Moist Pumpkin Layer Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
A soft, springy and airy two-layer pumpkin cake with mild cinnamon and ginger, a simple pumpkin filling, and vanilla butter frosting. The cake is baked in two 9-inch round pans and can be finished with frosting just on top or fully frosted by increasing the frosting recipe.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer Optional
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Tablespoons
- Teaspoon
- Spatula
- 2- 9" Round Cake Pans
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 2½ Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- ½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ Cup Neutral Oil
- 1 Cup White sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 Cup Pumpkin purée
Pumpkin Cake Filling
- 1 Cup Pumpkin purée
- ½ Box Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
- ½ Cup Milk
Vanilla Butter Frosting
- 4 Tbsp Butter Softened
- 2 Cups Confectioners Sugar
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round nonstick cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the Greek yogurt and pumpkin purée until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Add the sugar, oil, and eggs to the bowl of a mixer. Beat well until evenly combined.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the pumpkin-yogurt mixture, mixing between additions until the batter is combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the cakes are baked through.
- Allow the cake layers to cool completely before filling and frosting.
Pumpkin Cake Filling
- Add the pumpkin purée and instant vanilla pudding mix to a bowl and mix well.
- Add the milk and continue mixing. The filling may look gritty at first; continue mixing until the pudding mix is incorporated and the filling becomes smoother.
Vanilla Butter Frosting
- Add the softened butter, icing sugar, vanilla, and Greek yogurt to a mixing bowl.
- Beat until smooth and spreadable.
Assemble The Pumpkin Cake
- Place the first cake layer top-side down on a cake plate or work surface. This leaves the flat bottom of the cake facing upward for filling.
- If the cake has an unusually large dome, use a cake knife to level the top before turning it over so the layer sits flatter.
- Spread the pumpkin filling over the first cake layer, leaving about 1 inch of space around the outside edge. The soft filling will spread outward when the second layer is added.
- Place the second cake layer top-side up over the filling. The two flat sides of the cake layers should now face one another with the filling in between.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the assembled cake.
- For the textured finish, place the edge of a clean bread knife lightly into the frosting and lift upward to form a soft peak. Repeat over the surface of the cake.
Notes
- Use plain pumpkin purée, not prepared pumpkin pie filling.
- One batch of vanilla butter frosting makes enough to frost the top of the cake.
- To completely frost the top and sides of the two-layer cake, make 3 times the frosting recipe.
- Store the assembled cake covered in the refrigerator because of the pumpkin filling and Greek yogurt frosting.
- Let refrigerated cake sit out briefly before serving so the cake and butter frosting can soften slightly.
Nutrition
Calories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 6gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 161mgPotassium: 159mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 6489IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 2mg
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