Fall Harvest Happy Halloween or Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cake

I love to bake. Sometimes the mood strikes, and I bake even though there are a million other things to do. I made this little beauty the other night, and you can ask my neighbor, Amy Brake, about it – she loved it!

It is a Ree Drummond recipe with itty bitty minimal tiny eeny changes. You just can’t go wrong with that woman.

Here is what you will need to share the love:

2 sticks Butter
1 can of pumpkin
3 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
3/4 cups Boiling Water
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk (Never ever do I have buttermilk. I just put 1 tbsp of white vinegar in and then fill up the rest of the 1/2 cup with milk.)
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Frosting

8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Softened
1 stick Butter, Softened
1 pound Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Milk (more If Needed For Thinning)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 sticks butter. Whisk in can of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice until it’s combined. Whisk in boiling water until mixture is smooth and combined (I started boiling the water right before I added the pumpkin to the butter). Set aside.

In a measuring pitcher, combine buttermilk (or milk and vinegar), eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. If you have a kitchen-aid mixer, put it in that. If you don’t have a kitchen-aid mixer, I would say Merry Christmas to yourself and get one!

Pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir until halfway combined. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir until combined. Pour into the pan.

Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

To make the frosting, mix together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add the milk and check the consistency. It should be somewhat thick but thin enough to spread in a thin layer.

Spread the frosting all over the surface of the cake. Cut into squares and serve. Keep leftovers in the fridge, as frosting will get soft.