Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake

Pumpkin gingerbread cake is the perfect dessert to make during the holiday season. Combining the best flavors fall and winter have to offer into one perfect dessert. 

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake:

This pumpkin gingerbread cake is a recipe I made when Derek and I first got married back in 2011! It's the perfect cake to eat during the fall and winter months because it eloquently combines the best flavors that the cold months have to offer. Pumpkin and gingerbread is a combination that needs to be celebrated and eaten on a more regular basis. 

How to Make Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake:

This cake is a little tricky to make because it has a bit of a shortbread crust that goes on the very bottom that is hard to see in these photos. The shortbread crust is made of flour, butter, and pecans and pressed into the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan. Then you add in all the remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix together and our onto the top of the cake. 

This cake needs to bake in the oven at 350º for 50 minutes. It has a longer bake time than most cakes because of the shortbread crust at the bottom and because it's being baked in such a large pan. When you cook a layer cake you get the luxury of dividing the batter into two pans to bake. Because this cake bakes in one larger pan, it takes twice as long to bake as what you'd get with a layered cake. 

Once the cake is baked in the oven and has had time to cool to room temperature you can frost it with a vanilla buttercream frosting. It typically takes an hour or more for the cake to cool completely to room temperature so keep that in mind when you're getting ready to bake. 

If the cake has not cooled completely and you go to frost the cake the frosting will melt and make a huge mess. Ask me how I know. 

Ingredients for Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2/3 cup Butter
• 3/4 cup Chopped Pecans
• 3/4 cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Molasses
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Egg
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Cloves
• 1/4 tsp Salt

The Best 9x13 Baking Dish:

This cake bakes in a 9x13 baking dish. We've been using these baking dishes from pyrex for. over a decade now and they've held up great. I have been eyeing this baking set from Walmart though and may splurge on it for Christmas. It's just too cute to pass up!

How Long to Store Cake:

This cake can be stored on the counter or in the fridge for up to three days after baking. It is not recommended to store this cake in the freezer as the shortbread crust will not hold up over time. Simply cover the cake dish with plastic wrap to make an airtight seal and then store until you're ready to eat. 

If you liked this post, Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake, you might also like:

• Christmas Jar Cookies
• Fluffy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peppermint Whoopie Pies