Today is Halloween part deux, coming at you in the form of a slice of ooey-gooey spiced pumpkin cake and a big ol’ dollop of bourbon vanilla bean whipped cream.
I mean, is there any better way to do it?
This pumpkin cake also has the double distinction of being Brad’s sister Tara’s favorite birthday cake. Her birthday’s coming up this week, so not only are we celebrating Halloween, but also HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA! I wish gooey pumpkin cake tasted as good with the eyes as it does with the mouf.
OK, back to the cake. This gooey pumpkin cake is serious, melt-in-your-mouth, pumpkin-laden, cinnamon-spiced deliciousness. We doctor up a store-bought yellow cake mix with tons of add-ins – the typical butter, milk, and eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, and tons of spices. There’s a brown sugar and butter streusel-ish topping on the top for that extra layer of flavor and the whole thing is just so GOOEY and fantastic. And don’t even get me started on the bourbon vanilla bean whipped cream. I made bourbon whipped cream to go with our pumpkin pie a few Thanksgivings ago, and loved the way the bourbon-forward flavor of the topping really balanced out the sweetness of the super sweet pumpkin dessert. I knew it would be just the thing to make this cake extra-special, and it totally was. Plus, the vanilla beans add the most distinctive vanilla flavor, and I love seeing the little black dots running all through the whipped cream, just making sure you know it’s legit. And legit it is, my friends.
A word of warning: you definitely want to make this cake for a special occasion to share with friends. You, alone in a room with this gooey pumpkin cake plus just one little fork might spell disaster. If eating an entire pumpkin cake can be considered a disaster, that is. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Happy Halloween, everyone! And don’t forget to check out last week’s Halloween yums, too!
- 1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping)
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup milk
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ginger
- 1 cup reserved cake mix
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter, cold, cut into small chunks
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. powdered sugar
- ½-1 tbsp. bourbon (depending on how pronounced you want the flavor to be)
- ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the yellow cake mix (minus one cup), ½ cup melted butter, and one egg. Stir to combine, then press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, molding slightly up the sides.
- In the same bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, milk, both sugars, vanilla, and spices using a hand mixer. Pour over the cake layer in the pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the reserved cake mix, the brown sugar, and the butter chunks with your fingers until it’s all crumbly and there are no loose powdery bits. Sprinkle the topping over the pumpkin layer. Rinse this bowl out and put it in the freezer – you’ll use it later to make your whipped cream.
- Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes, checking with a toothpick to determine when done. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
- When your cake is cooling, make your whipped cream. Combine the cold heavy cream and powdered sugar in the COLD bowl that’s been in your freezer. Beat on low for a few minutes, until soft peaks form in the mixture and it begins to resemble whipped cream. Once it’s reached your desired thickness, stir in the bourbon and the vanilla bean.
- Serve the cake topped with a big dollop of whipped cream!
- This recipe was loosely adapted from a pumpkin cake recipe from a longtime family friend of the Lookabaughs!
Looking for more pumpkin goodness?
Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Scones with Brown Butter-Vanilla Glaze
Vegan Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread
