Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream
By Stephanie PixleyPublished on November 10, 2025
Time
1¾ hours plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon table salt 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground allspice ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1⅔ cups (11⅔ ounces/331 grams) sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 4 large eggs 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree 1 tablespoon vanilla extractButtercream
6 large egg whites 2 cups (14 ounces/397 grams) sugar ¼ teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 24 tablespoons unsalted butter, softenedBefore You Begin
You’ll need a torch to achieve the toasted flavor and look in this cake. If you don’t have one, skip the torching in step 5 and add the softened butter to the meringue in the mixer once it cools to make the buttercream frosting. If you don’t have three 8-inch cake pans, you can divide the batter between two 9-inch cake pans; baking times won’t change, though you may have extra frosting. This recipe was created as part of our 2025 Thanksgiving Desserts Week. See the rest of the recipes we baked up for the occasion.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat 1⅔ cups (11⅔ ounces) sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 4 large eggs on medium-high speed until thick and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low, add 1 can unsweetened pumpkin puree, a little at a time, and 1 tablespoon vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool completely in pans on wire rack, about 2 hours. (Cooled cakes can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 days.)
- Combine 6 large egg whites, 2 cups (14 ounces) sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl of stand mixer and place bowl over saucepan filled with 1 inch simmering water, making sure that water does not touch bottom of bowl. Whisking constantly, heat until mixture is thick, opaque, and registers 160 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan and whisk in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Ignite torch; continuously sweep flame about 2 inches above meringue in bowl until top layer is well browned. Fit stand mixer with whisk attachment and whip mixture on high speed until toasted layer is incorporated, about 10 seconds. Stop mixer. Ignite torch; continuously sweep flame about 2 inches above meringue in bowl until well browned. Return mixer to high speed and whip until toasted meringue is incorporated. Repeat torching and whipping until stiff peaks form, 10 to 15 minutes (meringue will have toasted flecks throughout), scraping down bowl as needed. (Alternatively, whip mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form, without using torch, 4 to 7 minutes.)
- Measure out and reserve roughly 2½ cups meringue in covered bowl for decorating finished cake. Set remaining meringue, still in bowl, aside to cool until meringue registers no warmer than 90 degrees, about 5 minutes. Once cooled, add 3 sticks softened unsalted butter and whip on medium-high speed until well combined and fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes, stopping mixer and scraping down sides of bowl during whipping. (Meringue and frosting can be held at room temperature for up to 3 hours.)
- For a perfectly flat layer cake, use a serrated knife to slice off the domed top of each cake layer. Line edges of cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to keep platter clean. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 1½ cups frosting evenly over top, right to edge of cake. Top with second cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Repeat with remaining 1½ cups frosting and final cake layer, inverting final layer bottom side up for the cleanest presentation.
- Mound reserved 2½ cups meringue over top of cake. Use spatula or back of spoon to create peaks and swirls all over meringue as desired. Just before serving, ignite torch; continuously sweep flame about 2 inches above meringue on cake until well browned. Slice and serve.
for the cake
for the buttercream
Time
1¾ hours plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 10 to 12Ingredients
Cake
Buttercream
Ingredients
Cake
Buttercream
Ingredients
Cake
Buttercream
Why This Recipe Works
Pumpkin cake is a crowd-pleasing option with its warm spiced flavor and moist, tender crumb. It’s also convenient to make for the holidays as it relies on readily available canned pumpkin and stays moist for days, which makes it a great option to bake ahead of time. The classic (and certainly winning) frosting choice is a thick, sweet-tangy cream cheese base, but for a show-stopping layer cake we were interested in something more dramatic. Inspired by sweet potato casseroles crowned with gooey, torched marshmallows, we looked to Swiss meringue buttercream for our own torched topping. Swiss meringue is essentially a less stable version of marshmallows: it’s the base for the torched topping in a key lime pie or baked Alaska and features a cooked egg white–sugar base that’s whipped to stiff peaks. For those desserts you simply swoop the sticky meringue over top and brûlée to your heart’s content. But for this cake, we weren’t content with merely torching the exterior. Instead, we brûléed the meringue directly in the mixer bowl as we whipped to integrate all that toasty flavor directly into the base of our frosting. As we torched and whipped, the meringue transformed with the flecks of burnt sugar while the flavor deepened to a toasty marshmallow sweetness. Once we’d reached our desired consistency, we reserved some of the meringue for an extra flourish to finish our frosted cake and then whipped in softened butter to make dreamy Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. To decorate the assembled cake you can either create swoops and billows, mimicking your favorite key lime topping, or pipe dollops of the reserved meringue in the center of the cake.
Before You Begin
You’ll need a torch to achieve the toasted flavor and look in this cake. If you don’t have one, skip the torching in step 5 and add the softened butter to the meringue in the mixer once it cools to make the buttercream frosting. If you don’t have three 8-inch cake pans, you can divide the batter between two 9-inch cake pans; baking times won’t change, though you may have extra frosting. This recipe was created as part of our 2025 Thanksgiving Desserts Week. See the rest of the recipes we baked up for the occasion.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat 1⅔ cups (11⅔ ounces) sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 4 large eggs on medium-high speed until thick and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low, add 1 can unsweetened pumpkin puree, a little at a time, and 1 tablespoon vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cakes cool completely in pans on wire rack, about 2 hours. (Cooled cakes can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 days.)
- Combine 6 large egg whites, 2 cups (14 ounces) sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl of stand mixer and place bowl over saucepan filled with 1 inch simmering water, making sure that water does not touch bottom of bowl. Whisking constantly, heat until mixture is thick, opaque, and registers 160 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan and whisk in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Ignite torch; continuously sweep flame about 2 inches above meringue in bowl until top layer is well browned. Fit stand mixer with whisk attachment and whip mixture on high speed until toasted layer is incorporated, about 10 seconds. Stop mixer. Ignite torch; continuously sweep flame about 2 inches above meringue in bowl until well browned. Return mixer to high speed and whip until toasted meringue is incorporated. Repeat torching and whipping until stiff peaks form, 10 to 15 minutes (meringue will have toasted flecks throughout), scraping down bowl as needed. (Alternatively, whip mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form, without using torch, 4 to 7 minutes.)
- Measure out and reserve roughly 2½ cups meringue in covered bowl for decorating finished cake. Set remaining meringue, still in bowl, aside to cool until meringue registers no warmer than 90 degrees, about 5 minutes. Once cooled, add 3 sticks softened unsalted butter and whip on medium-high speed until well combined and fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes, stopping mixer and scraping down sides of bowl during whipping. (Meringue and frosting can be held at room temperature for up to 3 hours.)
- For a perfectly flat layer cake, use a serrated knife to slice off the domed top of each cake layer. Line edges of cake platter with 4 strips of parchment to keep platter clean. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 1½ cups frosting evenly over top, right to edge of cake. Top with second cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Repeat with remaining 1½ cups frosting and final cake layer, inverting final layer bottom side up for the cleanest presentation.
- Mound reserved 2½ cups meringue over top of cake. Use spatula or back of spoon to create peaks and swirls all over meringue as desired. Just before serving, ignite torch; continuously sweep flame about 2 inches above meringue on cake until well browned. Slice and serve.
for the cake
for the buttercream
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