Hello, pumpkin-loving friend!

Of course, I’m fashionably late to the #virtualpumpkin party. ?‍♀️ A kooky-fun Pumpkin Cake Pie (not to be confused with Pumpkin Pie Cake) is headed your way shortly. I promise it’s worth the wait. Keep your eyes on my Instagram feed for when the post goes live. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Yours in Pumpkin, 

Erin ?

__________

Oh, hey! I finally did the thing and finished my Pumpkin Cake Pie post! I will hold the excuses and simply offer one word to explain my lateness: life. 

I’ve been wanting to bake a cake in a pie shell for a while now. 8 years to be exact. 8 years?!?! Yep. I got this idea way back in the day when I had a retail shop. I thought a “cake tart” would be a stellar idea. No one else did at the time. I tabled it and just left it floating around in the idea bank in the back of my head. 
This cake pie (Pie cake? Layer pie?) is not quite the realization of that exact vision. Dare I say, it’s better. It makes me laugh every time I look at it or think about it. I posted a sneak peek on my Instagram stories last week and it seems as if it’s already making some of you laugh as well. In chatting with my cousin I asked, “Does the world need this?” Her reply, “Pssht. Nobody “needs” the Mona Lisa either, do they?” 

If you are firmly on Team Cake, like me, then this is the pie for you. Precisely because it’s not a pie at all. The “crust” is a sugar cookie illusion. The “filling” a 2-bowl, tender wonder of a cake batter. The “whipped cream” my beloved cream cheese frosting. Whip this up for your Thanksgiving feast and leave your guests puzzled, giggling, and asking for a second slice. It’s entertainment and dessert all rolled into one. Dessertainment. (BRB, trademarking that stat.)

All the recipes used in this cake pie come from my book, Erin Bakes Cake. Double the batch of sugar cookie dough if you want to make full crusts or if you’re one of those folks who likes to get all extra with their pie crusts. I kept my crust simple to hold focus on the ridiculousness of it all. 

Pumpkin Cake Pie

Supplies

• 1 batch Sugar Cookie Dough from Erin Bakes Cake
• Fat Daddio’s Pie Pan 
• 1 batch Any Fruit Cake, Pumpkin Variation from Erin Bakes Cake
• Serrated knife
• Piping bag
• 1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting from Erin Bakes Cake
• Pecans for garnish (optional)

Step 1: 

Roll the sugar cookie dough to 1/8-inch thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Cut the dough into 4-inch-wide strips. Lift the strips in sections and press the dough onto the edges of the pie pan. It’s OK if the dough tears. Just smush it back together in the pan and finish the edges of the crust all the way around. Trim away any excess crust with a small knife.  

Step 2: 

Spray the exposed part of the pan with pan spray. Fill the unbaked crust with 1/3 of the pumpkin cake batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cover the crust with foil. Return the cake to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it.Repeat this process two more times or at the same time if you have two additional pie pans. Carefully turn the cake pies out of the pan without handling the delicate rim of the crust. Place one hand on top of the cake and flip the whole thing over, so that the cake rests on your hand as it slips lose from the pan. Place a plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the whole thing over. Repeat with the other cake pies. 

Step 3: 

Place one of the cake pies on your serving platter. Use a serrated knife to level the domed top of the cake.Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting to cover the cut area of the cake. Place another cake pie on top, just like you would layer a traditional cake. Repeat with the second layer. Add the third layer of cake pie, but do not trim this cake.

Step 4: 

If you haven’t done so already when filling the cake, fill a piping bag with cream cheese frosting. Snip the tip of the bag to create a nickel-sized opening. Garnish the top of the cake with dollops of frosting around the edges or a large dollop of frosting in the center of the cake. Top the dollops with toasted whole pecans (optional).Using a serrated knife when serving the cake will make cutting through the crust much easier. If any pieces of crust fall off while you’re layering the cake, just stick them back on with a dab of frosting. 

Pumpkin Cake Pie

2017-11-07 12:29:41

A delicious, seasonal layer cake disguised as a stack of pies.

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For the Sugar Cookie Crust

1. 8 oz unsalted butter, softened
2. 1 cup granulated sugar
3. 1 tsp baking powder
4. 1/2 tsp kosher salt
5. 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6. 1 large egg
7. 2 cups all purpose flour

For the Pumpkin Cake

1. 4 1/2 cups cake flour
2. 1 Tbsp baking powder
3. 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
4. 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
5. 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
6. 6 large eggs
7. 3 cups granulated sugar
8. 2 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
9. 3 cups vegetable oil
10. 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

1. 16 oz unsalted butter
2. 16 oz cream cheese, room temp.
3. 1 bag (2 pounds) confectioners' sugar
4. 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

For the Garnish

1. Piping bag
2. Pecans (optional)

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F.

Make the Crust

1. 1. In the bow of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer), beat the butter, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. 2. Add the egg and mix until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. 3. With the mixer on low, add the four to the butter mixture until just incorporated.
4. 4. Roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper or on a flour-dusted counter to about 1/8" thick. Cut the dough into 4-inch-wide strips.
5. 5. Use the strips to cover just the sides and edges of a pie pan. Don't worry if the dough tears as you're using it. Just press the pieces together in the pan. Don't fill in the center of the pan with dough. Trim away excess dough with a small knife. Pop the pan in the fridge while you make the cake batter.

Make the Pumpkin Cake Batter

1. 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon (if using), and salt.
2. 2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
3. 3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. When the batter becomes too thick to whisk, switch to a rubber spatula. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated.
4. 4. Remove the pie plate from the fridge and grease the exposed bottom of the pan with pan spray. Fill the pan with 1/3 of the cake batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully cover the crust with foil. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it.
5. 5. Set the cake on a cooling rack until cool enough to handle. Place one hand on top of the cake and flip the pan over. Use your other hand to remove the pan from the cake. Place a place on the cake and flip the whole thing back over again. Be careful while removing the cake from the pan to not handle the cake by the delicate crust edge. If any crust should break, just set it aside and reattach it later with frosting.
6. 6. Repeat this process two more times to make two more cakes. (Or bake them all at the same time if you have three pie pans!)
7. 7. Allow the cakes to cool completely before stacking.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

1. 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer), beat the butter on medium-high speed until it's light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. 2. On medium speed, add the cream cheese until just combined, about 3 minutes more.
3. 3. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the confectioners' sugar, about 1 cup at a time, and mix until incorporated.
4. 4. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

All Together Now

1. 1. Place one of the cakes on the serving platter or stand. Use a serrated knife to trim away the domed portion of the cake that rises above the edge of the crust.
2. 2. Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting over the area of cake that you trimmed away. Top the frosting with another layer of cake. Trim off the domed portion of cake and spread on another layer of cream cheese frosting. Top with the final layer of cake. Do not trim the top cake layer.
3. 3. Fill a piping bag with cream cheese frosting. Snip the tip of the bag off to create an opening about the size of a nickel. Pipe dollops of frosting around the edges of the cake or pipe a large dollop in the center. Garnish the dollops with pecan halves or whatever nuts you have on hand.

By Erin Gardner

Adapted from Erin Bakes Cake

Adapted from Erin Bakes Cake

Erin Bakes http://erinbakes.com/

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