Who am I do totally impose all on your Thanksgiving menu planning with a cake recipe less than a week before the big holiday?? I know, what kind of event planner and entertainer am I, but dessert is often the last thing to think about or often times is left up for guests to potluck and bring. And even more of a gasp moment, but some don’t even care for pie, seriously I don’t think we could be friends yet still I made you cake that’s so perfectly Thanksgiving! It’s pumpkin of course, because if it wasn’t it wouldn’t be turkey day worthy. Secondly, it’s inspired by one of autumn’s most iconic item, yes the oh-so-basic, oh so why-do-people-still-freak-over-these, Pumpkin Spice Latte!
This pumpkin spice latte cake is not a fluffy, light and airy kind of cake, it’s a dense moist pumpkin cake with the texture of gingerbread and all the intense and comforting flavors of autumn spices and espresso. I would imagine that this is what a pumpkin latte should taste like. I’ll admit I was all aboard, and driving the pumpkin spice latte train in the beginning years, but then after a few cups I couldn’t stand that slight artificial taste, so my brief season of the PSL ended, and I couldn’t imagine to put this autumn flavoring in my dark black roast again.
But I do love those cozy invigorating spicy flavors in my coffee, and will brew my morning cup with a sprinkling of homemade pumpkin spice blend.
So how does this relate to cake, well ever since I saw this recipe last year, it’s been on my list of things to make. I have no idea why I chose to test out this recipe during the week before all the crazy Thanksgiving baking, in the midst of quality tasting control, and event planning tasks that are piling up, I still managed to add creating this cake onto my schedule.
The reason for me to take the time to bake this cake was because my aunt and uncle had arrived from Portugal to spend a month and the holidays with us, and naturally I had to welcome them back with a little something sweet.
This cake is as easy as you’d want any Thanksgiving dessert to be, even easier than making and rolling out the perfect pie crust. It’s also one of those cakes that taste better the following day, when all the flavors have had more time to do their thing and develop together into that full bodied taste of a pumpkin spice latte.
If you’re lucky and have leftover of this cake on Thanksgiving, then it will make a perfect Friday breakfast slathered with some cranberry sauce and warm mug of coffee!
Hope you’re enjoying all your holiday planning and baking! Make sure to search the blog for all the Thanksgiving ideas, to inspire even the last minute planner…
- 1 stick - Unsalted Butter {melted}
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons - All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons - Whole Wheat Flour
- 2 teaspoons - Baking Powder
- 4 teaspoons - Instant Espresso Powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons - Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 3/4 teaspoon - Salt
- 3/4 cup - Pure Pumpkin Puree
- 2 large - Eggs {room temperature}
- 1/2 cup - Light Brown Sugar {packed}
- 3/4 cup - Organic Cane Sugar
- 2/3 cup - Milk {room temperature}
- Salted Caramel, optional
- Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter a 9" round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, instant espresso powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt together. In another bowl of an electric mixer, whisk eggs into pumpkin puree, then whisk in butter, sugars and milk. Then whisk the wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring into incorporated and smooth.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan, and bake until top springs back when lightly touched and inserted toothpick comes out clean {about 35 to 40 minutes}. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes, then turn onto rack and allow to cool completely {about 2 hours}.
- Top with a drizzle of homemade salted caramel, then a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar. Or feel free to top cake with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or cream cheese frosting too! Serve immediately.
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