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{VIDEO} Pumpkin Pie Cake (Sugar cookie Crust, Pumpkin Spice Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting)

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I came up with a really fun twist on a Thanksgiving classic... Pumpkin Pie CAKE, all dressed up to look just like a real pumpkin pie, but with everything we love about of a slice of cake and frosting.






If you’re like me, and love pumpkin spice flavored desserts with all those warm fall spices, but don’t love traditional pumpkin pie, this cake is so much fun because it looks just like a classic pie but it’s actually a moist fluffy pumpkin spice cake, on top of a buttery cookie crust, and topped with a smooth pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting.



Start by making the super simple cookie dough crust. 



And press into a greased pie plate



Chill in the fridge about 15 minutes and then bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 400°F , until the crust is just lightly golden. If you want you could really just use a ready made store bought pie crust or graham cracker crust, for a simple alternative, too. 


Next, make the cake batter, which comes together with just a few mixes.





And pour it into the pre-baked crust. 



Bake for about 35-45 in a preheated 350'F oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 


So while our cake is baking, we’re going to prepare the cream cheese frosting that we’re going to spread all over the top to look like pie and also pipe on top to look like whipped cream! So beat together the butter, cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar and set aside 1/2 cup of this to use later for the decorative swirls on top, in a piping bag fitted with a star tip.



For the rest of the frosting, beat in the pumpkin puree, spice, and maple syrup and a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to get that real orange pumpkin pie color. 





So once the cake has cooled, you can cut off a little bit of the top if it baked up into a dome if you want, and spread the pumpkin cream cheese frosting over the top until you have a nice flat layer of frosting on top. 


Pop this in the fridge to let it set up and then you can pipe on some swirls with the cream cheese frosting we set aside earlier, to look like real whipped cream on top of each slice.



Look at those layers of buttery cookie and that fluffy pumpkin cake topped with frosting. My favorite part is the cute frosting swirls on top of each slice.

 

I hope you guys loved my fun twist on this classic Thanksgiving dessert. Leave me a comment and let me know if you prefer a classic pumpkin pie or if you’re like me and prefer pumpkin cake, like me!




Pumpkin Pie Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

cookie crust:
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

pumpkin spice cake:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (may sub half of the oil with apple sauce)
  • 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (100% canned pumpkin)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pumpkin cream cheese frosting
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4oz (half a block) of cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½-2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree (100% canned pumpkin)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • orange food coloring (or red and yellow)

Directions

Prepare Crust:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8-10 inch pie plate with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer, on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk, vanilla and salt. Add flour and beat on low speed until mixture is crumbly but come together when pressed between your fingers. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Chill in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and then bake for about 10-12 minutes, until crust is lightly golden. Let Cool.

Prepare Cake:
Reduce oven to 350 degrees F In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, oil, and sugars until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes in a large bowl. Beat in the pumpkin puree, vanilla and spices. With a spatula, gently mix in the flour mixture until incorporated. Do not over mix.

Pour batter over the pre-baked crust. Bake for about 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Let cool.

Prepare Frosting:
With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and pale in color. Beat in cream cheese (make sure they are both at room temperature so you do not get lumps in your frosting). Add vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until incorporated. Beat on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Set aside 1/2 cup of the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip, for the decorative swirls on top. Beat in the pumpkin, cinnamon, maple syrup and a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to the remaining frosting until you have the color of pumpkin pie, with a thin consistency. Spread over cake to create a smooth, flat layer of frosting on top. Chill in refrigerator to firm up. Pipe on swirls of the reserved white cream cheese frosting to look like whipped cream on top. Slice, serve and enjoy. Refrigerate any leftovers.



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