Put Starbucks to shame with this pumpkin cake that is dye free and delicious!
INGREDIENTS
PUMPKIN CAKE
3 large eggs
16 oz can pumpkin
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
8oz package cream cheese
1 cup unsalted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
ORANGE GANACHE DRIP
1 cup white candy melts
¼ cup heavy cream
½ tsp Orange Color Kitchen Color
1 pinch Red Velvet Color Kitchen Color
DIRECTIONS
CAKE
1Preheat oven to 350. Line bottoms of two round baking pans with parchment paper rounds and coat sides with cooking spray. Batter fits in two 6” by 3” pans or two 8” by 2” pans.
Combine wet ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients and whisk until flour is incorporated. Pour half the batter in each pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cakes cool fully before frosting.
FROSTING
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth and slightly fluffy.
GANACHE
Melt the white chips with the cream in the microwave and mix until smooth. Add the color powder straight to the ganache and stir with a whisk until evenly blended, then pour mixture into a piping bag or plastic baggie.
ASSEMBLY
Before assembling the cake, level each layer by slicing off the rounded top.
Once cakes are level they can be stacked and frosted. To achieve the semi-naked look, use a bench scraper or flat spatula to scrape the exterior frosting to the desired thickness. A turntable is helpful to turn the cake as you scrape. When the sides are smooth, use a clean bench scraper or spatula to drag the messy edges into the center of the cake and achieve a sharper edge.
Pipe the warm ganache around the top rim of the cake and let it drip down the sides, then fill in the top.
Finally, use a large star tip and leftover cream cheese frosting to pipe rosettes around the top edge.
~Recipe-Anna Dunn
