Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

by Nancy Caivano

Spiced Pumpkin Cake
with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 1 cake

Ingredients:

For Cake:
Cooking Spray
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3 tbsp dark molasses
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp grated orange zest
2 8-oz packages chilled cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Walnut halves (for garnish)

Method:

Make cakes:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottoms of two 9" cake pans with parchment paper. Spray sides of pans and paper with cooking spray.

Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl; sift again. Using electric mixer beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions. Beat in pumpkin. Fold in walnuts. Divide batter equally between prepared pans (batter will be about 3/4" deep). Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off parchment paper. Cool layers completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.)

Make frosting:
Beat butter, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla and orange zest in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in cream cheese. Sift powdered sugar over; beat to blend.

Assemble:
Place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on platter. Spread with 1-1/2 cups frosting. Top with second cake layer, bottom side down. Spread remaining frosting smoothly over top and sides of cake. Decorate with walnut halves and any remaining frosting. Serve immediately or let stand up to 2 hours.

Note:
Frosted cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let cake stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.