Pumpkin Pie Cake
Pumpkin Pie Cake – six pumpkin cake layers with toasted marshmallow filling, pumpkin pie filling, shortbread crumbs and vanilla buttercream.
Cake for Thanksgiving
As most of you know by know, I’m not the biggest fan of pie. I know it’s shocking to some of you. And I’m pretty sure it breaks my mom’s heart every time I say those words. She spent hours teaching me how to make the perfect pie crust when I was growing up. And for pie crust, hers is definitely the best, but I just can’t get on board.
I just accepted that I wouldn’t eat dessert at Thanksgiving dinner 🙂 But then, a few years ago, I tried Sweetapolita’s Autumn Delight Cake and instantly fell in love with the fall-inspired flavors. I immediately thought it would be the perfect cake to serve at a Thanksgiving dinner! And so, I did it. I replaced pie with cake and it was the best Thanksgiving ever!
Pie Inspired Cakes
I later tried Milk Bar’s Pumpkin Pie Cake and Apple Pie Cake and became the biggest fan of pie-inspired cake. This year, I decided it was high time I came up with my own recipes. For my pie-inspired cakes, I took inspiration from three family recipes: my mom’s Apple Pie and Ryan’s mom’s Triple Chocolate Pecan Pie, and her Pumpkin Pie. In each of my new recipes, I’ve incorporated the fillings from each of these three family favorites.
Pumpkin Pie Cake
First up, is my Pumpkin Pie Cake. Out of the three (Pumpkin Pie Cake, French Apple Pie Cake, and Triple Chocolate Pecan Pie Cake), this one is my favorite! I’ve split three layers of pumpkin cake into six thin layers to maximize the number of fillings I can add to the cake. I then used toasted marshmallow filling, Ryan’s mom’s pumpkin pie filling, and a shortbread crumb to fill each layer. The cake is then covered in a vanilla buttercream.
Make sure to fill your fork with both the pumpkin pie layer and the toasted marshmallow layer so you get the entire experience with each bite. It’s the best form of pumpkin pie I’ve ever had if I do say so myself 😉
Here’s a short video to show you how I’ve assembled the cake.
I’m so excited for you to make this cake! It’s definitely the one I’ll be making for Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Follow me @cakebycourtney for more cake tips and recipes!
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PUMPKIN PIE CAKE
Ingredients
FOR THE PUMPKIN CAKE
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar packed
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) vanilla
- 2 cups (450 g) pumpkin purée
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) baking powder
- 3 teaspoons (7.8 g) ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (3 g) ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon (2.64 g) nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon (5.6 g)salt
FOR THE PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (12.5 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon (8.12 g) cornstarch sifted
- 2 teaspoons (5.28 g) ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon (2 g)ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.4 g) salt
- 1 can about 16 oz. pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 3/4 cup (173.25 g) whipping cream
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
- 3 large eggs beaten
FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUMBS
- 16 tablespoons (226 g) unsalted butter melted
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.8 g) Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons (44.4 g) water
FOR THE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW FILLING
- 24 large white marshmallows
- 1 1/2 cup (187.5 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
- 1 cup 2 sticks (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 jar about 100 g marshmallow fluff
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter chilled (I take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes before I make my frosting)
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
- 3-4 tablespoons (43.3 -57.75 g)heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 drops orange food gel optional
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.
Instructions
FOR THE PUMPKIN CAKE
- Preheat 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray again and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla and beat on medium until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin filling and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and with the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add to the pumpkin/egg mixture.
- Evenly distribute batter into the prepared pans, smooth with a small offset palette knife and place in the center of the middle rack of the oven, about 2 inches apart. Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. (Mine took 23).
- Let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, and then invert cakes onto rack and cool them completely.
FOR THE PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Using a whisk, mix the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a medium sized bowl until no lumps remain.
- Blend in the pumpkin, whipping cream, sour cream and eggs.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until filling has puffed at the edges and center is almost set. Let cool completely and then move to an airtight container, mix, and then store in fridge overnight.
FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUMBS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the salt and flour into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Pour in the melted butter and water. Stir to combine, until you get small clumps.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top.
FOR THE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW FILLING
- Place the marshmallows on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on the middle rack of the oven, and broil the marshmallows until golden brown on top, about 30-60 seconds. Keep your eye on them!
- Remove the pan from the oven and gently turn the marshmallows over and broil them again until they are golden brown on the other side.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar and beat on low until blended. Add the vanilla and mix on medium speed for about three minutes
- With the mixer on low speed, add the marshmallow cream and (cooled) toasted marshmallows, and mix for about one minute.
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
- With mixer on medium speed, add whipping cream, vanilla and salt.
- Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.
- Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.
ASSEMBLY
- Slice each cake layer in half horizontally, so you have six cake layers.
- Place the first layer on your cake board, cut side up (so bottom of the cake layer is touching the board), and spread about 3/4 cup of the pumpkin pie filling on top, followed by about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of shortbread crumbs. Gently pat the crumbs into the filling with your hands to set them in place.
- Place the next cake layer on top and cover with about 3/4 cup marshmallow filling.
- Repeat step 2 and 3 until you get to your final cake layer. Place the final cake layer, top side down, on top of the final layer of pumpkin pie filling and shortbread crumbs.
- Cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting and chill for 10 to 15 minutes in the freezer. This crumb coat will set the crumbs in place.
- Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream.
Do you think I can switch the pumpkin puree for sweet potato and use it for the sweet potato cake?
Sure!
Very excited to try this cake for my pumpkin pie loving husband’s birthday! Quick question – does this cake freeze well?
Yes!!
Hello!!! I haven’t made this cake but I do plan to next week!!! I’m going out of town next weekend and I would like to bake this cake here in my hometown, and bring with me to my travels to see family, I’m driving. Do you have any suggestions on prepping this cake? I would like to make all the fillings and buttercream first, then package them separately, bake my cake layers, freeze and wrap individually, and take all of that with me on my travels, this way I can assemble it for my family when I get to my arrival. Should I freeze the buttercream separately? Or keep it cold? Room temp? What do you think? Hope to hear back from you😁. Thank you for your time😉
Buttercream can be kept in the fridge and just freeze the layers until you’re ready to go!
Thank you for responding to me! Can I put the pie filling, shortbread crumbs and marshmallow filling in the fridge too?
Fr the cake recipe it says “Add the pumpkin filling and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds.” when I think it means “Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds.”
This cake was beyond fabulous. The only change I made was the frosting because Thanksgiving Day it was over 80 degrees here and I didn’t think the buttercream would hold up traveling to our friend’s house. I made divinity frosting instead. This cake as just the right amount of sweet but not sickeningly so. The crumbs.. yum. Each of the components are wonderful individually but together, a masterpiece. My husband has already asked me to make it again. Looking at your other posts to find one for Christmas. ❤️
Love this!
Hi! I can’t wait to help my daughter (who is 12 and has aspirations to be a baker) make this for Thanksgiving! I do have a question, in the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling you state whipping cream. Is that heavy whipping cream or a whipped cream (like Cool Whip)? Thank you so much!!!
heavy whipping cream
I made a lot of pumpkin jam recently. Do you think I could use it in the cake and reduce the sugar? I’d like to make it for Thanksgiving.
Sorry I’m late on this Bobbi. What did you decide to do?
Oh my goodness! You have done it again! This pumpkin pie cake is sooo delicious and moist, and that buttercream is just as amazing! I actually subbed the Gluten Free Flour 1:1 for the wheat as I’m gluten free and it tasted on point, and was fluffy as the original recipe! Thank you so much! This is my go to when family and friends want a cake that tastes like the pie 😀
I ran out of time to make the pumpkin pie filling last night and was re-reading the instructions this morning and Barely noticed that you say to refrigerate overnight……… How can I speed up that process. I was planning on assembling everything tonight after work, but now I’m not sure how to go about. Could I speed it up by putting the filling in the freezer to set????
Any help would be much appreciated.
Yes you can