Pumpkin Spice Pecan Cake

Pumpkin spice pecan layer cake with cream cheese frosting

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5 from 2 votes

Three layers of pumpkin spice butter cake with walnuts topped with cream cheese buttercream and pecans.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings slices

Calories 579kcal

Author Lise Sullivan Ode

Ingredients

For the pumpkin spice cake

½ cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
2 large eggs room temperature
1 cup pumpkin puree I used canned
3 cups cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
½ cup milk
1 cup walnuts chopped

For the cream cheese frosting

8 ounces cream cheese softened
½ cup unsalted butter softened
16 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups pecans reserve 20 whole pecans for top of cake, then chop the rest

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.

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