Pumpkin Poke Cake

This pumpkin poke cake is ooey, gooey and perfect if you're looking for an easy pumpkin dessert. Moist pumpkin cake is filled with dollops of salted caramel, then topped with whipped cream and more caramel

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Cooling1

Total Time2 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake, Pumpkin Poke Cake

Servings: slices

Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

9x13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*

Ingredients

Salted Caramel Sauce (or use store bought)

1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
⅓ cup unsalted butter (75 grams) cut into small cubes, at room temperature
½ cup whipping cream (120 ml) room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt more or less, to taste

Pumpkin Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil (250 ml)
¾ cup brown sugar (158 grams) light or dark, I use dark
¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
3 large eggs
15 ounce can pumpkin puree (440 ml) just under 2 cups, be sure to use pure pumpkin and not canned pumpkin pie filling

Whipped Cream

¼ cup powdered sugar
2 cups whipping cream (480 ml) cold, from the fridge

Instructions

Salted Caramel Sauce

Before starting, have all your ingredients measured out and at room temperature. You want them close by, as this recipe can go from moving slowly to moving quickly.
Add the sugar to a heavy bottom large saucepan (3-4 quart) over medium heat. Use a stainless steel pan, not a non-stick pan. Stir the sugar constantly with a rubber spatula (do not let it splash up). The sugar will first start to form clumps and then turn into an amber liquid. Continue gently stirring until there are no lumps.
Remove from the heat. Add in the cubed butter and stir constantly until the butter has melted. Be careful, as the sauce may boil up.
Drizzle in the whipping cream and constantly whisk. Return the pan to heat, on low. Continue whisking until them sauce is an even mixture. You shouldn't see the butter or cream sitting on top.
Remove from the heat. Let the caramel cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the vanilla and salt.

Pumpkin Cake

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Spray a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) metal baking pan with non-stick baking spray, or lightly grease and dust with flour.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, eggs and pumpkin puree. You can also use an electric mixer for this step. Continue whisking until there are no lumps of sugar and you don't see any pieces of eggs.
Carefully whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. I typically do this about ½ at a time, until there are no lumps of flour. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few damp crumbs. There should be no gooey cake batter on the toothpick.
Cool the cake in the pan. If you'd like to speed up the process, you can put the cake on a wire rack in the fridge.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Place a large mixing bowl and the whip attachment of your electric mixer in the freezer for 5 minutes. This helps to keep the cream cold, making it easier to whip.
Using the whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream and sifted powdered sugar until medium to medium-stiff peaks form. Watch carefully to ensure that the cream doesn't start to curdle.

Assemble the Cake

Poke holes (about ⅓ inch or ½ cm in diameter) about 1 inch apart in the cooled cake. Each hole should only go about ⅓ to ½ max through the cake. You can use a large star to poke holes, or use the bottom of a wooden spoon to press the cake down and create holes.
Pour/spoon about ½ to ¾ cup of caramel over the cake. Carefully spoon/spread to ensure that the caramel goes into the holes. If the caramel is too thick to spoon/spread - you can gently warm it first until it is lukewarm. You can warm the caramel in the microwave, using 30 second intervals on medium power, stirring between each interval. Alternatively, add to a small saucepan and warm over low heat while gently stirring. You can also add the caramel to a piping bag, and pipe into the holes
Spoon the whipped cream on top of the cake and spread into an even layer.
Optionally, drizzle more salted caramel on top of the cake.

Notes

Salted Caramel. Feel free to use a high quality, store bought salted caramel. You will need about 3/4 to 1 cup in total for the cake and additional drizzles on top.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: Feel free to use 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice as a substitute for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
Storage: I always store this cake in the fridge. It will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition: Details are an estimate only, based on 1 slice. This calculation assumes that the cake is sliced into 15 uniform pieces and all the caramel and whipped cream are used.

Nutrition