I have a battered, broken, photo album of dessert/cookie recipes that literally falls apart in my hands every time I open it. I got organized once about 25 years ago and put all my recipes in four books. I have successfully avoided getting the rest of my recipes organized ever since.
Finally, this week I had a reason to try a decades old recipe because my friend and co-worker, Anna got promoted! She makes any work day way more fun, and has the patience of a saint, so she definitely deserved this cake.
This pumpkin cake was as good as my instincts told me it would be. How can you go wrong with pumpkin and butterscotch — in FALL?
The recipe was labeled as Pumpkin Bread in the old LA Times recipe, but it’s more like Pumpkin Cake. And the Butterscotch Frosting, is the perfect pumpkin sidekick.
People kept coming up to me raving over everything from the moistness, to the amazing butterscotch icing, to the perfectly rounded out spices, (which was good because I tweaked the original spice list). It’s easy and really delicious and since you’ll be falling back and have an extra hour this Sunday, why not give it a try? It’s an absolutely irresistible dessert to add to your Thanksgiving dessert table.
Pumpkin Cake with Butterscotch Icing
AuthorFran TunnoIn a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir well and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine softened butter with sugar and whip it together. (It may not be creamy, but will separate into very small clumps). Add the pumpkin and lightly beaten eggs. Mix it briskly. There will be small lumps that will disappear when baked. Stir in milk and mix again. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
Butter and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out dry and clean. Cover with foil so the moisture stays in when cooling. Once cool, spread with Butterscotch Frosting
Combine sugar, butter and cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is well-blended, 1-3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk quickly to blend thoroughly. Set aside
Pour the combined sugar, butter and cream (which is now butterscotch sauce) into a large bowl and add 3 to 4 cups of powdered sugar until mixture is a good spreading consistency. I ended up adding 3 1/2, then I waited until it cooled a bit to see if the consistency was good for spreading. Add the salt to taste (and remember the best dessert recipes are a perfect marriage between sweet and salty so don't skimp on the salt!). Spread it on the cooled cake and enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir well and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, combine softened butter with sugar and whip it together. (It may not be creamy, but will separate into very small clumps). Add the pumpkin and lightly beaten eggs. Mix it briskly. There will be small lumps that will disappear when baked. Stir in milk and mix again. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
Butter and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out dry and clean. Cover with foil so the moisture stays in when cooling. Once cool, spread with Butterscotch Frosting
Combine sugar, butter and cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is well-blended, 1-3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk quickly to blend thoroughly. Set aside
Pour the combined sugar, butter and cream (which is now butterscotch sauce) into a large bowl and add 3 to 4 cups of powdered sugar until mixture is a good spreading consistency. I ended up adding 3 1/2, then I waited until it cooled a bit to see if the consistency was good for spreading. Add the salt to taste (and remember the best dessert recipes are a perfect marriage between sweet and salty so don't skimp on the salt!). Spread it on the cooled cake and enjoy!
And if you’re looking for the perfect hostess gift for your Thanksgiving cook, how about a Hand that Stirs the Pot Wields the Power apron? Get the pot-stirrer in your family or friend group an apron that applauds the cook’s power. You can even change the color of the font to your favorite fall color.
And please help me out by following me. I need all the followers I can get. It just means you’ll get my blog directly in you email as soon as it comes out instead of having to catch it on social media. And if you like it, please re-post it. Re-posts are a great way of spreading the word! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
8 Comments
Donna Tunno
November 15, 2021 at 7:30 pmI’m going to tackle this cake for Thanksgiving … instead of a pumpkin pie. I know I’ll be punished for breaking the sacred Thanksgiving tradition of the Tunno pumpkin pie contest! This pumpkin/butterscotch cake combination intrigues me. How long have we been doing this pie contest? I’m guessing at least 26 years?
Fran Tunno
November 19, 2021 at 4:53 pmWe’ve been doing it since before my mom passed away in 92, almost 30 years! I am glad you’re making it. I may make pecan pie and buck the trend too! We’ll see. Make sure the cake sits out because the icing gets pretty hard if it’s in the fridge. I’ll try to find a way to make a softer butterscotch icing in the meantime.
Charles Burkett
November 9, 2021 at 9:36 amHi Fran. Can you use canned pumpkin instead of mashed?
Fran Tunno
November 9, 2021 at 11:27 amI always used canned pumpkin, it’s so much easier and is bred to be the right consistency for pumpkin baked goods. Plus all the reviews by cooks say it’s better. Better color, consistency, etc. I would never torture you by forcing you to bake a pumpkin then scrape it out!
Bruce Barker
November 8, 2021 at 4:20 pmNo fair publishing this recipe. Or even the PICTURE. Holy cow, that’s got ‘eat me now’ written all over it.
Fran Tunno
November 8, 2021 at 7:31 pmIt’s pretty easy to make. Not sure if you or the wife bakes but it’s well worth the calories! Trust me!
Dawn
November 6, 2021 at 8:06 pmI am so all over this pumpkin cake, especially with butterscotch frosting! I think there are cupcakes in my future, thank you
Fran Tunno
November 8, 2021 at 7:30 pmYou will LOVE it dahlink!