Pumpkin Cake & Frosting

This pumpkin cake uses a spice cake mix as the base but adds canned pumpkin puree for moisture and that unmistakable fall flavor. The whipped topping mix folded into the batter makes the crumb extra light and fluffy.

The frosting is what really sets this apart. It’s a cooked flour buttercream, sometimes called ermine frosting. You cook milk and flour together into a thick paste, cool it completely, then beat it into whipped butter and sugar. The result is lighter than cream cheese frosting and less cloyingly sweet than standard buttercream.

The flour paste must be completely cold before you add it to the butter mixture. Warm paste melts the butter and you end up with a soupy mess instead of fluffy frosting. Make it well ahead of the cake.

Chef Tips

• Cook the flour and milk mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. It goes from thin to thick fast and can scorch if you look away.
• Cool the flour paste in the fridge until it’s truly cold, not just lukewarm. Patience here is everything.
• Beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy before adding the cooled paste. The aeration at this stage determines the frosting’s texture.
• This cake is very moist. Cool completely before frosting or the weight of the frosting will compress warm cake layers.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to the frosting for a spiced buttercream.
• Layer with cream cheese frosting instead for a tangier, more traditional pumpkin cake pairing.
• Fold chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter for crunch.