Pumpkin Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert, Cake, Quick Bread
Cuisine: American, Fall, Winter
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12-16
 
The pumpkin gingerbread intensifies in flavor as it sits, so it's best to make the cake a day or 2 before you plan to serve it.
Ingredients
  • 1¾ c. All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 2 tsp. Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. Cardamom
  • ½ tsp. Clove
  • ½ tsp. Allspice
  • ¼ tsp. Nutmeg
  • ⅛ tsp. White Pepper
  • ¾ c. (1/2 can) Pumpkin Puree
  • ¾ c. Molasses
  • ½ c. Dark Brown Sugar
  • ½ c. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
  • ½ c. Buttermilk
  • 1 Egg
  • For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 8 oz. (1 package) Cream Cheese, softened
  • ½ c. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 2 c. Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • pinch of Salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or butter 2 8 in. round cake pans.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, molasses, brown sugar, melted butter, buttermilk, and egg. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and quickly fold together with a rubber spatula until just combined. Divide the cake batter between the 2 prepared pans and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then turn them out and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
  3. After the cakes have cooled completely, make the cream cheese frosting. Combine cream cheese and butter and, using an electric mixer, beat until light. Sift in the powdered sugar, salt, and lemon juice and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Adjust the consistency, if needed, adding more lemon juice to thin or more powdered sugar to thicken.
  4. Place 1 cake on a plate or cake stand, spread with half of the frosting, and top with the remaining cake. Dollop the rest of the frosting on top and use a spatula to swirl into pretty clouds. Refrigerate if you are not serving immediately.
Recipe by strawberryplum at http://www.strawberryplum.com/pumpkin-gingerbread-with-cream-cheese-frosting/