Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cheese Cream Frosting

The hunt for this recipe started with a gift. One of my Canadian colleague Steve gifted Maple syrup. And, the only use I knew was applying it on bread and eat for breakfast like bread & honey.  This was not what I wanted to do with this precious gift.  So I went goggling for recipes with Maple syrup.  And, gain landed up at my favorite baking site, “Joy of baking”.  The only problem is it is a pumpkin cake again, 2nd  in a week time.  My son says that I have gone crazy about pumpkins.  But still I am ok with it, as both  my kids enjoyed.

Ingredients

For the Cake

Unsalted butter – ½ cup (about 115gm), room temperature
Light brown sugar - 1 ¼ cups ( about 250gm)
Egg – 2, room temperature
Pumpkin puree – 1 cup ( about 250gm)
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Maida  (cake flour) – 2 cups ( 200gms)
Baking powder – ¼ tsp
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Salt – ½ tsp
Cinnamon powder – ½ tsp
Ginger powder (saunt)  – ½ tsp
Clove powder – a pinch (1/8 tsp)
Butter milk – ½ cup, room temperature

For Cream Cheese Maple frosting

Cream Cheese – 200 gm, room temperature  
( In India cream cheese are available by brands like Britannia &  Flanders )
Unsalted butter – 50gms
Pure Maple syrup – 2tbsp ( I have use Jakeman’s brand)
Icing sugar or confectioner sugar - 3 ½ cup, sifted
Food colour of your choice to decorate

Method :

Pumpkin Spice cake

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.      <!--[endif]-->Preheat the  oven to 1800C.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.      <!--[endif]-->Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy , about 2 to 3 min with an electric mixer.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.      <!--[endif]-->Add egg one at a time and mix well after each addition.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.      <!--[endif]-->Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla essence and beat until it gets incorporated nicely.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.      <!--[endif]-->In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt all the 3 spices.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.      <!--[endif]-->Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.      <!--[endif]-->Butter and flour 9 inch cake pan ( you can do this process in the beginning and keep the pan prepared).

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.      <!--[endif]-->To this add the cake mixture.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.      <!--[endif]-->Bake at 1800C for 50 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->10.  <!--[endif]-->Remove from the baking oven after 10 min. Invert and remove from the pan. Cool completely before frosting.  

For the Frosting

<!--[if !supportLists]-->11.  <!--[endif]-->Place the cream cheese and butter in bowl and mix with a mixer till it is smooth.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->12.  <!--[endif]-->Now add the maple syrup and icing sugar and mix with hand till all the lumps are gone and the right thick consistency in obtained.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->13.  <!--[endif]-->Note : you can adjust consistency by adding  icing sugar if it is watery or by adding syrup if it is very thick.   

<!--[if !supportLists]-->14.  <!--[endif]-->To this you can add colour as and when required.

 For Assembling the Cake  

<!--[if !supportLists]-->15.  <!--[endif]-->Cut the cake horizontal in the center and make 2 parts.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->16.  <!--[endif]-->Place the below part on the serving plate.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->17.  <!--[endif]-->Frost with layer of icing

<!--[if !supportLists]-->18.  <!--[endif]-->Place the 2nd part on top of it.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->19.  <!--[endif]-->Now frost the top and sides of the cake. 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->20.  <!--[endif]-->To the remaining frost you a add colour and decorate the cake.

Refrigerate  and use when required