Pumpkin Spice Cake with Coconut Topping #TheCakeSliceBakers

It's October with The Cake Slice Bakers! Check out the links at the bottom of this post to see what the other lovely bakers made!

Like so many other people, Fall is my favorite.

The leaves changing colors, the chill in the air...

Actually that's not as much a thing in here Southern New Mexico. It usually stays above 75F through the end of October.

But Fall is more than a season...it's a state of mind.

And so is pumpkin spice.

(I'm sure that I didn't make that up, but "pumpkin spice is a state of mind" would make a great decal to go on a mug!)

It's true, though! Don't get me wrong -- I do like the taste...

...but what I like even more are the Fall-ish vibes that signal the end of the hot summer and transition to holiday time. 

Hayrides.

Visiting the Pumpkin Patch with my kids.

Ahhhh...pumpkin spice.

This Pumpkin Spice Cake with Coconut Topping is the perfect celebration for a crisp(er) morning. It goes great with a cup of coffee.

Like the other recipes in this gem of a cookbook, this cake comes together easily. The addition of pumpkin puree makes it moist, tender, and close to foolproof. 

It definitely carries the fall vibes with its cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg -- but it is actually quite delicately spiced. I'm always afraid when I add cloves to anything that they'll blow the other flavors off the palate (cloves are kind of a bazooka flavor). But no worries -- it's *just* right.

And the caramelly coconut topping? 

Seriously yum.

 I sprinkled a pinch of flaky sea salt over the top, and that made it even better. (If you are not a coconut fan, pecans would make a FANTASTIC substitution).

The directions called for cooking the topping for 2 minutes. It still looked pretty blonde and I didn't want it to look like scrambled eggs like the last time I made a coconut caramel topping. So I added a glug more of cream and cooked it an extra minute until it was amber colored. 

I left out the pecans in an attempt to make the cake more palatable to my Picky Girl, only to be informed that pumpkin should never EVER be an ingredient in a cake.

That's okay. More for Mama.

So give this Pumpkin Spice Cake a try! It'll have you feeling alllll the Fall Vibes ;)

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Coconut Topping

from Little Everyday Cakes by Candace Floyd

Cake:

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

6 T softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

2 eggs (room temp)

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

Topping:

2 T butter

2 T heavy cream

3 T brown sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour an 8x8 pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a small bowl.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add in the sugars and beat for 4 minutes, until fluffy. 

4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

5. On low speed, alternate adding the pumpkin and flour mixture--beginning and ending with the flour. Add in the vanilla, and fold in the pecans. Pour the batter (it'll be thick) into the prepared pan.

6. Bake 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out cleanly. Cool on a wire rack.

Make the topping by adding the butter, cream, sugar, coconut and vanilla to a small saucepan. Heat over medium until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, until golden. Pour over the warm cake and allow to cool.

Enjoy:)

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Little Everyday Cakes by Candace Floyd. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

It is a new year and a new book - Little Everyday Cakes - and our choices for October 2021 were ~ 

Allspice Applesauce Cake

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Coconut Topping

• A Little Bit of All Right
• A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Camille Cooks
• Amandie Bakes

Chocolate Jack Cake

• Karen's Kitchen Stories
• My Recipe Reviews