I have someone to thank for this idea: my friend Joe. My friend Joe (now a caterer in San Francisco) is from way, way back… high school, in fact. We found each other on Facebook, and now he follows my blog. Fun, huh? I love how facebook reconnects us to old friends who would otherwise probably be lost forever. Anyway- back in August when I made that last cheesecake cake of the strawberry variety, Joey commented and told me that he thought I should make a pumpkin spice themed one for the fall season with candied pecans. I listened real good to that advice, and I haven’t been able to shake it out of my head.
How to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake:
Mix together pretty, pretty pumpkin cake batter. Divide it between two round cake pans.
Here are those magical cake strips that you absolute MUST have if you ever bake cakes. Soak them briefly in water, then wrap them around your cake pans and bake. Your cake layers will not rise up in the middle, and you will end up with two perfectly nice and even cake layers (which makes for much prettier and easier frosting).
Assemble as shown:
Place one cake layer on a platter (little strips of waxed paper placed underneath the edges to protect the platter from frosting). Then spread a light layer of frosting on the 1st layer. The cheesecake comes next. It will be frozen, so you’ll need to hold it in your hands and shave off the edges a bit with a sharp knife until you have a size that matches your cake layers (both are baked in 9-inch pans, but the cheesecake seems to come out slightly larger). Place it on the frosted first layer. Then frost the cheesecake layer lightly too. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake. Then frost the rest of the cake!
I’m not much of a fancy cake decorator, but slather the whole thing in frosting however you see fit. Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to slice and serve.
I whipped up some candied pecans a-la-Joey’s suggestion and sprinkled them on top of my cake. SUCH a good addition.
And there it is… my birthday cake slice. I ate that already and maybe two or five slices more over the span of a few days’ time. When it’s your birthday, you can have your cake AND eat it (guilt-free) too 🙂
This cake has two layers of pumpkin spice cake with a thick layer of cheesecake tucked inside, a delicious pumpkin cream cheese frosting and crunchy, candied pecans. It’s a delicious cake! Thanks, HS friend Joey for suggesting the combo! I suggest serving it with some pumpkin cheesecake ice cream for complete indulgence. Enjoy!
