When Foodbuzz announced it was looking for dishes that were Holiday traditions in our homes, I replied to them asking to be included in this event, I knew I wanted to share one of my dishes with everyone, but I just couldn’t decide what to go with. Was it the stuffing for my turkey, one of the many pies I’ve made over the years, Mama Jeanette’s Bread Pudding recipe…..no nothing seemed quite right, they were all delicious but they just weren’t traditions in my home. One very special dessert did come to mind, it’s a dessert that usually makes just one appearance a year. You can be guaranteed that sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas you’ll see this extra special cake It’s also a cake I made for our engagement party the very first year we were together.
Since I usually end up eating 75% of the cake by myself, it’s a good thing I don’t make it more often…sigh. Last year I did start distributing wedges of cake to the neighbors, which got me a marriage proposal in the process….luckily her husband took it in stride as did Lisa! So when you make this cake for your family and friends be prepared, and also have extra copies of the recipe on hand, because your going to need them! This cake is just that good!
Holiday’s can be a very special time, we have been blessed as food bloggers, not only do we have enough to eat, but we have enough to make dishes to blog about……not everyone is that fortunate, and although it should be in our thoughts the entire year, this time of year it needs to be at the top of our list.
Here’s one way you can help, Foodbuzz has partnered with Frigidaire for the Talk Turkey campaign to benefit Save the Children and they need your help. Go to Make Time for Change to “talk turkey” and Frigidaire donates $1 every time you leave a tip, and who knows you might even win the new range that they’re giving away. So take a few minutes and leave a tip for Frigidaire’s Talk Turkey, I’ll be here with a slice a cake and a cup of good cheer when you get back.
- 3 Cups (450 g) walnuts, finely chopped
- 3 Cups (360 g) vanilla wafers (about 75 cookies)
- 3 Cups (540 g) brown sugar
- 12 oz (340 g) butter
- 1¼ (250 g) cup sugar
- 6 oz (168 g) softened butter
- 1 16 oz (425 g) can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 2½ ( 300 g) Cups flour
- ½ Cup (96 g) Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon (15 g) pumpkin pie spice
- 2¼ Teaspoons( 12 g) baking powder
- ¾ Teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
- ½ Teaspoon (2.5) Salt
- 4 Large Eggs
- 16 oz (454 g) cream cheese
- 8 oz (227 g) mascarpone (or cream cheese)*
- 8 oz (227 g) softened butter
- 2 cups (150 g) confectioners sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla
- Melt Butter
- In a food processor, pulse cookies to a fine crumb
- Then Pulse walnuts to a fine chop
- Add in Brown Sugar and mix well.
- Add in Melted Butter and blend together.
- Divide mixture into 4 Coated Cake Pans (One very full cup per pan), pressing into bottom and spreading it evenly into the cake pans. Reserve about 2 cups of the mixture which will be baked to use on the sides of the cake.
- Set pans aside and begin cake.
- Pre heat Oven to 350 degrees.
- In your mixer beat sugar and butter for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy, scrapping down the bowl frequently .
- Add In Pumpkin and all the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs. Mix just until blended.
- Add in the Eggs, one at a time just until blended.
- Divide batter equally into your 4 prepared cake pans, smooth it out and make it as even as possible in the pan.
- Place remaining crunch mixture in another cake pan or pie dish and allow to bake for the smae amount of time as the cakes.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you use 2 racks to bake on in the oven, at the halfway mark rotate the pans .
- Allow pans to cool about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire racks and allow to completely cool.
- break up the extra crunch mix to very small bits to use to decorate the cake with.
- while your cakes are baking prepare a Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Whip the cream cheese, mascarpone, and butter till very smooth and creamy
- Slowly add in the 10x sugar while mixer is on low setting
- Add in Vanilla and mix well. Set aside till needed.
- After your cake is completely cooled ( you can even refrigerate for a few hours) begin frosting the layers and putting the cake together.
- When you have assembled all the layers with some frosting between them, start to spread the remaining frosting on the sides and top.
- When finished frosting, coat sides and top with your extra crunch mixture*
Now your incredibly delicious Pumpkin Crunch Cake is finished! It should be allowed to chill for a few hours before cutting, it will help firm up this cake (When you do cut it make sure to use a serrated knife), But you can eat it right away if you just can’t wait! I know you will enjoy this and anyone you feed it too will soon be asking for another slice!
This time of year when the weather turns chilly, and the night comes quicker is my favorite time for family and friends. Sharing a cup of mulled cider, hot chocolate, or the beverage of your choice, with some freshly baked treat……sigh…..it just doesn’t get better than that. Sitting on the porch, or out by a fire pit, looking up at the clear night sky, counting the stars, laughing with friends, or steeling a kiss from your sweetie. Fall nights were made for sharing, so make sure you take some time to enjoy them.
Thanks for stopping by, see you all real soon!
Chef, This cake is a stunning! The layers, the frosting, and the texture…How I could dive right in to a generous slice of this lovely Pumpkin Crunch Cake now. Thank you for sharing the recipe good man, I’m sure this will become a holiday tradition for many!
Dennis, this cake sounds amazing! I can see why it is a tradition! I love the crunchy coating on the outside, it is such a nice textural contrast to the soft cake and frosting! I myself prefer cakes with a little crunch somewhere along with the soft
! This is perfect for the Holidays. Hope you are having a wonderful fall!
Oh my gosh. I haven’t even tasted it and I’m about to ask you to marry me! Hubby won’t mind, I promise. He’ll just ask for a slice as well. Wow, it’s gorgeous. I can well imagine how this cemented your marriage proposal if it was at the engagement party. well done, Chef, well done!
Wow this looks stunning, not to mention delicious! I’m definitely making this!!
Thanks!
what a gorgeous cake! i love pumpkin and the idea of pairing it with a crunchy topping… i wish i could have helped you eat this cake. sigh… =)
I wish you could help too! I gotta stop eating so much cake!
My heart stood still when I saw this beautiful cake. Couldn’t be more perfect.
Absolutely stunning! I can see why someone proposed marriage!
That cake looks wonderful! I can see why you end up eating a bunch and why it got you a proposal!!!! I think it makes a cake more special if you only make it once a year. What a great tradition!
Chef Dennis. What a beautiful, beautiful cake! Looks so delicious and festive.
I’m so sorry that I haven’t been visiting for a while. I just updated your web address on my blogger thingy, so I should be getting new updates now. Hope you are well. Michael
It looks good and really interesting is that cake is Crunchy!
Oh, I would like to have a piece now..
Chef, you’re an amazing cake baker. I don’t want to read again on your blog, that you don’t know much about baking. I mean, just look at that cake. It’s absolutely STUNNING!
Oh, how I wish I had a slice with my morning tea…
Oh, my gosh! No wonder you love this cake…it looks amazing! LOL at the proposal…what an endorsement
It is absolutely…. irresistibly delicious! I must do. Thanks
Over the top sweet tooth heaven!! I’m sure I’d eat 75% of it myself also. This is one gorgeous cake Chef.
Oh my goodness! This is incredible especially with the crunch topping and addition of mascarpone. What a great tradition, it’s going to become my tradition today. Thanks so much for sharing
This is fantastic! The layering is beautiful, the frosting and topping so inviting. Love your paragraph at the bottom. It totally evokes the coziness of the coming months. Love it!
This cake is beautiful! I love when food has an extra crunch to it, so this is perfect! Thanks for sharing it.
Wow! That is one amazing holiday tradition! I especially love the crunch topping…. YUM!
This cake is amazing with all the layers, the pumpkin, and the crunch. No wonder this “sealed the deal” on your engagement. Fall is my favorite season, and this cake is the perfect Fall dessert for a special occasion.
What a showstopper this cake is! Anything with butter, walnuts, brown sugar and nearly 80 cookies does it for me. Wow! I think I would marry you for this one too!
This cake looks so beautiful and so good, it almost makes me want to cry. That’s how bad I would love a piece. I think I might make it for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner omitting the nuts cause one of my girls is anaphylactic to all nuts and peanuts. Beautiful well done job!!
Jackie
I have been staring at this cake for a half hour… it is so beautiful!
I’ll have to test it out at Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin Pie, watch out. You have competition!
This sounds awesome. I love the whole crunch effect. This is one to save. And I only save the ones I realistically believe I’ll be trying.
I have a question about the yogurt. Is the greek yogurt plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt? Also on the cream cheese, so if you dont have marscapone you gonna use 5- 8 oz. cream cheeses? Oh my goodness! Thats a lot of cream cheese! That cake looks amazing and I have GOT to try it. I know it wont look as beautiful as yours though. Thanks so much for sharing! Nancy Shelton
hi Nancy
it is plain Greek yogurt, and if you think that’s more frosting than you need, cut back to 4 – 8 oz packs and 1 lb of butter, you will still have enough Thanks for asking!
Dennis
I’d help ya eat it for sure, Dennis! Its GORGEOUS!!!
Awesome cake for a great cause. Thanks for sharing this cake, Dennis. I love holiday traditions!
Thank you a bazillion times for posting this! My MIL always makes the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving (I host at my home). I usually prepare some other desserts. I think this would be a lovely alternative…addition?!…to pie! Pinned and stumbled and buzzed and all that jazz!
What an amazing cake!! That is just fabulous. Holiday traditions are just the best aren’t they?? I love looking back over time and thinking about my own and learning about other people’s as well. That cake has me drooling thanks so much for sharing it with us Dennis!
Since you’ve already had marriage proposed, what about an adoption proposal?!?! Can you adopt me? I want to be in your family, and have this as my holiday tradition!
thanks Julia, your always welcome at my table!
this looks amazing!
This post is wonderful in so many ways.
Oh how I love the fall. Pumpkins. And the traditions in between
I will take this cake-even if a few slices are already eaten out of it! This looks even better than carrot cake and I love the crunch topping. I am sure one taste would make even the meanest Scrooge or halloween witch into a lovable individual. I can see the motto now: For recipes that improve upon people’s horrible dispositions go to askchefdennis.com!
Looks awesome!!
Pumpkin is delish enough but throw in some cream cheese frosting and fix me a bed for the night, I could eat this whole cake if I truly tried!
Take care…
Stunning looking cake and very tasty I’m sure (My hips are growing just looking at it!)
This cake is the King of cakes..love how you made it, and I do love anything pumpkin:)..Nicely done chef…Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day!!!
Chef, truly stunning cake:)
Looks like a marvelous cake, Dennis! Beautiful!
This looks amazing…
Wow, that is one beautiful cake. If only I could reach through and grab that piece on the plate.
Oh wow, this looks so incredible! Love the crunch!
Holy moly, that looks divine!
Gorgeous layer cake–love the cranberry garnish to add some color!
Be still my heart!! This looks like the best cake EVER!
That looks delicious! I love a nice moist, tall, cake….and the crunchies put it right over the top. I’ll have to try this one!
What a delicious looking cake! I will have to pin this! Thanks for sharing!
This looks heavenly!
We’re already signed up! Thanks so much for spreading the word. The cake looks magnificent.
WOW!! This cake looks delicoius!! I could definitely cut myself a piece of that! Great pictures!
Omg, this cake is gorgeous and looks sinfully delicious! I love pumpkin desserts and can’t wait to try it! Thanks for another great recipe!
This looks amazing Dennis! I am a pumpkin fanatic in any case but add a creamy frosting, some crunch and a whole lot of history and I’m all over it. This will be a definite make for us this year.
Wow I’ve never seen a pumpkin cake like this before. It looks fabulous!
You eat 75% !! LOL . That’s what I do with chocolate cake .. i think i eat almost 90% LOL
This looks really amazing and perfect celebration treat
Is that seriously three sticks of butter in the topping?! No wonder I like your blog so much!
This cake sounds freaking amazing!!! Seriously I will have to make this for the holidays.
pass me a fork, I want to dive right into this beauty. Sounds DELICIOUS! looks wonderful.
WoW!!! I am so inspired by your cake… It should be delicious… I have just one question, for which size of pan is that recipe?
I used standard 9″ cake pans! Glad you like the cake!
Oh my goodness, Dennis, I actually gasped when your blog appeared on my screen just now. WHAT A CAKE! It’s a beauty, and it looks delicious! I can see why it landed you a marriage proposal.
Must try this! Maybe this will be one of my Thanksgiving Day contributions. Thanks so much for sharing this!
This looks fantastic, Dennis. Definitely one of the best looking pumpkin cakes I have ever seen. It sounds like a wonderful holiday dessert. Thanks!
Dennis this is gorgeous and a wonderful addition to any holiday table.
Oh em gee!! This cake has so many of my favorite things in it, pumpkin, cream cheese frosting, walnuts… wonderful!
oh… my…. goodness…. who could blame you for eating 75% of this by yourself??
Pumpkin, cake with crunch?? Yes, I will be right there!!!
Chef!!!
No need to being told! I”m surely have to make “a copy” of this cake when I have a time to make it to share with friends of mine, just looking at the pic I already knew it! LOL
I planned to make it this weekend for my friend farewell party becoz I have a taks to make a dessert… lucky me to find this amazing cake, tq chef
stunning good looking pumpkin cake and amazing taste I bet!
This cake looks fantastic. At first I thought it was a carrot cake but wow, it just sounds heavenly. I’m curious though, what size cake pan do you use to give it the thickness you like with just one heaping cup of batter into each pan?
hi Vicki
I used standard 9″ cake pans, remember you have a layer of crunch under the batter which adds to the thickness. the layers are about half of what a normal layer would be if you took away the crunch layer.
glad you liked the cake!
I just glanced at the recipe and missed that detail. Looking forward to making this. I may have to try it for Thanksgiving this year.
Let me know how it turns out!
I will, I’m sure I’ll take a photo of it and post it on my blog. I’ll be sure to link the recipe back to you. Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend.
Love it. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend. Thanks.
Okay wow, this cake is unreal looking! Woo, it looks SOOOO good! And I browsed through a bunch of all of your other recipes and they are just as mouthwatering. Glad to be to your newest follower!
hi Jess
thanks for stopping by and following!
Dennis, I love the crunch/icing and filling for this cake but my family doesn’t like pumpkin. Do you have a suggestion of a substitute for any other flavor? I thought maybe carrot would work.
Carrot would be oh so delicious! The pumpkin is a softer taste, a traditional carrot cake would rock with the crunch filling! If you make one please post it!
I love pumpkin in anything but that cake “takes the cake” no pun intended – lol… I’m putting that on my list of must makes. Thanks for sharing!
I make one cake for Thanksgiving each year that my kids clamor for way beyond any pie. It’s an orange flavored cake with a cream cheese frosting and a garnish of cranberry sauce on top; so seasonal but so not a pumpkin pie either!
They might like the idea of pumpkin cake and I might have to give this a try1
wow!! it’s look sooo yummyyyy..I need to get it then I’ll try to have some thank you for the good recipe..
I am in love with your Pumpkin Crunch Cake. This is one cake that I will trying very soon
Another recipe from you that looks AMAZING!!
this looks really good, I love the crunch ingredients
What a decadent cake! I would be proud to serve this at my holiday gathering.With all those layers one slice would be sure to fill you up.
yummy looking cake and presentation looks wonderful
This is stunning!
this is definitely one gorgeous cake, I can see why it elicits marriage proposals!
What a beautiful cake! This is the kind of recipe that should stay in a family for generations! Thanks so much for sharing
I just can’t wait to try out this recipe. Thanks so much for such a grand feast of a dessert!
This looks and sounds so amazing! The crunch topping is what has my mouth watering, and that cake looks so moist!
This is my kind of cake!!!! I love anything pumpkin. And when it’s wrapped up in a huge, gorgeous cake…even better!! Thanks for sharing!!
Crunch topping baked in the layers?? This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to show this baby off at Thanksgiving dinner this year. Perfection. Seriously.
Made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing, incredible, super delicious and sweet. My chocolate loving family loved it too! This may definitely become a family tradition for the holidays too. Thank you so much for sharing such a treat. I think I will have another piece right now! YUM!
I have a really dumb question. I am making this cake today, and want to know, what is a “cake coated cake pan” as listed in the cookie topping section? Like I said, dumb question. Thanks.
that’s not it all a dumb question, what you have a sit down the shaft proof read his copy well enough it should we just for prepared cake pans. it’s an incredible cake your going to love it.
let me know how it turns out
Well, it has been a few months – could have sworn I let you know how the cake turned out… time flies, though. Our girls were here for Spring break when I made the cake. EVERY ONE loved it. My older daughter ate it for breakfast, lunch and supper. We DID have to modify it and not use the tree nuts, as our granddaughter is allergic. No matter – it was a HUGE hit. Thanks again for your encouraging words!
Holy Cow, this sounds delicious! I’ll be sharing your recipe on my Facebook page, if you don’t mind….
Thank you!! and please do share with everyone you can! It is my favorite cake to make and also to eat….I’m like a puppy when I make it though, I eat until I get sick…lol
thanks for stopping by!
Estoy impresionada con esta deliciosa tarta. Yo también la comería hasta enfermar.
Besos!
Is it wrong that I want to make this cake just for me, before baking another one to share for the holidays? You know… I have to check to make sure it’s good first.
Thanks for the recipe! I cannot wait to give this a try.
hi Shaun, that’s my problem too, I love this cake too much! I have to start giving it away as soon as I make it or I’ll eat it till I burst! Luckily my neighbors feel the same way and are always eager to help me!
I know I’m a year late but I’m making this right now for some practice before the holidays. I’m confused about the cream cheese frosting. States 1lb 10X sugar?
hi Lucy 10x sugar is confectioners sugar, aka powdered sugar. 1 pound is our standard size box. let me know if you have any other questions!
thank you, i have never seen it like that (10 X sugar) i learned something….i don’t know what i did wrong but the crunch topping is really stuck after i flip the cake out. it is staying all on the pan. im usually such a good baker with new recipes.
the only thing I can think of is that you left them sit in the pan too long to cool. If you ever have doubts that the crunch layer is stuck, next time place the pan directly on a burner briefly to heat the bottom of the pan, this will help release the the cake. This works with any type of cake.
Hi Chef.. I’m Ezz from Malaysia and I love to eat cake filled with a variety of taste .. I have been looking for this pumpkin cake recipe for a long time .. but none of the recipes that I tried to get my attention to try it just from read-only the recipe .. but you have made me fall in love with your cake .. just from see pictures and recipes just got the feeling it was the most delicious cake and I could not wait to try it .. thanks for sharing this recipe along with cake lovers… thanks again ..
hi Ezz, it’s very nice to meet you, and I look forward to hearing how your cake turns out!
This looks delicious. I’ll be sure to try it soon. Thanks for sharing
Wow! It looks great and makes my mouth waters! I am going to try making it this weekend. Will share with you again.
Hi Chef!
Do you need to refrigerate the leftovers? I’m excited to make this! (except I think I will half the recipe, that’s a LOTTA cake!)
hi Korrie,
it is a lot of cake, I only make it that big for the effect and to hear everyone ooooh and ahhhh! It would be just as good with just two layers or even smaller layers. I usually do refrigerate the cake only because the cream cheese frosting can get soft and when it’s that big I don’t want layers sliding off…lol but if you make a smaller cake it wouldn’t necessarily need to be refrigerated.
let me know how it turns out!
Dennis
Dennis, I’m glad you answered that last comment about cutting the recipe down. With just two of us, half a cake would be more than enough! (Although I come from the same “puppy pound” as you, lol.) By the way, I tried to print your recipe, but my ol’ (as in: obsolete) printer gave up the ghost! It was too much pumpkin yumminess for it to handle, ha! (Bookmarked it instead.)
beautifully layered cake looks fabulous
This sounds delicious, going to try it for Thanksgiving! I was considering baking this in one large rectangular pan, then cutting it to make 4 layers. What would you suggest for a bake time?
hi Alison
It all depends on how big the pan is, the problem with cooking all that dough and crunch layer in one pan is going to come when you try to remove it and cut it. Since I’ve never baked one that way I would only be guessing on how long to bake it, the other problem I see in a large pan is if the batter is too thick you’ll never get even cooking, and the middle will be raw, while the outer edges are overdone. So I wouldn’t advise trying this cake in a pan large enough to cut 4 layers out of.
You don’t have to make 4 layers if you would rather just to a two layer cake, cut the recipe in half, you’d be better off that way. Sorry
Dennis
Thank you so much! I think I will go for the 4 layers – go big or go home, right??
Can’t wait to try this absolutely delicious sounding cake.
Hi. I attempted to make this cake today for thanksgiving but I think I did something wrong as it did not turn out right. My crunch topping came out as a chewy glob instead of crunchy. I was able to salvage the cake and am just gonna frost that as I don’t wanna start over. I did 3 cups of the nilla wafers. Should it have been 3 cups of the wafer crumbs? Please help.
hi Linda
I’m sorry it didn’t come out, I just got done making two of these cakes following the recipe exactly. I also a video on making the cake, that I just did for google, you can find it on my you tube channel. did the crunch topping under each cake come out ok? I think all you had to do for the one that was chewy might have been to bake it longer. Check out the video, and maybe you can see where the problem was.
Served the cake after Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Turned out great even with my mistake. Received several compliments and even had a few people come back for seconds before I finished serving the cake to everyone. Great cake! Thanks for recipe!
I’m happy to hear that everyone enjoyed, I hope you give it another try, it truly is an exceptional dessert! Thanks so much for letting me know!
This may well be the best cake I have ever had! A spectacular blend of taste and textures besides being an eye catcher. Absolutely delish!!! The only thing awry for me was my “crunch” mixture on the outside wound up looking like cooked hamburger meat brown in color, not the pumpkin-orange color shown here. Maybe I did something wrong but the taste was all there. No one complained just my critical observation. I might put a little orange food coloring into it the next time to give it a more eye popper. Thanks so much and this is definitely my standing Thanksgiving cake recipe from here on out!
hi Ken
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the cake as much as I do. Did you use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar for the crunch topping. It really comes out considerably darker with dark brown.
Dennis
Oh thanks Dennis! Thats the cuprit. I used light brown. Now I know. That is an amazing recipe!! Thank you so much!
Hi,
I’m thinking of making this cake for Christmas, but I’m not a big fan of (at least, strong) cream cheese frosting. Any substitutions I can make that won’t destroy the integrity of this cake?
Thanks,
Sydney
hi Sydney
using more mascarpone and butter in the mix cutting back the cream cheese will lessen the cream cheese flavor, it will be more of buttercream that way.
cheers
Dennis
Thanks so much for getting back to me, Chef, and so quickly! I like mascarpone in tiramisu, but don’t know how the flavor works with other ingredients outside that, but we shall see! I love buttercream frosting but lately when I’ve attempted it, my homemade frostings taste more like butter than buttercream. Not good! Do you have a tried and true buttercream recipe that can’t be messed up?Thanks again!
hi Sydney
I’m afraid I don’t have a go to buttercream, I love cream cheese frosting, and a lot of times I use mousse as the frosting. I just don’t bake enough cakes that call for frosting, most of my other creations are more European and don’t use frosting.
Mousse…interesting! Thanks again!
This recipe calls for 12 ozs of butter in the crunch topping, as my cake was baking I found the video, the viseo calls for 6 ozs of butter in the crunch topping so it’s not too greasy ?
I used the 12 ozs as stated here, that’s a big difference, I hope I didn’t ruin my cake.
12 ounces is correct, I must have made a mistake in the video, sorry for the confusion
Thank You ! The cake was a hit, I made it in 3 layers. I also made it the day before the event, which probabaly made slicing easier.
Being such a heavy, dense cake, I didn’t cut it in wedges, it was cut in slices aproximately, 3″ x 3/4″ thick. I got many, many servings out of this cake and everyone had enough to be satisfied.
Very good blend of flavors.
Thanks for letting me know Jenny, I’m so happy to hear it was a success! It is better to let the cake sit for a day too