What? Is it pumpkin spice season already? This Make-Ahead Pumpkin Mousse Sheet Cake will satisfy all your pumpkin spice cravings. It has Thanksgiving-level powers, but it works well outside the confines of that holiday.
Make-Ahead Pumpkin Mousse Sheet Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: American25
2-inch x 3.5-inch servings25
minutesIt’s important that the ingredients are at room temperature. Although I’ve given stand mixer directions, the cake batter is easy to make by hand with a whisk.
Ingredients
- For the pumpkin pie spice blend:
2¾ tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp + a dash of ground cloves
- For the pumpkin butter:
1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin puree
119g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
120g (1/2 cup) apple cider
71g (3 Tbs) maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
- For the cake:
(114g) 1 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
265g (1¾ cups + 3 Tbs) cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 tsp instant espresso powder, plus more for dusting (optional)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
115g (2 large) eggs, room temperature
155g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
124g (1/2 cup packed) light-brown sugar
157ml (2/3 cup) whole milk, room temperature
- For the mousse:
14g (1 Tbs) cold water
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
358g (1½ cups) heavy cream
22g (3 Tbs) confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Caramel sauce, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- To make the spice blend, mix all ingredients thoroughly together. Set aside.
- To make the pumpkin butter, set aside 192g (3/4 cup) from the can of pumpkin. Place the remaining pumpkin in a large saucepan. Set aside 2 grams (3.5 tsp) of the spice blend, and add the remaining to the pan. Add sugar, cider, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir. Use a kitchen ruler to measure the depth of the mixture. Bring mixture to a boil over med-high heat (setting 6 out of 9), stirring frequently. Reduce heat to med-low (setting 3), and simmer, stirring constantly, until reduced by half, 30-40 minutes. (Be careful, mixture is inclined to scorch and spatter.) Taste for seasoning. Cool and refrigerate.
- To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the lower third. Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan. Press a piece of parchment into the bottom of the pan, and butter the parchment and sides of the pan. Into a large mixing bowl, measure flour, baking powder, (instant espresso powder), and salt. Add reserved spice blend. Whisk on medium speed (setting 4 out of 10) until well blended, for 30 seconds. Set aside. Whisk the eggs into the reserved pumpkin puree on med-high speed (setting 6) just until blended, 20 seconds. Then whisk in butter, sugars, and milk until well blended, 30 seconds. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, detach the whisk from the mixer, and use it to whisk the batter by hand just until blended. (Batter should be lumpy, like a pancake batter.) Finish with a flexible spatula, making sure to scrape the side and bottom of the bowl thoroughly. (Batter will now be nearly smooth, with a few small lumps here and there.)
- Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until the edges just barely begin to brown, the cake very slightly starts to pull away from the pan, the top springs back when lightly touched, and a toothpick comes out clean, 25 minutes, checking after 20 in order to catch it at the very moment of doneness. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack, remove the parchment, and let cool completely, about 2 hours.
- To make the mousse, place the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the cold water into a microwavable,1-cup measure. Sprinkle gelatin over the water and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour the cream into the refrigerated mixing bowl. Whisk on high speed until it begins to thicken, then whisk in the confectioners sugar. Add the vanilla and continue whisking until thick but not quite to the soft peak stage. Microwave the gelatin mixture until the gelatin dissolves and becomes liquid but is not yet hot, about 7 to 10 seconds, checking after 5 seconds, then checking every few seconds. Resume whisking as you pour the liquid gelatin into the cream in a thin stream. Continue beating until stiff peaks form – which will happen in only seconds. Fold in 1.25 cups pumpkin butter, 1/4 cup at a time.
- To finish the cake, if the cake is domed, slice off the dome. Return the cake to the washed and fully dried cake pan. Spread the mousse evenly over it. Place in refrigerator until the mousse is set, about an hour. (Microwave caramel sauce just until it is pourable; avoid getting it any hotter than it need be. Drizzle over mousse. Refrigerate until the caramel is set, about 30 minutes.) Cover tighly with plastic wrap and continue to refrigerate overnight, or over two nights. Keep refrigerated. Serve cold or cool.
Notes
- Substititions: water for the cider, 1¾ cups all-purpose flour for the cake flour, 2% milk for the whole.
- If the eggs don’t weigh as much as they should, supplement with more oil.
Intro: pumpkin cravings
This cake will satisfy your pumpkin pie cravings. That’s says a lot, coming from someone for whom pumpkin pie is an all-time, all-year favorite dessert. Unlike a pie though, you don’t have to roll out a crust!
Flavor Profile: taste experience
The mousse has the unmistakeable taste of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. The cake provides the heft you need to balance the mousse and make the overall effect into something immensley satisfying.
Social Learning: tips and tricks
If you don’t have a ruler, you can measure the depth of the pumpkin butter with any straight instrument, like a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon. When you draw the instrument out of the pumpkin mixture, it will be wet. Dip it in sugar. That will make the measure clear.
I’m not a guy who parchments his cake pans willy nilly. It’s necessary in this case. However, cakes like this are often not turned out of the pan. You surely could skip the parchment and allow the cake to cool in the pan. I remove it for three reasons: first, to allow it to cool faster. Second, to make it easy to level the top – which is also unnecessary if you don’t mind a domed cake. Third, to make removing servings from the pan easier.
To remove the cake from the pan, first run a cake release tool around the perimeter. Then, invert a rack and place it over the cake. Using oven mitts, grab the cake pan and the rack as if they were one unit, and flip.
Using the espresso powder will turn this into a cake-version of a PSL. In that case, you’ll want to dust the mousse with espresso powder as well.
Adding the gelatin to the cream is tricky. Firstly, the cream must not be at the soft peak stage when the gelatin goes into it. It must be just on the verge of soft peaks. Otherwise, the cream will fully whip before you have a chance to fully incorporate the gel. Secondly, the gel must be liquid, but not hot. If it’s cool enough to be gummy, it won’t want to blend into the cream, but if it’s too hot, it will deflate the cream.
To cut the cake, orient it so that the 11-inch sides are at the top and bottom. Then, for 25 servings, cut the cake into 5 rows and 5 columns. I like to semi-eyeball this. I start by finding the center line along the long edge. Next, I measure 1½ to each side and make cuts there. Then I eyeball the distance from the left cut to the left edge of the cake and cut a center line, and do the same for the right side. Repeat this for the rows, but measure 1 inch from the center line. I resultant pieces are party-sized. Remove two side-by-side pieces together, and you’ve got what I’d consider to be a “normal-sized” serving. This is nice, because you can ask people if they want a “large” or “small” piece.
Unique Features: make ahead
This is a great make-ahead cake: make it today, serve it tomorrow or the next day or even the day after. The texture is much better after the overnight refrigeration, and identically good – perhaps a touch better – if you leave it in the fridge for two days.
Although it’s a great cake for a party, it can’t sit out in a warm house too long. The mousse is less than ideal at room temperature.
Outro:
This’d be a great cake to roll out for Thanksgiving, or anytime during Pumpkin Spice season. Just be sure to – at the cusp of fall, before the first leaves even begin to think of changing color – stock your pantry with a few cans of pumpkin so that you don’t have to frantically find one during Pumpkin Spiceoween, Pumpkin Spicemas, New Pumpkin’s Eve, or Pumpkin Solstice.
Make-Ahead Pumpkin Mousse Sheet Cake
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: How Sweet Eats, Martha, Martha, Mashed, The Kitchn. Thank you, Kesor. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #13 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.
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Please send over a nice big slice!
Wish I could!
You always make the best cakes and this one is no exception. Thanks for all the useful tips to get it just right.
Thank you, Karen!
The cake looks incredible. I really like that you made everything from scratch.
Thanks, Angie!
Pumpkin spice season doesn’t start for me for another couple of weeks, but I’m totally into this dessert! I love the flavours and the complexity in terms of textures / elements!
Thanks, Ben – but I’m afraid you’re not in control of when it starts, even for you. Starbucks is. 😉
Someone is ready for Fall! I love this cake and am already searching for ideas for Thanksgiving. But more than anything I can’t wait to try the pumpkin butter!
Oh, the butter is fabulous! In fact, that’s why I made the cake. I made some pumpkin butter, loved it, and started thinking of cool things that I might do with it.
I’m not one for Pumpkin spice pies as we don’t celebrate thanksgiving here, but I love pumpkin cakes and have made many, but the mousse and caramel topping really sets yours apart Jeff. It sounds quite tricky, but all of your tips and tricks will see me through I’m sure. We don’t need to buy canned pumpkin here as pumpkins are always plentiful so that is one big advantage. I just boiled some last night and its in the frig waiting to be used. I need an excuse to make this cake. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, it is a lot of steps. But it’s a great cake, so I hope you enjoy it!
This looks really good, Jeff! While I do not see myself as one who jumps into the pumpkin craze, I do love a good pumpkin cake in this one takes it to a completely higher level! Also, I really appreciate the parchment lining tip. I once ignored a tip similar to that and it was a disaster.
Thank you, David!
I can almost smell that pumpkin. This cake looks amazing, and I can only imagine it was delicious. Loud applause to the chef.
Thank you, Judy!
Looks wonderful!
Thanks!
We will be going to a large extended family Thanksgiving (50+ people) this year where everyone brings several dishes to help feed the hoard. This make ahead dessert will be perfect. Thank you so very much.
Bookmarking with mouth watering!
Thanks! I hope you like it!
I love the warm spices of autumn, and I don’t know why I wait each year until its fall to enjoy them (sigh)..
Your pumpkin sheet cake looks delicious. This would be perfect anytime of year.
Appreciate the inspiration.
Yeah, that is interesting, isn’t it? After all, you can find a can of pumpkin any time of year. It’s not like we’re all waiting for pumpkins to ripen. But there’s also something nice to the cyclical nature of foods like this. Taking a break from pumpkin probably makes it all the more special when it returns.
I know, I am not normal in that I am not a huge pumpkin fan. In fact, I never even knew it existed until I had my first Thanksgiving with JT’s family and I didn’t love it. But my brother went nuts over it so I will bookmark this recipe for when he comes to visit next time, I am certain he will love it.
You know, the secret is that it’s not really the pumpkin that’s the driving factor in everything pumpkin. It’s the spice combination in combination with the texture.
This Pumpkin Mousse Sheet Cake sounds like the ultimate fall dessert! The combination of spiced pumpkin butter with a creamy mousse on a tender cake base seems like a slice of autumn perfection.
I was quite happy with it. I’m looking forward to making it again!
Normally I’m more of a pie kind of girl, but I’d definitely make an exception for this cake! I am totally stoked that it’s pumpkin spice season. Bring on ALL the pumpkin recipes!
That’s generally how I feel, too – although I’m kind of ready to move on … to apples, maybe.
I love cakes that get better with time, and I’m all about welcoming pumpkin and all of the warm fall flavors. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thanks, Valentina!
Tis the pumpkin season and this sounds delicious Jeff! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
I was craving pumpkin and couldn’t wait to try this recipe. Needless to say, I’m making it again for a weekend get-together. It’s delicious and ready for Fall like me!
Oh! Thank you so much!
I’m also on team pumpkin spice, Jeff and this cake looks fantastic!! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe, this will be a new favorite… I already know it! 🙂
Thank you, Marcelle!