Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake is a delicious flavor and texture combo of smooth pumpkin cheesecake, delicate white cake layers dotted with pecans, and silky cream cheese buttercream frosting.
If you are looking for a show-stopping dessert to make for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other Holiday gatherings, this fall-flavored cake is the one. It will be a hit with everyone at your holiday party.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Pecan Cake Combo
This amazing fall dessert is a combo of traditional pumpkin cheesecake and pecan cake.
It has two layers of moist white cake upgraded with toasted pecans into an amazing, soft, and crunchy flavorful treat. The creamy center is pumpkin spiced cheesecake! However, one ultimate dessert must be all covered in silky cream cheese buttercream frosting, right?! This is a winning combo. It’s going to be your new favorite Thanksgiving dessert.
No Thanksgiving would be complete without a slice of pumpkin cheesecake, but if you are bored with traditional dessert, I bring you a special cheesecake cake recipe for the upcoming holidays.
All the flavors and textures in this dessert are so wonderful together – it’s such a great holiday recipe!
What is a Cheesecake Cake?
If you’ve never had a cheesecake cake, you must try it. It’s like two favorite treats, packed into one amazing dessert. Cheesecake cakes consist of a layer of crust-free cheesecake sandwiched between two layers of a traditional cake. The cake layers and cheesecake layer are stacked, and then they’re covered in frosting that takes a regular layer cake to the next level.
If you are not the first time on this blog, you might know that cheesecake cake is something of a specialty around here. Maybe you already saw my Lemon Blueberry cheesecake Cake, Raspberry Cheesecake Cake, Chocolate Cheesecake Cake, and Blueberry Cheesecake Cake, and for the fall and winter holiday season, I have White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Cake, too.
Since it’s pumpkin season I must try it with pumpkin cheesecake. You’ll love all the layers in this recipe! But, be sure to plan ahead though, it is very time-consuming since there is a long baking and cooling time.
How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake?
The cake layers are super simple to make since they start with a boxed cake mix. I used a white cake mix and add a heaping cup of toasted pecans. Crunchy pieces of pecans give great contrast to the soft cake. and not to mention the flavor. Pumpkin and pecans make the perfect match.
Making crust-free pumpkin cheesecake is also very simple, but baking at 325 F and waiting for the cheesecake to cool in the oven, then at room temperature and finally in the fridge, requires a lot of time.
Beat softened cream cheese with sugar, light brown sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in sour cream and spices. Running your mixer on low speed, add eggs and mix to combine. Scrape the bottom with the spatula as needed. Finally, mix in pumpkin puree and pour the mixture into a springform pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 60-70 minutes or until the center has set. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the door cracked open for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
For cream cheese buttercream frosting, mix the butter and cream cheese, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until no lumps remain. Do not overbeat before the sugar was added or may end up with runny frosting. Gradually add powdered sugar until desired sweetness and thickness are reached. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until smooth.
To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake onto a serving plate and top with 1 cup of cream cheese frosting. Place pumpkin cheesecake layer and top with 1 cup of frosting. Finally, top with the second cake layer and frost the cake with the remaining frosting. Reserve some frosting for decoration. Place the cake in the fridge to set the frosting before decoration.
This Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake is the perfect combination of fall flavors.: pumpkin, spices, and pecans…What more could you want in a decadent fall dessert?
Happy baking!
Craving for More? Check These Out!
These pumpkin muffins are perfect for fall and bursting with cream cheese flavor!
Or check for more similar recipes:
PrintPumpkin Cheesecake Cake
Prep Time: 2 hours- Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
Yield: 12–16 1x
Category: dessert
Method: bake
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Description
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake is a delicious flavor and texture combo of smooth pumpkin cheesecake, delicate white cake layers dotted with pecans, and silky cream cheese buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
Pecan Cake:
- 1 (15.25 oz.) box white cake mix
- Ingredients listed on the box (water, oil, egg whites)
- 1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- 20 oz. brick style cream cheese-room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup drained pumpkin puree (place about 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree on 4-5 layers of paper towel and cover with 4-5 more layers of paper towel, gently press and let it sit for half an hour to drain the excess of a liquid)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs + 3 egg yolks-slightly beaten with the fork
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:
- 12 oz. full-fat brick style cream cheese-room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter-room temperature
- 4–5 cups powdered sugar-sifted
- dash of salt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
For Garnish:
- 4–5 Tablespoons chopped toasted pecans
- caramel sauce
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Grease two 9-inches round cake pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl place white cake mix, oil, and egg whites. Mix for 2 minutes, scraping down the bottom with a spatula as needed. Fold in 1 cup of chopped pecans and divide the mixture equally into prepared pans. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
To Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Beat softened cream cheese with sugar, light brown sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in sour cream and spices.
- Running your mixer on low speed, add eggs and mix to combine. Scrape the bottom with the spatula as needed.
- Finally, mix in pumpkin puree and pour the mixture into the springform pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 60-70 minutes or until the center has set. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the door cracked open for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
To Make the Frosting:
- Mix the butter and cream cheese, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until no lumps remain. Do not overbeat before the sugar was added or may end up with runny frosting.
- Gradually add powdered sugar until desired sweetness and thickness are reached. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat until smooth.
Assembling the Cake:
- Place one layer of cake onto a serving plate and top with 1 cup of cream cheese frosting. Place pumpkin cheesecake layer and top with 1 cup of frosting. Finally, top with the second cake layer and frost the cake with the remaining frosting. Reserve some frosting for decoration. Place the cake in the fridge to set the frosting before decoration.
- Drizzle caramel sauce on the edges, sprinkle chopped pecans on top, transfer the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a 1M tip and make the swirls.
- Store in the fridge.
2 comments
is the ginger fresh or dry
HI Cindy, it’s dry ground ginger.