Pumpkin Layer Cake
Martha bakes a sweet pumpkin and cream-cheese-frosting layer cake with quince compote.
Pumpkin Layer Cake
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Pumpkin Layer Cake
Martha bakes a sweet pumpkin and cream-cheese-frosting layer cake with quince...
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Martha Stewart Living, November 2010
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Yield Makes one 8-inch layer cake
Serves 12
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Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans and parchment
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for parchment
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt
- 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups solid-pack pumpkin (from one 14 1/2-ounce can)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
- Goat Cheese Frosting
- Quince-Ginger Compote
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush two 8-inch round cake pans with butter; line with circles of parchment, and brush with butter. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin; add vanilla and ginger. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk, and beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down side of bowl as needed. Divide batter between pans.
- Bake cakes until golden brown, pulling away from sides of pans, and until a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pans set on wire racks for 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks. Let cool.
- Evenly spread half the goat cheese frosting on top of 1 cake. Top with the second cake, and frost top with the remaining frosting. Top cake with some quince-ginger compote, and serve remainder on the side.
Cook's Note
Make Ahead: Unfrosted cakes can be stored, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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This is a delicious cake-light, spicy, and just the right amount of sweet. I have also added carrots and it was a lovely, light carrot cake. I use cream cheese frosting because quince and goat cheese are not readily available to me. I like the idea of apple and pear compote. Maybe that's next.
This cake was very good but not what anyone at our Thanksgiving table expected. Everyone thought it to be a heavy cake and not very sweet. I also did not have time to make the compote, which I think would have added the sweetness it was missing. On the second day I warmed it up and that brought out it flavors and made it taste much better. I would make it again, as long as I had time to also make the compote.
I want to say that this cake is fantastic. However, I didn't care for the frosting (nor did anyone else) and all my guests agreed that it would be better with just a dusting of powdered sugar. It was a very busy cooking day, so unfortunately I was unable to make the compote, but I think the compote with the "plain" cake sounds fabulous. I will certainly make the cake again! (just a note: quince are very difficult to find so I'm going to try it with half apples and half bosc pears).