OH, Happy Day today! I love spice cake and pumpkin cake. And I’m a cheesecake fanatic. So Happy Birthday to Me! No, seriously… it’s my birthday. And since these are my favorite things, I made us a Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Pecans.
I have someone to thank for this idea: my friend Joe. My friend Joe (now a caterer in San Francisco) is from way, way back… high school, in fact. We found each other on Facebook, and now he follows my blog. Fun, huh? I love how facebook reconnects us to old friends who would otherwise probably be lost forever. Anyway- back in August when I made that last cheesecake cake of the strawberry variety, Joey commented and told me that he thought I should make a pumpkin spice themed one for the fall season with candied pecans. I listened real good to that advice, and I haven’t been able to shake it out of my head.
How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake:
Mix together pretty, pretty pumpkin cake batter. Divide it between two round cake pans.
Here are those magical cake strips that you absolute MUST have if you ever bake cakes. Soak them briefly in water, then wrap them around your cake pans and bake. Your cake layers will not rise up in the middle, and you will end up with two perfectly nice and even cake layers (which makes for much prettier and easier frosting).
Assemble as shown:
- Place one cake layer on a platter (little strips of waxed paper placed underneath the edges to protect the platter from frosting).
- Then spread a light layer of frosting on the 1st layer.
- The cheesecake comes next. It will be frozen, so you’ll need to hold it in your hands and shave off the edges a bit with a sharp knife until you have a size that matches your cake layers (both are baked in 9-inch pans, but the cheesecake seems to come out slightly larger). Place it on the frosted first layer.
- Then frost the cheesecake layer lightly too.
- Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake.
- Then frost the rest of the cake!
I’m not much of a fancy cake decorator, but slather the whole thing in frosting however you see fit. Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to slice and serve.
I whipped up some candied pecans a-la-Joey’s suggestion and sprinkled them on top of my cake. SUCH a good addition.
And there it is… my birthday cake slice. I ate that already and maybe two or five slices more over the span of a few days’ time. When it’s your birthday, you can have your cake AND eat it (guilt-free) too 🙂
This cake has two layers of pumpkin spice cake with a thick layer of cheesecake tucked inside, a delicious pumpkin cream cheese frosting and crunchy, candied pecans. It’s a delicious cake! Thanks, HS friend Joey for suggesting the combo! I suggest serving it with some pumpkin cheesecake ice cream for complete indulgence. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake
Recipe Details
Ingredients
CHEESECAKE:
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
- = pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PUMPKIN SPICE 2-LAYER CAKE:
- ¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1¾ cups granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- One 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup buttermilk
PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
PREPARE THE CHEESECAKE LAYER:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a large roasting pan on the lower third rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Wrap a double layer of heavy duty foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan (you want to seal it so the water from the water bath doesn’t seep into the pan).
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all is mixed in. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in the sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla (and food color, if using). Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan. Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan.
- Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely (4 to 5 hours or overnight).
PREPARE THE CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, then line each with a round of parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the oil and sugars. Mix until well-combined. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and remaining dry ingredients (through nutmeg). Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake tests done with a toothpick inserted in the center coming out clean. Cool the cake in the pans for about 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out to a rack to cool completely (remove the parchment paper and discard).
PREPARE THE FROSTING:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, spices and vanilla. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add 2 additional cups of sugar and continue to mix. Add additional powdered sugar by the spoonful, as needed, and mix until you have your desired spreading consistency.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
- Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Spread a small amount of frosting on the first cake layer. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the cheesecake to remove it from the pan. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Spread a small amount of frosting on the cheesecake layer. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the entire cake.
- Keep the cake refrigerated (no need to cover) until ready to slice and serve. It will slice best when it has had a chance to chill for at least a couple of hours (or overnight).
Notes
- *If you wish to make the candied pecans, you can find that recipe HERE.
Can the finished cake be frozen?
Probably?
Just finished making this cake. It does take quite a bit of time but looks delicious. We’re having it tomorrow for my best friends birthday. I followed the recipe and the icing needed several more cups of powdered sugar. I actually used an entire bag. Can’t wait to take the first bite. My mouth is watering…. Thank you for the recipe!
Amazing!!!!!! Made it for thanksgiving and will make it every year from now on!
This sounds amazing Lori!
Made this cake for Thanksgiving this year. it was a HUGE success! Thanks for ALL the great recipes. Can’t wait to try the red velvet Cheesecake cake! 🙂
I just made this cake 2 days ago. IT IS THE BEST CAKE EVER!!!
Above comment should read:
I followed the directions exactly, completing it over three a day period, making it exceptionally easy.
I made this cake for Thanksgiving. My family loved it! I followed the directions exactly, completing it over three a day period, making it exceptionally.
This cake is elegant and well worth the effort.
I’ve been wondering if anyone has had success using a cake mix and adding pumpkin puree to it?I have never made a cake from scratch and truthfully, this looks a bit daunting. Thank you for the recipe!
I know this is an old recipe but could you tell me if this cake is good on it’s own…I’m looking to make pumpkin cupcakes, and after having your white cake you were my go to girl. Thanks so much.
Yes!
This looks just as good as the red white and blue cheesecake cake you posted – I made it for my husband’s July 1st bday and I think my daughter and I ate the whole thing – delicious!
The frosting recipe surely must be wrong – after 6 cups of powdered sugar, it was still runny. – maybe you should try 16 oz of cream cheese
The recipe worked for my cake as written!
This is in the oven right now for our Thanksgiving dessert! It looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it.
This looks AMAZING, Lori! And you reminded me that I *have* those cake strips around here somewhere. I’ve never used them. Guess it’s a good excuse to make this cake! 🙂
A giant slice of this is all I want for Thanksgiving dinner. Seriously.
Happy belated birthday, Lori! Hopefully you had a great trip. This is my kind of cake! That frosting looks to die for!
Happy (belated) birthday Lori! I completely agree that you should have NO guilt on your birthday! This cake looks utterly fantastic! I really want to make a cheesecake cake! It looks like so much fun! And I just love pumpkin! And oh my gosh! I had no idea about those magic cake pan strips! I NEED to get myself some of those!!!
Lori, this cake is baking as I write, and if the raw batter in any indication, the cake will six stars on a 5-star scale. Many thanks for the great recipe!
It would be helpful to have an alternate spice version for people who don’t have, or don’t use pumpkin pie spice. It’s a bit confusing at first to see pumpkin pie spice and then additional cinnamon and nutmeg… Just a thought.
And happy belated birthday!