Pumpkin Cake with Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin has spent years being asked to carry an entire season. Here, it only has to make a cake.
Warm spices, a soft pumpkin crumb, and a tangy molasses frosting made with Mundus cultured cream cheese. Bake it in one pan, frost it in that same pan, and leave the architectural work to someone else.
Makes: One 9 × 13-inch cake, about 12 servings
Prep: About 20 minutes
Bake: Approximately 30–40 minutes, plus cooling
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, optional
- 1¼ cups packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup neutral oil
- Mundus Eggless Egg Replacer, prepared according to the package directions for 2 eggs
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) plain pumpkin purée
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 1 tub (8 oz) Mundus Original Cultured Cream Cheese, chilled
- ¼ cup (57 g) Mundus butter, softened but still cool
- 2 cups (about 225 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon regular molasses
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Optional topping
- Toasted chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Leave the cake in the pan for cooling and serving.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil together. Add the prepared egg replacer, pumpkin, and vanilla. Stir until evenly combined.
- Bring it together. Fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until no dry pockets remain. Scrape the bottom of the bowl as you go. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Bake. Start checking at 30 minutes. The center should spring back lightly, and a toothpick should come out without wet batter. Allow additional time as needed.
- Cool completely. Frosting and a warm cake have different plans. Let the cake cool in its pan before proceeding.
- Make the frosting. Beat the Mundus butter until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, then add the molasses, vanilla, and salt. Briefly beat in the chilled Mundus cream cheese, just until smooth. If the frosting becomes too soft to spread, refrigerate it until it firms up.
- Finish. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Add toasted pecans or pumpkin seeds if you’d like some crunch.
A few useful notes
Use plain pumpkin purée rather than sweetened pumpkin pie filling. Homemade purée works best when it is thick; drain it first if it is watery.
Use regular molasses for a sweeter, milder frosting. If using blackstrap, start with 1 teaspoon, taste, and add more if you like.
Cover and refrigerate the frosted cake. Let individual slices sit briefly before serving for a softer texture.
Recipe credit
Inspired by Yossy Arefi’s “Pumpkin Sheet Cake With Molasses Cream-Cheese Frosting,” published by NYT Cooking. This Mundus adaptation changes the cake formula and mixing method, uses Mundus Eggless Egg Replacer and Mundus butter, and features Mundus cultured cream cheese.
