November 2013 - Willow Bird Baking

Month: November 2013

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Thanks to Werther’s Original® for sponsoring this recipe post!

When I moved to Raleigh, there seemed to be no time to make friends before school started and I was immersed in planning my new curriculum. No complaints, since that’s one of my very favorite things to do (my dream job is one where I plan curriculum and have a grading assistant — all the teachers out there, gimme an “amen!”) but I did feel pretty isolated. However, since I’m the world’s most committed introvert, I can’t quite rely on my own motivation to get out of the stuck-at-home rut — someone usually has to invite me somewhere or otherwise intervene. But there wasn’t much possibility of that in a brand new city.

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Thankfully, there was some divine intervention. Out of the blue, my online-friend-of-several-years Meghan moved back to the triangle area from NYC and invited me out to dinner immediately. We turned out to be just as perfect for each other in real life as I’d suspected we would be from the internetz. And then, in another bizarre twist, I found out some of my very best friends from college, Kristen and Bill, lived in the area.

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Kristen and Bill felt like a “Welcome Home” party in a place that decidedly did not feel like home yet. We had dinner and it felt like being back at Davidson, laughing and talking like we’d never been apart. They also told us about their church, and since we’d been visiting around looking for one, we decided to try it. After our first dinner together, several weeks passed with us visiting the church but never seeing Kristen and Bill — we figured they must go to the late service, and we always went to the early one. We kept talking about making more plans with them, but again, I’m so bad at reaching out.

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Again, divine intervention — this time in the best way! Mike and I were at their church one Sunday, not expecting to see them, when suddenly, the pastor announced that he had a baptism scheduled. I love watching baptisms because to me, it’s the absolute most poignant moment — where a person shares an inward revolution of heart with their church family. Imagine my surprise when I realized that it was Kristen on stage! I just cried. I couldn’t believe that God not only brought me back to Kristen and Bill so long after college, but also ordained that I’d get to spend this special moment with my friend.

In a city where I wasn’t sure how to build a new life, God gave me one of those life moments that I won’t ever forget.

(We also watched Catching Fire together last night and that was awesome too. Baptism still wins, though!)

* * *
Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Speaking of friends, here’s one way to make some: whip up a Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream and pull out some forks. This cake has All The Good Things in it: nutty brown butter; bloomed cinnamon and cloves; toasted pecans; and billowy, barely sweet whipped cream spiked with dark rum. I also used Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels to make the simplest caramel sauce known to man to top the cake without a lot of fuss. The result is a warm oasis of bliss in an otherwise icy winter day.

One year ago: Rosemary Thumbprints with Clementine Curd (and The Day I Went to Ina Garten’s Cookie Swap!)
Two years ago: Salted Caramel Chocolate Trifle
Three years ago: Browned Butter Pumpkin Croquemcake with White Chocolate Chai Mousse
Four years ago: Cannoli

Brown Butter Pecan Gooey Butter Cake with Spiked Whipped Cream

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 6 servings

This delicious cake has everything delightful in it: nutty brown butter, bloomed cinnamon and cloves, toasted pecans, a simple caramel sauce, and spiked whipped cream! It’s perfect for a holiday table, but easy enough for an anytime dessert.

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup cold butter

Filling Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup toasted pecans*
icing sugar

Topping Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
20 Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels
2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:
*NOTE: To toast pecans, spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for around 6-7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until fragrant. Chop while still warm.

NOTE 2: If you don’t have a skillet, I believe you can bake this in a greased 9-inch square baking dish (I’d use a glass one if you have it, and check it early and often. Remove when there’s some jiggle left.) Let us know how it goes if you try it this way for all the other skilletless people!

Make the brown butter: Cut the 1 cup butter into 1-tablespoon cubes. Place it into a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and brown the butter, whisking often. The butter will melt, foam, and then begin to brown, and the whisking is important so that it browns evenly. Whisk in cinnamon and cloves. Pour your brown butter into a shallow, wide dish to cool for a bit before sticking it in the freezer to set up. After it’s set up, set it back out at room temperature to soften for use.

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together cake flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together (I often use my food processor for this step, pulsing the cold fat into the flour). Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet using a flat glass or the back of a spoon.

Make the filling: Cream together the softened brown butter and white and brown sugars until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Mix in the egg until just combined. Alternate adding the flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Mix in the corn syrup and vanilla. Stir in the toasted pecans. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.

Bake and assemble the cake: Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until cake is nearly set (mine was probably ready around 30). Some jiggle is fine — do not overcook! It’ll finish setting up as it cools. Let it cool in pan for 2 hours. Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and rum to stiff peaks. Melt the caramels and milk together in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes, stirring often but carefully, until the hot caramel sauce is ready. Pour caramel sauce over cooled cake and top with a giant mound of spiked whipped cream. Serve from the skillet with a few forks or on plates, if you like things a little more formal.

November 24, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 9 Comments

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Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

Thanks, Foodie, for sponsoring this post.

You don’t want just any old Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe. It needs to be the best. If you’re going to indulge in an epic feast, you want every bite to count. I get it. Below are the no-joke absolute stunner recipes from Willow Bird Baking — the ones you’ll want your whole family to taste. The ones you’ll want to use to impress your mother-in-law. The ones you’ll want to shock your relatives with. YES, EVEN YOUR PICKY AUNT GLADYS. ESPECIALLY YOUR PICKY AUNT GLADYS.

The best of the best, tailored for your Thanksgiving dessert table. Prepare to enter dessert utopia.

Willow Bird Baking's 20 Best Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

1. PUMPKIN STREUSEL SWIRLED CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

2. PUMPKIN SPICE PULL-APART BREAD WITH BUTTER RUM GLAZE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

3. CHOCOLATE COCONUT CREAM PIE BARS.

cooking difficulty: easy

4. SOPAPILLA PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS.

cooking difficulty: easy

5. GOOEY CARMELITAS.

cooking difficulty: easy

6. PUMPKIN OAT CAKE WITH BROILED COCONUT ICING.

cooking difficulty: easy

7. TRES LECHES COCONUT CAKE TRIFLE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

8. CARAMELIZED BANANA UPSIDE-DOWN COCONUT CAKE WITH COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM.

cooking difficulty: easy

9. THE ULTIMATE, MOIST, FLUFFY, RIDICULOUS COCONUT CAKE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

10. COFFEE COOKIE DOUGH FUDGE CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

11. BROWN BUTTER PUMPKIN CROQUEMCAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHAI MOUSSE.

cooking difficulty: advanced

12. SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE TRIFLE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

13. STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

14. BROWN BUTTER PUMPKIN CAKE CHEESECAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

15. GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

16. RED VELVET CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: easy but long

17. CARAMEL FUDGE BROWNIE CHEESECAKE.

cooking difficulty: intermediate

18. CHOCOLATE POKE CAKE WITH WHIPPED COCONUT ICING.

cooking difficulty: easy

19. NANAIMO BARS.

cooking difficulty: easy

20. SAMOA MONKEY BREAD WITH GANACHE DIPPING SAUCE.

cooking difficulty: easy

Want more Thanksgiving inspiration from other bloggers I love? Check out my Inspiring Thanksgiving Recipes Foodie Collection for side dishes, cocktails, desserts, and more!

November 19, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 5 Comments

Toasted Pecan Shortbread with Spiked Toffee Sauce

I wrote this post as part of the Plugrá Butter Brigade. Thanks, Plugrá, for sponsoring this post and for making my favorite butter!

I don’t know about you, but I really needed BatKid this past week. If I’d known how profoundly BatKid would affect me, in fact, I would’ve sent up the bat signal long before now.

Toasted Pecan Shortbread with Spiked Toffee Sauce

In case you’ve been living under a rock (no judgment; I hear it’s warm under there), I’m referring to how San Francisco morphed into Gotham City this past week for Miles, a 5-year-old child recovering from leukemia. The city transformed to honor Miles’ request to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening conditions.

Toasted Pecan Shortbread with Spiked Toffee Sauce

Some kids wish to go to Disneyland. Others wish to have an Army Fort to play on. Others want to meet real ballerinas.

Miles’ wish was just as characteristic for a 5-year-old child: to be a superhero. What was surprising, though, was how the wish played out. Make-A-Wish used social media to round up volunteers to create scenarios for BatKid to save the day. Once all was said and done, an army of over 12,000 people participated in Miles’ experience. He rescued a damsel in distress, stopped a bank robbery, recovered a captive Lou Seal, and received the (chocolate version of the) key to the city. People all around the world tweeted and instagrammed messages of support to tiny #BatKid.

Toasted Pecan Shortbread with Spiked Toffee Sauce

Maybe this seems like a lot of trouble for one kid at first glance. (If so, however, I hope you’ll take a second glance and note that this kid who’s been through trauma even adults struggle to face deserves every moment of his wonderful day.) But the most beautiful thing about BatKid’s day is that it doesn’t just affect BatKid. It affects his family, who now feels the force of a whole city — a whole world — behind them as they face their greatest fears. It affects other families navigating similar circumstances, who can now see the love available for them in their communities. It affects the volunteers, who surely gathered more hope and inspiration from playing a role in Miles’ adventure than he could ever imagine. And it affects the people watching from home through tears of surprise and joy — so many different people. People who have been laboring under negative and critical thoughts, having a hard time at work, dealing with a breakup, navigating the loss of a family member. Millions of people watched Penguin’s capture and simultaneously received a refill of trust in the world, as if Miles had really locked at least a few of our demons behind bars.

I needed that. I don’t know about you, but I really did.

Thank you, San Francisco. And thank you, Miles, for sharing your wish with all of us.

Toasted Pecan Shortbread with Spiked Toffee Sauce

On a different scale but still in the spirit of sharing love, I’m sharing these cookies with you. This recipe is the very best cookie recipe for butter lovers out there. Buttery shortbread with toasted pecans is slathered with a rich rum-spiked toffee sauce. Both recipes (the cookies and toffee) are quick and easy to make, but together, they make for a transcendent tea time. I used Plugrá butter, my favorite because of its low moisture content, which makes for lovely crisp shortbreads. You would be remiss to leave these amazing cookies off your Christmas cookie list!

Enjoy — and if you haven’t already seen them, may I suggest scrolling through photos of #BatKid’s derring do as you nibble on your shortbreads? Just to make a sweet moment sweeter.

One year ago: Pimiento Cheese Cookies
Two years ago: Pumpkin Streusel Swirled Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Three years ago: Easy Apple Puff Pastry Tarts with Almond Whipped Cream
Four years ago: Creamy Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas with Mexican Sausage Rice

Toasted Pecan Shortbread with Spiked Toffee Sauce

Recipe by: Adapted from Ina Garten
Yield: around 20 shortbread cookies

The butteriest! These buttery shortbread cookies boast toasty pecans throughout, and the buttery rum-spiked toffee is the perfect complement. You’re gonna love these.

Cookie Ingredients:
3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups) unsalted Plugrá butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans*

Toffee Ingredients:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Plugrá butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup dark rum

Directions:
*To toast pecans: spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for around 6-7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until fragrant. Chop while still warm.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a separate, large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar together for 1-2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Pulverize the toasted pecans in a food processor for a few pulses (or crush by hand) until very fine, and then stir into the dough by hand. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, form into a thick rectangle, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cover three baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle of 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 1-inch by 3-inch rectangles and place these on a cookie sheet (position them 2 inches apart because they will spread slightly). Bake the cookies for around 20 minutes, rotating and switching positions of baking sheets once partway through baking. Remove the cookies when they’re just slightly colored on the edges and let them cool completely on their baking sheets.

To make the toffee sauce, bring the brown sugar, butter, heavy whipping cream, and rum to a boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat, whisking frequently. Once the mixture boils, turn the heat down slightly to medium-high heat and whisk constantly for 8 minutes, until the mixture is thickened. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl. Serve it smeared on cooled shortbread cookies. Store any extra cookies and toffee sauce in airtight containers, heating up the toffee sauce in the microwave to refresh as needed.

November 18, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 13 Comments

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Quick Weeknight Dinner: Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

I feel like around half my posts these days are about ridiculous things I’ve done. Apparently getting married, switching jobs, and moving to a new city in the space a few months turns everything a bit sideways. And then autumn had to come, and daylight savings time had to end. Who knows which end is up anymore?

If my experience making this soup — which is actually a super (souper?) simple and quick recipe — is any indication, not me. I call it the Pumpkin Soup Incident.

It all started on a cold day last week. I’d seen Sommer’s pumpkin soup recipe circulating around Facebook and decided to make it for dinner. As I always advise, I’d prepared my mise-en-place. I had ramekins of onion, jalapeño, and spices arranged on my counter. I had a brand new bottle of chile oil standing by. I had my brand new immersion blender ready. As I’ve also mentioned, my kitchen right now is not easy to work in. There’s not much storage or counter space, and what there is, is currently consumed with food and appliances that don’t fit anywhere else: a crock pot, a wayward stockpot, my old microwave, roughly 8 boxes of cereal. You get the picture.

So my neat, organized mise-en-place was actually not so neat and organized. My prep bowls were stuffed into crevices, stacked on other objects, and generally in the way. My immersion blender, in particular, was in an awkward position — right in the middle of everything else — and you know how wobbly immersion blenders can be.

I bet you’re starting to get a feel for what transpired.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

About 5 minutes into the recipe, I noticed my onions and spices starting to burn. I was using an old stock pot wherein everything burns immediately, so I half-knew this was going to happen. I was ready, though! All I needed to do was grab my chicken stock and dump it into the pot —

— except that when I went to grab it, I knocked the immersion blender and sent it crashing to the floor. And the immersion blender, being right in the center of everything, took the glass bottle of chile oil and a huge can of pumpkin down with it. Shattered glass exploded clear across the kitchen, carrying a payload of bright red chile oil and bright orange pumpkin.

At this point, my onions still burning in my pot on the stove, it was time for triage. Could the soup be saved? If it had just been me in the kitchen, the answer would certainly have been no. Thankfully, Mike rushed to the rescue, cleaning up debris as I dumped stock in the soup pot and opened a new can of pumpkin. I decided to try and salvage supper as best I could.

That makes me sound like a trooper, doesn’t it? Super (souper?) calm and composed, right? So maybe I should add that I had finally stopped screaming but was still a crying mess, stepping in glass and oil, and generally wallowing in a why-me style kitchen rant.

By the time the soup was almost finished, I was almost calm. Then I opened the fridge to grab the salads and, in doing so, dumped an entire container of blue cheese across the floor. THAT’S RIGHT. THE BRIGHT RED-ORANGE STAINED GLASS SUNRISE PAINTED ACROSS MY KITCHEN FLOOR WAS NOT ENOUGH. I HAD TO DUMP BLUE CHEESE ALL OVER IT.

I’m sure you won’t blame me for what I did next. I fled the scene. I hid in my bed for the next 15 minutes or so with the covers over my head while, again, superhero husband cleaned up the mess. I’m sure he secretly wished I’d given up on dinner.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Happily, though, that was our last mishap and dinner itself was amazing. The soup was worth the disastrous process: rich, hearty, and topped with lots of crunchy, spicy toppings. We liked it so much that we bought a nice new Dutch oven and repeated the recipe — with a carefully cleared out kitchen — and found that, as I suspected, it was actually quite simple. If you avoided a klutzy meltdown, that is. To help with this, I’ve included instructions in the recipe for how to prepare your mise-en-place (“putting in place,” or your setup of ingredients) before you begin.

One year ago: Broiled Southern Pimiento Cheese
Two years ago: Fresh Open-Faced California Sandwich
Three years ago: Deconstructed Margherita Pizza Bites
Four years ago: Gâteau aux Noix

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Recipe by: Adapted from A Spicy Perspective
Yield: 6-8 servings

This quick, easy weeknight dinner will warm and fill you right up! The toppings make the soup so satisfying and delicious. The croutons, especially, will be your new favorite little recipe. I’ve included a simple mise-en-place setup to make this recipe a cinch for you!

Crouton Ingredients:
12 slices of a small (~3 inch diameter, ~1/2-inch slices) sourdough baguette, cubed
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt

Soup Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 cups chicken stock
1 (29-ounce) can pure pumpkin purée
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds; for topping)
1 cup french fried onions (like French’s; for topping)
Hot chile oil (for topping)

Directions:
Prepare your mise-en-place:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and cover 2 baking sheets with foil.

Prepare a paper towel lined plate for draining the croutons when they’re done.

Melt the butter for croutons and mix in garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt.

Put olive oil into a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot on the stove.

Put chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeño into medium prep bowl.

Put cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and salt into small prep bowl.

Open cans/packages of stock and pumpkin.

In a small prep bowl, mash together softened butter and flour (this is called a beurre manié and is used to thicken soups)

Put red wine vinegar and honey into two small prep bowls

Prepare a dish with pepitas and fried onions and set this with the bottle of chile oil on the dinner table.

Once mise-en-place is prepared, this soup is super (souper?) easy to prepare. First, make the croutons. Pour the butter and garlic powder mixture over the bread cubes and toss them to coat. Spread the bread cubes out on the baking sheets in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch. Bake for around 20 minutes, flipping occasionally. Allow the croutons to cool on a paper-towel lined plate.

Make the soup. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeño into the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add cumin spice mixture and cook for another 1 minute or so. Add stock, pumpkin, and beurre manié to the pot and stir to mix. Heat this to boiling before turning it down to a simmer. Simmer for around 20 minutes. Add red wine vinegar and honey and simmer for 3-5 more minutes. Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender covered with a dish towel — if you do this, blend in small batches, opening the blender vent and being careful of the hot liquid) to purée the soup.

Serve the soup topped with crunchy fried onions, pumpkin seeds, croutons, and a drizzle of chile oil.

November 10, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 15 Comments

cakes

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

I don’t feel much like telling a story today. It’s dark outside way too early, colder than it should be, and altogether dreary. I do feel like listening to a story, though, or several. Get your Snuggie (you do own a Snuggie, right?! Doesn’t everyone?) and some hot tea and let’s share some of our favorite memories.

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

One of mine is when my mom offered to buy me any patchwork bear I chose at the Southern Christmas Show one year. I picked a cream and pink one and I believe I still have it under my bed somewhere.

Another is when a kind lady held my hand as our plane took off when I was 8 and going to the Bahamas with my family. She didn’t know me from Eve, but she knew I was terrified to fly and made it her business to comfort me.

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

One that always makes me smile is the memory of driving home from Carolina Poodle Rescue with Byrd sleeping on my lap, wondering what she was like and how we’d get along. Do you know for about the first 3 months after I got her, I felt unsure about my decision to get a dog? Looking back, I don’t know why (except that very characteristic sense of worry I always have) and I can’t quite believe I was so nervous. She’s certainly one of the best things to ever happen to me.

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

One last one is actually a recurring memory. One of my favorite times in my classroom over the past few years is choice project time, when my students propose their own project to convey their understanding of changes in the novel, Flowers for Algernon. During those workdays, my classroom was filled with kids planning, playing guitar, sculpting, composing piano pieces, filming, writing, and painting. We always ended up marveling over the creativity and sheer variety of the finished products at the end. I can’t wait to see how my current students will tackle the challenge.

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

What are your favorite memories? Share a few with me and let’s brighten up the dark evenings, shall we?

In the meantime, here’s a really fun — and really easy — cake to bake up. If you love pumpkin and you love tres leches cake, you’ll love this combination. A pumpkin sheet cake soaks up a delicious three milks mixture before being topped with my favorite fluffy whipped icing.

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

One year ago: Broiled Southern Pimiento Cheese
Two years ago: Quick Dinner: Garlicky Peanut Noodles with Crunchy Vegetables
Three years ago: How to Make 27+ Cheesecakes and Look Awesome While Doing It
Four years ago: Barefoot Contessa’s Carrot Pineapple Cake

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking using a pumpkin sheet cake recipe adapted from Taste of Home
Yield: 20 servings

A pumpkin spice sheet cake meets a tres leches cake! The whipped icing on this delicious, custardy cake is one of the best parts.

Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Tres Leches Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1/2 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

Whipped Icing Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup milk
7 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 7/8 cups granulated sugar (not powdered sugar; note: 1/8 cup = 2 tablespoons)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, pumpkin, oil, and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Gradually whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack (keep in the pan). Poke holes in the cake with the back of a wooden spoon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together whole milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk. Pour this mixture over the cooled cake. Chill the cake overnight.

To make the frosting, heat the milk, flour, and granulated sugar together over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once it starts to boil, continue whisking and heating it for around 7 minutes or until it’s very thick, like cake batter consistency. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Remove the mixture to a shallow pan and let the mixture cool completely (after a bit, I stuck mine in the fridge to hurry it along). Once the mixture is cool, beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft and fluffy. Add the completely cooled mixture and beat on high until you have fluffy frosting the consistency of stiff whipped cream. Frost your chilled cake.

November 3, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 44 Comments