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
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!
Ingredients
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.
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