Velvet Pumpkin Cake

When pumpkin season hits and you want something warm from the oven without wrestling with a complicated recipe, this cake has your back.

Bisquick baking mix does the heavy lifting here, so there’s no measuring out flour, baking powder, and salt separately. Just blend it with canned pumpkin puree, sugar, an egg, shortening, and vanilla, beat for four minutes, and into the pan it goes.

The pumpkin keeps the crumb incredibly moist and tender with a velvety texture that earns the name.

Serve it warm, straight from the oven, with a generous cloud of sweetened whipped cream on top. This is the kind of unfussy, one-bowl dessert that tastes like you tried a lot harder than you actually did.

Pro Tips

• Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has sugar and spices already added and will throw off the balance.
• Beat the batter for the full four minutes on medium speed. That extra mixing develops structure and gives the cake its smooth, velvety crumb.
• Check for doneness with a toothpick at 35 minutes. Overbaking dries out the pumpkin’s natural moisture.
• Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter if you want warm spice flavor, though it’s lovely plain too.