Description
This festive Thanksgiving Cake is a delightful pumpkin spice dessert perfect for holiday celebrations. Made with moist spice cake infused with pumpkin and studded with white baking chips, it’s layered and frosted to resemble a festive pumpkin with colorful vines and leaves, making it both delicious and visually appealing.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 2 packages regular size spice cake mix
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 2 cups white baking chips
Frosting and Decoration
- 2 cans (16 ounces each) vanilla frosting
- Red food coloring (paste or liquid)
- Yellow food coloring (paste or liquid)
- Green food coloring (paste or liquid)
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Prepare the batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large mixing bowl, combine the two packages of spice cake mix, six eggs, one can of pumpkin, canola oil, and evaporated milk. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to mix ingredients, then increase to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until smooth. Stir in the white baking chips.
- Fill pans and bake: Grease two muffin pans and fill the cups two-thirds full with batter. Pour the remaining batter into two greased and floured 12-cup fluted tube pans. Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes, and cakes for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cakes: Let the cakes cool in the pans for 25 minutes before removing them to wire racks to cool completely. Level the bottoms of each cake so they will stack evenly.
- Assemble pumpkin shape: Spread a layer of vanilla frosting on one cake bottom, then place the other cake bottom on top to form a pumpkin shape. Set aside.
- Tint frostings: Mix red and yellow food coloring to make orange. Tint about three-fourths of the frosting with this orange color. Tint the remaining frosting green for leaves and vines.
- Construct the pumpkin stem: Place one cupcake right side up in the center of the assembled cake base to support the stem. Place a dollop of green frosting on the cupcake, then top with the remaining cupcake upside down. Frost the cupcake stem with green frosting.
- Frost the pumpkin: Using the orange frosting, cover the assembled cake completely to resemble a pumpkin.
- Decorate vines and leaves: Pipe curly vines and leaves onto the cake using the green frosting. Mix shredded coconut with green food coloring and sprinkle it around the base of the cake to simulate grass and enhance the presentation.
Notes
- Allow cakes to cool completely before assembling and frosting to prevent melting or sliding.
- The fluted tube pans help create a pumpkin shape; if unavailable, use bundt pans or similar tube pans.
- Adjust food coloring intensity gradually to avoid overly bright colors.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute frosting and evaporated milk with suitable plant-based alternatives.
- Store cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/24 of cake)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
