It's Pumpkin Time Again !

 This week’s bake is a Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Cake from  Courtney Rich of Cake by Courtney.

It consists of pumpkin cake layers, ermine frosting (boiled milk frosting),  pumpkin sugar cookie layers, and pumpkin buttercream!

Scientists believe that pumpkins originated in North America about 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in Mexico and date back to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C..

Pumpkins (along with other forms of squash) were a historically important food staple among Native Americans.

In the United States, pumpkins go hand in hand with the fall holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Harvested in October, this nutritious and versatile orange fruit features flowers, seeds and flesh that are edible and rich in vitamins. Pumpkin is used to make soups, desserts and breads, and many Americans include pumpkin pie in their Thanksgiving meals. 

Carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is a popular Halloween tradition that originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland. Back then, however, jack-o’-lanterns were made out of turnips or potatoes; it wasn’t until Irish immigrants arrived in America and discovered the pumpkin that a new Halloween ritual was born. Now pumpkins are commonly placed on stoops in the falls months, and get carved ahead of Halloween night. 

According to the 2017 U.S. Agriculture Census, Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins in the United States. It harvests twice as many pumpkin acres as any of the other top-producing states.

A pumpkin weighing 1,226 kg (2,702 lb 13.9 oz) was grown by Stefano Cutrupi (Italy) from Radda in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy, as ratified by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. It was weighed at the 10th Campionato della Zuccone pumpkin festival held in Peccioli, Italy, on 26 September 2021.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

 

FOR THE PUMPKIN CAKE

1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp (6.3 g) vanilla

2 cups (450 g) pumpkin purée

3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tbsp (15 g) baking powder

3 tsp (7.8 g) ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp (3 g) ground ginger

1 tsp (2.64 g) nutmeg

1 tsp (6 g) salt

FOR THE BOILED MILK FROSTING

1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (5.6 g) salt

2 cups (480 g) whole milk

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter

2 cups (400 g) sugar, measure and then pulse in a blender or food processor to make even finer in consistency.

1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract

FOR THE PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIE

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1 large eggs

1/4 cup (31 g) pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp (2 g) vanilla extract

1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp (2 g) baking powder

1 tsp (3.8 g) pumpkin pie spice

¼ tsp salt

FOR THE PUMPKIN BUTTERCREAM

2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, chilled   

6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted

1 tsp (4.2 g) vanilla extract

5 tbsp pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ? tsp cloves, ? tsp ginger

3 tbsp (43.3 g) heavy whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS

 

FOR THE PUMPKIN CAKE

Preheat 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray again and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the oil and vanilla and beat on medium until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin filling and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and with the mixer on the lowest speed, gradually add to the pumpkin/egg mixture.

Evenly distribute batter into the prepared pans, smooth with a small offset palette knife and place in the center of the middle rack of the oven, about 2 inches apart. Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. (Mine took 23).

Let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, and then invert cakes onto rack and cool them completely.

FOR THE BOILED MILK FROSTING

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour and ½ cup of the milk until smooth.

Set over medium heat and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly hot, stirring frequently.

Whisk in remaining milk and salt. Whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of unset pudding (this can take up to 10 minutes).

Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a shallow dish. Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap (so it's touching the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate until chilled, at least an hour.

When cool, the mixture will be thick like custard. If a film formed on top of the mixture, remove it from the bowl.

In a large bowl (or a bowl of a stand mixer) beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well. Beat in cooled flour mixture one tablespoon at a time on medium-high speed. When all the flour mixture is added, beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.

Rub a little frosting between your fingers. If the sugar granules remain, beat for 4 more minutes, or until granules cannot be detected with fingers.

FOR THE PUMPKIN SUGAR COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Pre two 8-inch round baking pans with nonstick spray parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Beat until blended. Don't worry if it looks curdled. It will come back together once you add the flour.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice (or spices to create pumpkin pie spice). Whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Measure out 10 ounces of dough for each of the two 8-inch cake pans. Using your hands, push the dough out to the edge of the pan (doesn’t need to be touching, just try to create an even circle).

Bake the two large cookies for 7 to 8 minutes. When you take the cookies out, they shouldn’t be light in color, barely golden brown. We want the cookie to come out still light in color so it’s nice and soft in the cake. Cool completely before frosting.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.

With mixer on medium speed, add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, whipping cream, vanilla and salt.

Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.

Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

Place the first cake layer on your cake board, and spread about ¾ cup of the boiled milk frosting on top, followed by one of the cookie layers.

Evenly spread 1 cup of the pumpkin buttercream on the cookie layer. Top with another pumpkin cake layer and repeat with boiled milk frosting, cookie, pumpkin buttercream and then the final cake layer 

Cover the cake with a thin layer of the boiled milk frosting and chill for 10 to 15 minutes in the freezer. This crumb coat will set the crumbs in place.

Frost the cake with the remaining pumpkin buttercream.

Here are some pictures from the bake:

Have a great day !