Grandma Helen's Pumpkin Cake

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 4 large eggs
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or 2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup vegetable oil or 1 cup canola oil
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon each ground allspice and ground ginger)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees. 325 degrees if using a pyrex glass pan
• 2 grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.
• 3 in medium bowl with electric mixer, beat eggs until frothy.
• 4 add sugar, pumpkin, oil, spice and vanilla.
• 5 beat on low speed until combined, then increase to medium speed.
• 6 beat 1 minute.
• 7 add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
• 8 add nuts and stir to combine.
• 9 pour into baking pan.
• 10 bake on center rack for about 40 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for layers) until cake is golden brown and top springs back when lightly pressed.
• 11 let cool in pan on rack for at least 1 hour before frosting.
• 12 (for a layer cake, let cool 15 minutes, remove cake from pans and let cool completely before frosting.) for frosting: beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy.
• 13 add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed until fluffy.
• 14 add more powdered sugar if necessary to make a stiffer frosting.
• 15 store cake in the refrigerator.