Let the record stand that I made it until October 4th without posting anything pumpkin… the gates are open now though.  Let the pumpkin excess begin!

Starting the season off strong with a super moist, nicely spiced pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and sweet and salty pumpkin seeds.  The cake is wonderful on it’s own and would make a nice loaf cake as well if you’re not feeling the frosting and the pumpkin seeds.  I added a little sugar at a time to the frosting until I got the level I wanted- I like my frosting more towards straight cream cheese than super sweet frosting-y but choose your choice.  It’s hard to go wrong because pumpkin is life and makes everything taste like a big Fall hug.

You’ll need:

For Salad

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
• 1.5 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature, yolks and white separated

For Frosting:

• 8 tablespoons butter, divided, at room temp
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temp
• 2.5 cups powdered sugar

To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and position rack in the center.  Butter a 9” round cake pan.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Beat together pumpkin, oil, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Beat egg yolks in one at a time.  Beat in the flour mixture, slowly until just incorporated.
3. Whisk the three egg whites until frothy and white.  Fold into batter using rubber spatula.  Pour batter  into cake pan and bake for 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into cake.
4. Let cake cool completely, remove from cake pan and set on cake stand.
5. Meanwhile, beat together 8 tablespoons butter and all of cream cheese until smooth.  Sift in powdered sugar, a little at a time, until you reach desired sweetness.
6. Frost cake aggressively on top.  Garnish with pumpkin seeds.  Keeps well in fridge.

Inspired by Food52