pumpkin snack cake with pumpkin buttercream

Homemade snack cake.
Don't you love that one sentence?
Does that conjure up fond memories as a kid or even as an adult?
What was you best snack cake memory?
I would love to hear.


To me, snack cake has to have a really good, not overly sweet, but fairly sweet frosting.
A frosting that just glides over the tongue, melts instantly in your mouth and never leaves an aftertaste.
And I've been trying to get just the right pumpkin buttercream for a while now.
Tried last year and got nothing.
Adding pumpkin to frosting is tricky because the pumpkin is so moist.
What did I finally use?
Pumpkin butter from Trader Joe's! I'm still on that pumpkin butter kick.
It's just so versatile in baking to use in just about everything.
I have to brag here for a bit and tell you that this is the best buttercream I've ever made.
This pumpkin buttercream will have you craving for it.
I caught myself (and I've been really good all summer long with my eating right)
having a second slice of this JUST to slice off the frosting and devour it.
So good.
The cake is nice and buttery, has a nice light taste of pumpkin.
You know I hate over-pumkiney flavor in fall baking; too much nutmeg or pumpkin spice and
my stomach turns.
Trust me on this cake, you will love it, it will become one of your favorites too.



Gone baby gone.
Cake didn't even have a chance of seeing Day 2 of it's existence!

pumpkin cake with pumpkin frosting

recipe from vanillasugarblog.com

print recipe

pumpkin cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened + more for greasing pan

1 ½  cups sugar

3 Tb pumpkin butter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

¾ TB baking powder

¾ ts salt

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

pumpkin buttercream:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

¾ of a 1lb bag powdered sugar

3-4 TB pumpkin butter

giant pinch of sea salt

1-2 TB half & half (or whole milk)

¼ -1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9 x 13 pan; line the bottom with parchment paper and/or grease up with butter. If you use parchment, make sure to butter that as well.

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until well combined, then add in the pumpkin butter.  Add in the eggs, one at a time until all is well combined.

Take your flour mixture and beat it in in 3 parts, alternating with three parts of the milk.  So add in one third of flour mixture, mix, then add in one third of the milk and mix.  Then repeat.

I had a couple of lumps left in batter, so that’s ok.  I hate to overbeat the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan. 

Bake about 22-28 minutes.  It does bake up fast, so make sure to check at the 23 minute mark.

Let this cake cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, using an electric mixer,  mix all ingredients, adding in 1 tablespoon at a time the half & half.  You may not need the 2 TB of half & half, so just add in 1 TB at a time.

When cake is cooled, add on the frosting, then garnish with chopped walnuts or pecans.

I have no idea how long this cake lasts as it was gone in one day in my house. But I bet it would do well for a couple days, if nice and covered.