter surface when icing the cake (those pieces are the baker's reward). Ice the cake using either a pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice (I used Ateco tip #827) or spoon on with a metal spatula.
4. Place the cake in the refrigerator to let the icing set up for about an hour before cutting. Or don't wait that long and just cut yourself a piece!
5. Store any leftover cake covered in the refrigerator.
Notes: (1) If you don't have a jar of Pumpkin Pie Spice, you can make your own. To make a batch (it will be more than you need for this recipe), mix together 1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon allspice and 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves. (2) You will use almost all of a 15 can of pumpkin puree. (3) The Ateco tip #827 is an open star tip.
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