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Pumpkin Turtle Cake

September 17, 2021 By Gretchen Leave a Comment

The best pumpkin cake recipe just won’t stop!

I have been making dozens of spin off recipes with this one simple recipe

You are not going to believe just how easy it is to make this Pumpkin Turtle Cake!

With just three easy recipes and no mixers required!

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

This cake is going to have you as obsessed as I am!

I’m not going to lie, the pumpkin cake recipe is probably the best thing you are going to taste all year

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

This time it’s getting baked into 3- 6″ cake layers with gobs of date caramel in between

Dripping with chocolate ganache and toasted pecans!

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

It’s the easiest cake to build and even easier to eat!

I opted for Date Caramel this time because I just didn’t want refined sugar overload with a traditional caramel recipe

So while this is still perfectly sweet and caramel-y as can be
It is natural date sugar instead!

The Best Pumpkin Cake Recipe

All of the recipes are easy hand mixes, so no electric mixers required today!

Notes For Success:

I tested this recipe 3 separate times with three different pumpkins

1)Libby *not sponsored 

2) No Name Brand

3) Homemade Pumpkin Puree *link with the recipe below

The homemade puree will always be a thinner consistency compared to canned pumpkin so my resulting batter was lighter in color and thin like a pancake batter.

See the notes in the recipe section below for those using homemade puree

I like my pumpkin things to be really spiced up with all the fall spices.

You can adjust the spices listed in the recipe below to your liking if you think I am using too much, but I think it is perfect.

In looking at other peoples pumpkin recipes, I find that some people use only cinnamon and others barely put any spice at all!

Again this is an area where you can adjust to your liking.

Additionally you can use 1½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead

CLICK HERE FOR MY PUMPKIN PIE SPICE RECIPE

Pumpkin Pie Spice

If you have trouble finding canned pumpkin to make this or other recipes

I have a homemade pumpkin puree recipe and video tutorial for you!

How to Make your Own Pumpkin Puree

For those having trouble finding cake flour CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE!

However you can simply use All Purpose or Plain Flour in place of the total measure of flour in the recipe listed below

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS CAKE


Pumpkin Turtle Cake
 
Print
Prep time
45 mins
Bake time
25 mins
Total time
1 hour 10 mins
 
I am baking the layers in 3-6" cake pans HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PUREE: For those using their own homemade pumpkin puree, reverse the flours listed below: Instead of 1 cup cake flour & ½ cup all purpose flour/ switch it to 1 cup all purpose flour & ½ cup cake flour
Serves: Serves 6-8ppl
Ingredients
  • Vegetable Oil 6 Tablespoons (90ml)
  • Light Brown Sugar ½ cup (105g)
  • Plant Milk *I use soy ¾ cup (177ml)
  • Vinegar 1 teaspoons (5ml)
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)
  • Canned Pumpkin ½ cup (125g) *see notes for homemade puree in the article above the recipe
  • Salt ½ teaspoon
  • All Purpose Flour ½ cup (65g)
  • Cake Flour 1 cup (120g) *see notes in text above the recipe box
  • Baking Soda 1 teaspoon
  • Ground Cinnamon ½ teaspoon
  • Ground Ginger ½ teaspoon
  • Ground Cardamom ¼ teaspoon
  • Ground Cloves pinch
  • Ground Nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon
  • OR 1½ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • For the Date Caramel:
  • Pitted Dates 2 cup (approximately 12-20 large dates)
  • Nut Butter- I used tahini 6 Tablespoons
  • Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
  • Soy Milk 1 cup (237ml) *any plant milk is fine
  • salt 1 teaspoon
  • 1Recipe Ganache
  • 2 cups roasted chopped pecans
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F
  2. Grease your cake pans with professional bakery pan grease then line with parchment paper liner
  3. Combine the vinegar with the soy milk & the vanilla extract (soy milk is the only milk that will thicken with vinegar)
  4. In a larger mixing bowl combine the oil, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin, and then the thickened vinegar/plant milk and whisk to combine well
  5. Sift the flour with all the spices and the baking soda and add it all at once to the wet mixture in the bowl
  6. Whisk smooth
  7. Bake immediately in the preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes
  8. Then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F and bake for another 12-15 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
  9. Cool the pumpkin cakes in the pans until you can touch it without burning your fingers, then turn it out onto a cooling rack to cool all the way
  10. Meanwhile prepare the date caramel by combining all of the ingredients for that recipe together in a food processor and process smooth
  11. Prepare the chocolate ganache
  12. Once everything is prepared and the cakes are cooled to cold you can build your cake as shown in the video or however you prefer!
Notes
Pumpkin Turtle Cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For longer storage keep refrigerated for up to 1 week
3.5.3251

 

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cake Decorating, Cake Recipes

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