Pumpkin Pie Cake

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What’s Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? 

This pumpkin pie cake is made with soft pumpkin spice cake layers, filled with no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, pie crusts, and creamy vanilla buttercream. Then it’s decorated with mini pumpkins and vines made out of fondant to look like a pumpkin patch. 

This cake honestly tastes just like a delicious homemade pumpkin pie, with velvety smooth filling, buttery pie crust, and your favorite pumpkin pie spices. 

The best part about a traditional pumpkin pie is the creamy filling mixed with warm spices, crispy pie crust, and a dollop of freshly made whipped cream. But what if I told you that you could achieve the same flavors but in a layered cake.

This cake starts with a vanilla base recipe that has the classic pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger) folded into the batter. Then I’ll show you how to make an insanely easy no-bake pumpkin cheesecake filling that tastes just like your traditional pumpkin pie filling. Of course, we can’t talk about pie without the pie crust. We’ll bake off pre-made pie crust to add the filling of the cake. 

Then the fun part comes in when we start to make mini fondant pumpkins of all different shapes and colors. I think the variety in color helps sell the pumpkin patch even more. 

This pumpkin pie cake is not only something pretty to look at, but it is also insanely delicious that will be the centerpiece of your party. 

This Pumpkin Pie Cake is a creative spin on the traditional pumpkin pie that you’re friends and family will devour!     

Tips for Success: 

• Read through all the ingredients and instructions so you can get a better idea of how much time and what you need to make this cake.

• If you are in a rush for time or you would like to break up the decorating, then make the fondant decorations the day before, so the fondant has plenty of time to dry.  

• You can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze up to one month. 

• You can make the buttercream a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight. Then take them out to come back to room temperature. Make sure the buttercream is at room temperature before re-whipping.

• A single batch of this cake recipe makes three, 6-inch round cake layers or two 8-inch round cake layers. Double the cake recipe to make enough cake batter for three, 8-inch cake layers.

• Be careful not to overmix this cake batter, or else the cake will come out dense. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. 

• Serve cake at room temperature. 

What Tools You’ll Need to Make This Cake: 

• 5-quart, Stand Mixer with mixing bowl & paddle attachment
• 3, 6-inch cake pans or 2, 8-inch cake pans
• Offset spatula 
• 8-inch or 10-inch white cake board 
• Serrated knife or cake leveler 
• Turntable 
• Cake scraper or bench scraper
• Piping bag (I use reusable silicone bags)
• Whisk or sifter
• Rubber Spatula
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray and Parchment Paper
• Ice Cream Scooper with Trigger Release (for dividing cake batter evenly)
• Half sheet baking pan
• Silicone baking mat, optional 
• Cake Stand, optional
• Fondant (orange, white, red-orange, brown and green) 
• Fondant molding tools 
• Vegetable shortening and cornstarch 

Here’s a fall-inspired cake that will have you craving a Thanksgiving pumpkin pie! 

Let’s Get Baking! 

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cake 

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spray three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk and stir together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. 
3. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time to the stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until well incorporated.
5. Turn the mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until fully incorporated. 
6. Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for another 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three cake pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Remove cakes from oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. 

How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling

1. On a baking sheet prepared with a silicone mat or parchment paper, unroll the store-bought pie crust and poke holes with a fork into the crust to prevent rising while baking. 
2. Bake the pie crust for 10-12 minutes in a 350 °F oven. Remove pie crust from oven to let cool completely before breaking up the crust into bite-size pieces. Set aside. 
3. Place the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment into the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes to keep heavy cream cold while whipping. 
4. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream on high speed. Whip for 2-3 minutes until you get a soft peak. Place the whipped cream into a medium bowl and set aside. 
5. In a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, combine cream cheese and light brown sugar. Mix on medium for 3-5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
6. Add pumpkin puree, followed by pumpkin pie spice. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
7. Gently fold in whipped cream by hand and mix until incorporated. Set pumpkin cheesecake filling in the fridge until ready to use. 

How to Make Creamy Vanilla Buttercream

1. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
2. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream. Then add vanilla extract and salt. Mix until incorporated completely. Scrape down sides of the bowl. 
3. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the buttercream for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer on low and mix for 2 minutes to push out any air bubbles.  

Putting It All Together

1. Layer one vanilla cake, cut side up onto cake board. Add a thin layer of vanilla buttercream over the cake and pipe a circle of buttercream around the edges of the cake. 
2. Add 1/3 cup of pumpkin pie cheesecake filling inside the ring of buttercream. Then add the pie crust pieces on top of the filling.  
3. Place another cake layer cut side down over the top. Repeat the process for another layer — Crumb coat with white vanilla buttercream and freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Add a thick layer of white buttercream all over the cake. Use an offset spatula to fill in any gaps with more buttercream. Then use a cake scraper to smooth out the sides of the cake. Use the offset spatula to make the top edges sharp and smooth. 
5. In a small bowl, melt dark chocolate in the microwave for 30-seconds or until its fully melted. Pour melted chocolate into a piping bag and drizzle the dark chocolate over the top. 
6. Place the fondant pumpkins and vines on top of the cake and add a few pumpkins on the side. 
7. Serve at room temperature and enjoy! 

• 

You May Also Enjoy: 

• Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake (recipe)
• How to Cut & Serve Cake (free guide)
• Common Baking Mistakes & How to Avoid Them (free ebook)
• Cake Planning Checklist (freebie)
• How to Decorate Your First Cake (free course)
• Cake Decorating Tool Kit (24-piece kit with free shipping) 

Now that you know how to make this cake, I promise you’ll have a lot of fun while decorating. This year do something creative and make this light & fluffy Pumpkin Pie Cake!

Happy Decorating! 

Hey, if you liked this tutorial, you really should check out, Cake Decorating Creator Program, my online cake course. I coach you on everything I teach on these cake tutorials so that you can uplevel your baking and decorating skills. We 10x it so you get the results you want most. Like any new skill, it’s important to learn from the ground up to build a foundation, so take on any cake challenge. It is an investment your future self will thank you for. Check it out at XOKatieRosario.com/online-cake-course. I will see you there.

Watch The How-to Video Below: 

 

 

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