Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a Cream Cheese Center
OK folks, This is it. The perfect fall and winter snack cake to just have around. Moist pumpkin cake, gently spiced. A luscious, hidden cream cheese tunnel in the center, topped with a toffee-like glaze along with a crunchy streusel both inside and out. One taster said “this is magic in the morning”.
Pumpkin Streusel Spice Cake with Cheesecake Tunnel
Author: Dédé Wilson
Makes: Serves 14 generously
Ingredients
Streusel:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup pepitas
- ¼ cup pecan halves, finely chopped
Cheesecake Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1, 15 ounce can pure pumpkin purée
Glaze:
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Thoroughly coat the inside of a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray (the kind that contains fat and flour, such as Baker’s Joy); set aside.
- For the Streusel: Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and sugar until combined. Whisk in cinnamon and salt then stir in flour, pepitas and nuts. Use fingers to create small clumps and scatter half of the mixture in an 8-inch square baking pan (or any pan where the streusel can be in a single layer). Reserve other half.
- For the Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Beat in the vanilla; set aside.
- For the Cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition and allowing each egg to be absorbed before continuing. Be patient with this step. Beat in pumpkin purée. If mixture looks a little curdled, that’s okay. Add the flour mixture gradually and beat briefly until smooth.
- Pour about one half of the batter into the prepared pan (you can do this by eye). Smooth it with a small offset spatula. Carefully spoon the cheesecake filling into a ring in the center of the cake batter; do not let it touch the sides of the cake pan. Sprinkle with reserved half of streusel over the cheesecake filling. Top with remaining cake batter, smoothing the top.
- Place cake and pan with streusel in oven. Keep an eye on streusel; it will be dry and crisp in about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool pan on rack. Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake portion shows a few moist crumbs when removed. Let cool for about 30 minutes, then unmold onto rack and cool completely. Place on display platter.
- Make the Glaze: Place brown sugar, cream and butter in a medium saucepan, stirring to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking often. Boil for about 1 minute, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Gradually whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. If it is still very fluid, wait a minute or two. Use as soon as it is thick enough to cling to the cake, but still fluid. Give it a good whisking right before pouring over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Sprinkle the cooled, baked streusel over glaze while still wet.
- Cake is ready to serve or store under a cake dome at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Save this one for thanksgiving
An egg is mentioned in the cheesecake filling section but is not mentioned in the instructions. I