Pumpkin Vanilla Spice Cake + Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I adapted this recipe from my sister-in-law's Chocolate Kahlua Cake, which is amazing and so simple.  In going along my fall-inspired theme for my son's first birthday, I knew I wanted to make some type of pumpkin cake.  This cake turned out absolutely delicious so I hope you like it!

The Ingredients:

1 Box of Vanilla Cake Mix (I like using Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake and Baking Mix - it has vanilla beans in it which I love)

3.5 Box Organics brand Vanilla Pudding Mix (I find this at Whole Foods)

1/2 Teaspoon Allspice

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

Couple Dashes of Cloves (probably about 1/8 teaspoon worth)

1/4 Cup Organic Whole Milk

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (I like Trader Joe's Pure Bourbon Vanilla)

3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

3 Eggs

1 Cup Organic Canned Pumpkin (Find it at Trader Joe's and sometimes Costco carries a pkg of 6 - which is awesome this time of year when you may use canned pumpkin a lot)

The Steps:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients: Whole milk, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla and vegetable oil. 

2) Add in the cake mix, pudding, and spices and mix well with a whisk or spatula, making sure to break up any lumps.

3) Lightly oil a 9x13 pan and pour the cake mix into the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Once the cake has cooled, turn 9x13 pan on its side to slowly release the cake from the pan, using your hand to gently invert it onto a serving patter.  Having the cake upside down will also help make a flat surface to frost. 

Since I made this for my son's birthday, I made a 2-layer cake and included black sprinkles since the theme was black and white.  Trader Joe's has a Cinnamon Sugar Grinder that would be great for sparkling up the cake a bit if you are making this for a holiday. 

This recipe is perfect for cupcakes too!  Just follow about directions and then fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.  This recipe will yield 12-15 cupcakes.  

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cake is baking you can begin to work on the frosting. 

Frosts a 9x13 cake generously...I ended up having about a little over 1 Cup of frosting leftover as I like less frosting on my cakes and cupcakes. 

1 8 oz pkg Organic Cream Cheese, softened and cut in pieces

4 Cups Organic Powdered Sugar

1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened and cut in pieces

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract 

2 Teaspoons Organic Whole Milk (may need to add more depending on how thick/thin you want the frosting to be)

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1) Beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and milk until smooth.

2) Then slowly mix in 1 cup of sugar about 1/4 cup at a time until fully incorporated.  You may need to splash in more milk as you are mixing if you find the frosting too thick.

Tips for frosting:

• Once the cake has cooled to room temp, stick in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  That will help you get less crumbs mixed in when you begin frosting.  
• After you finished frosting, the cake needs to be kept in the fridge to keep the frosting from spoiling.   
• Make sure to add any sprinkles to your cake prior to popping it back in the fridge until your get-together.  They will stick better to the frosting since it will get harder in the fridge. 
• To cover your cake without messing up the frosting, put in toothpicks in the 4 corners before placing foil on top.