Pumpkin Spice Pecan Cake is three layers of pumpkin infused butter cake with walnuts topped with cream cheese buttercream and pecans for a fantastic Fall recipe your whole family will love.

Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting sliced

A Church Cookbook Recipe

Do you have any of those old fashioned church cookbooks? They’re always full of so many treasures. Today I’m sharing this Pumpkin Spice Pecan Cake from one of my grandmother’s favorite church cookbooks (and mine too) called Claybank Cooking, sponsored by The United Methodist Women of The First United Methodist Church of Ozark, Alabama (circa 1980). My grandmother even contributed some of the recipes, but this particular cake recipe comes from Mrs. Bonnie King who I don’t know personally but I sure do love her recipe. Stay tuned for more goodies from this gold mine of a recipe collection.

Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting recipe

I was excited to discover this recipe because it’s a pumpkin layer cake which is a little different than the typical pumpkin bread or pumpkin sheet cake. Mrs. Bonnie King suggests a cream cheese frosting, so that is what I used, but also decided to add the chopped pecans on the side and whole pecans forming a crown on top to give it a fancier look. The cake itself is soft and light in texture with a crunch of chopped walnuts in every bite and that satisfying pumpkin spice flavor everyone craves this time of year. (Note: The original recipe calls for maple extract instead of pumpkin spice which I prefer.)

Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting on cake stand

Remembering Church Refreshments in the 1980s

Eating this cake gives me such a cozy feeling as I imagine Mrs. Bonnie most likely made this delicious cake for a church luncheon or ladies Sunday school class get together. I remember going to church with my grandparents and after the service going downstairs for refreshments in fellowship hall where everyone gathered for a bite to eat and mingle. There was always such a wide assortment of desserts and casseroles. Lots of foods that I normally didn’t get to have at home. And all the people were so sweet too!

Slice of cake pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting

How to make Pumpkin Spice Pecan Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Line three 8-inch round pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. Cream butter and slowly add sugars, eggs and pumpkin.
  4. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk.
  5. Fold in chopped walnuts, pour into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting

Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting cake slice

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. In large bowl, beat softened butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium until fluffy.
  2. With mixer on low, add powdered sugar and vanilla.
  3. Beat for 3 minutes on medium. That’s it!
  4. Fill and frost your cake.

Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting covered with chopped pecans recipe

Pumpkin Spice Pecan Cake is not only tasty but it’s also beautiful. Just a lovely dessert to take to a party. It would be perfect for your holiday dessert table this year at Thanksgiving or even Christmas.

Vintage church ladies cookbook 1980s cookbook from Ozark Alabama Methodist church

This is the Claybank Cooking cookbook that belonged to my grandmother. She contributed recipes along with lots of her friends back in the early 1980s at the First United Methodist Church in Ozark, Alabama. (Cookbook cover illustration by Sarah Gilbert.)

Let me know if you try this recipe and how you like it in the comments below.

I love hearing from you.

Happy Fall Y’all!

Lise

p.s. A little history: The Claybank Log Church is a historic church built in 1829 in Ozark, Alabama by a Methodist minister. A newer church was later built closer to the center of town in 1873 (where my grandparents attended church).

Tools for success

Wilton 8-Inch Round Cake Pans (Set of 2) – Note: I prefer Wilton brand but you need 3 pans for this recipe

8-Inch Round Stainless Steel Cake Pans (Set of 3)

Kitchenaid Mixer

Marble Cake Stand

Swans Down Cake Flour

8-Inch Round Parchment Cake Pan Liners

Note: The above items are affiliate links.

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Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting
5 from 2 reviews

Pumpkin Spice Pecan Cake

Lise Sullivan Ode
Three layers of pumpkin spice butter cake with walnuts topped with cream cheese buttercream and pecans.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 16 slices
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Ingredients
 

For the pumpkin spice cake

For the cream cheese frosting

Instructions
 

For the pumpkin spice pecan cake

  • Cream butter and slowly add sugars, eggs, and pumpkin. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and pumpkin spice. Add this flour mixture alternately with the milk to the pumpkin mixture. Fold in the walnuts.
  • Pour batter into three greased 8" layer cake pans, lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium for 3 minutes. With mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar and then vanilla. Turn mixer up to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
  • Fill and frost the cooled cake layers. Add 20 whole pecans around the top edge of cake. Chop the remaining pecans and add to the side of the frosted cake. Store in refrigerator.

Notes

This is a vintage recipe that I'm sharing as the original except I used 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice instead of 1 teaspoon of maple extract. If you want to make the cake a little less sweet, you can cut the sugar in half and I think it will still be plenty sweet. You can also increase the pumpkin puree for added flavor. The recipe calls for one cup but if you use a 15 ounce can, you will have some left over. Go ahead and add that remaining bit in, if desired.
Calories: 579kcal, Carbohydrates: 76g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 256mg, Potassium: 283mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 56g, Vitamin A: 2979IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 107mg, Iron: 1mg

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Mom Loves Baking: Pumpkin Cupcakes

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Mom Loves Baking: Thankful Pumpkin Pie

You might also like these vintage recipes – this one is from my grandmother, Alabama Lane Cake

Alabama lane cake

Another one of her favorites was this Watergate Cake

Watergate cake

You might like Classic Southern Red Velvet Cake

Red velvet cake

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Pumpkin Spice Pecan Cake recipe

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All text and images © Lise Ode for Mom Loves Baking. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate. This post may contain affiliate links.