Pumpkin Cake with Candied Walnuts
Inspired by my carrot cake that was featured on Southern Living, this cake features layers of tender pumpkin cake, crunchy candied walnuts, swirls of salted caramel and a tangy cream cheese frosting for the most delicious fall cake.
Servings: 16 people
Equipment
- 2 8 or 9" round cake pans
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cake
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 210g
For the candied walnuts
- 1 large egg white
- 2 cups walnuts, whole or pieces
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the caramel
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, cool
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line 2 8" pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup neutral oil, 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cloves.
- Sprinkle over 1.5 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp kosher salt and whisk until combined. Finally, fold in 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour until you have a smooth batter.
- Divide equally into the two pans (about 575g each) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Top should be puffed and the center should spring back under your finger; a tester should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cake cool in pans for at least 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack or plate to cool.
Make the candied walnuts
- While the cake is baking, line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg white until slightly foamy, then mix in 2 cups walnuts, whole or pieces until coated. Add 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and mix to coat evenly.
- Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway (I bake these at the same time as the cake). Once you pull the cake from the oven, turn heat down to 325 F. Walnuts should be lightly browned and fragrant. They'll crisp up further as they cool; let cool completely. Once cooled, dice the walnuts for the filling and garnish.
Make the caramel
- In a clean, dry saucepan, add 1/2 cup granulated sugar in an even layer and set over medium heat. Let cook until the edges start to melt into an amber syrup, then stir with a rubber spatula until the sugar is evenly melted into an amber syrup.
- Remove from heat and carefully add 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature (mixture will sizzle and splatter slightly); whisk until smooth. Carefully add 1/4 cup heavy cream (mixture will sputter once again) and whisk until smooth. Finally, whisk in 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Set aside to cool.
Make the cream cheese frosting*
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 8 oz cream cheese, cool until creamy and smooth. Add 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Beat in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp kosher salt until combined, then scrape down the bowl.
- Add 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.*If you prefer a stiffer, sweeter frosting, you can increase to 3 cups of powdered sugar.
Assemble the cake
- Slice both chilled cake layers in half so you have four total layers.
- Working with one piece of cake at a time, layer with ~1/5 cream cheese frosting, then a generous handful of candied walnuts followed by about 1/4 of the caramel. Repeat with the remaining layers of cake, filling in any drooping edges with extra nuts.
- You can either frost the sides of the cake scantily for a naked look or leave the sides unfrosted (which allows for a thicker layer of frosting between the layers). Drizzle the top of the cake with reserved caramel and swirl into the frosting if desired. Sprinkle nuts around the perimeter of the cake and enjoy! Cake may be refrigerated for up to 2 days, covered well, before serving. Serve slices drizzled with any leftover caramel or pecans.
Notes
Cake format adapted from this Southern Living carrot cake.
Pumpkin cake adapted from this Trader Joe's copycat pumpkin cake.
Salted caramel adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.
*The amount of frosting as written makes a modest amount of frosting that's just enough to layer and cover the sides in a thin layer. You may want to 1.5x the frosting if you prefer a thicker frosting layer.
Either 8" or 9" cake pans can be used for this cake; in my testing, I found that both pans required about a 30-35 min bake time (though 9" pans should take closer to the 30 min mark).