So I’m doing it all over again.
I’m breaking the rules by baking with pumpkin after Thanksgiving. WAY after Thanksgiving.
It’s summer here, so the whole thing is a bit redundant anyway.
But you know what?
This cake. Is SO. Ridiculously. Good. That it should be baked all year round.
And I don’t even like cake.
But this is worth breaking ALL the rules for. Promise.
It all started with this amazing buttermilk pumpkin bundt cake that I baked around Christmas last year and fell instantly in love with.
Take that and how much I loved the streusel stuffed into the centers of these muffins and this layered sheet cake was born.
There are layers of moist (yes, moist), spiced, buttermilk pumpkin cake. And layers of crumbly, buttery, brown sugar streusel. And then there’s that white chocolate drizzle all over the top…
Go and break some rules.
PUMPKIN STREUSEL LAYERED SHEET CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
For the streusel
Adapted from How Sweet It Is.
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup wholewheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
110g cold unsalted butter, cubed (1/2 cup)
For the spiced pumpkin cake
Adapted from Bakergirl.
225g unsalted butter, softened (1 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
3/4 cup buttermilk, well shaken
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
For the white chocolate drizzle
100g white chocolate, finely chopped (3.5)
3 – 4 tbsp milk
To make the streusel, put the brown sugar, wholewheat flour, cinnamon, salt and cold, cubed butter in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low until a moist crumble forms. Set aside.
To make the pumpkin cake, preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a 9 x 13 inch tray with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.
In another medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.
Turn the electric mixer to low, and add a quarter of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add a third of the pumpkin mixture, beat on low until combined, and continue adding the dry ingredients and pumpkin mixtures alternately, finishing with the dry ingredients.
Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out so it’s even. Top with half of the streusel. Pour the remaining batter over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the streusel over the top, clumping some bits together.
Bake for 25 – 25 minutes, until fragrant, golden, and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
Once the cake has cooled, make the drizzle.
In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and a few tablespoons of milk over a very low heat, stirring constantly to prevent it from burning.
Use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate over the cake.
Allow to set before cutting into squares. Serves 24.
Happy baking!