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Have I got a treat for y’all today!! I’m so excited to be teaming up with Clabber Girl® Baking Powder and Crisco® again to share this Pumpkin Tiramisu Cake. Seriously, as much as I love apple desserts in autumn, this cake has stolen my heart. It’s so good and the texture is incredible. I’ve always been a huge tiramisu fan (and have several fun tiramisu recipes here on the blog), and pumpkin is the perfect way to spice things up for autumn!

This Pumpkin Tiramisu Cake features layers of soft and tender pumpkin cake, an extra boost of moisture and flavor from a coffee and coffee liqueur soak, layers of creamy dreamy mascarpone frosting, and dustings of cocoa powder. Plus, extra chocolate shavings on top! I know. I wish I could share a slice with you all right now, but you’ll just have to give it a try!

INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS

Y’all know I love oil-based cakes at this point, so of course I’m using Crisco Vegetable Oil! Butter is obviously a necessary ingredient for baking, but in my personal experience, butter-based cakes can be a litter on the drier side. Crisco Vegetable Oil has always done the trick for me, and consistently produced a soft crumb and tender texture.

I’ve also always used a combination of butter and Crisco’s All-Vegetable Shortening in all my frostings. I recently made a cake for a friend’s birthday, and another friend told me it was wonderful, but they couldn’t help but notice the immediate scent of butter when the cake came out of the box. I’d run out of shortening, which I always keep in the pantry, and made an all butter frosting instead. And they could actually tell the difference! Using a combination of butter (mascarpone, in this case) and shortening really helps me achieve the super creamy texture I want without adding too much butter and butter flavor. It also means other flavors can shine through!

Another key ingredient when it comes to cakes is baking powder! Clabber Girl Baking Powder is a staple in my kitchen because it’s such a good quality ingredient, and I truly mean that. It’s the number one brand of baking powder in America! And what I always reach for in the grocery store. Baking powder is what helps cakes rise, and it helps lighten the texture too. Clabber Girl is doubly great because it’s double-acting, meaning it’s activated when combined with wet ingredients, and then again in the oven when it’s heated. So you really get that lift and height you need for delicious cakes!

THE PUMPKIN CAKE

I adapted this pumpkin cake from my go-to yellow cake recipe by adding some pumpkin puree and, of course, plenty of pumpkin spice! I like to whisk all the dry ingredients together in one bowl, and then add in the wet ingredients so I’m really just working with one bowl.

When the cake layers cool, use a cake saw (a serrated knife works here too!) to cut the dome off the tops. Once you have nice and level cake layers, stir together the strongly brewed coffee and coffee liqueur. Poke tiny holes in the cakes using a wooden pick. Then drizzle the coffee mixture over the tops of the cakes and let it soak in while you prepare the frosting!

THE MASCARPONE FROSTING

This frosting is perfect for this cake! While the cake is flavorful and spiced, the mascarpone and Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening create a frosting that is super smooth and creamy. Mascarpone is on the mild side when it comes to flavor, but I feel like you still get enough of it here to compliment the cake but not overpower the other flavors we’ve got going on. Shortening works wonders here too because it helps us get the texture we want while allowing the mascarpone flavor to come through.

I chose to pipe the frosting over the cake layers and left the sides bare because I wanted to showcase all the layers! But feel free to decorate however you like. After piping, I dusted a layer of cocoa powder on top. And topped the whole thing off with some chocolate shavings!

STORING AND SERVING

It’s hard to wait because this Pumpkin Tiramisu Cake is so good, but I truly believe it’s best if you make it the day before you intend to serve it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. This really lets the coffee soak get in there and gives the flavors time to meld together. Store loosely covered in the fridge and let it come to room temperature to serve.

And there you have it, friends! A mash-up of wonderful desserts that’s perfect for autumn and this time of the year. All the pieces come together easily and it’s sure to hit the spot when you’ve got a pumpkin spice craving!

Happy baking!

You can also find this recipe over on BakingAtHome!

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Pumpkin Tiramisu Cake

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 1 25

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp Clabber Girl Baking Powder
¼ tsp Clabber Girl Baking Soda
1 tsp Spice Islands Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
¾ cup Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 tsp Spice Islands Pure Vanilla Extract
1 ½ cups milk
¾ cup strongly brewed coffee cooled
2 tbsp coffee liqueur

Mascarpone Frosting:

1 ½ 8-oz package mascarpone cheese, room temperature
4- oz Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening
1 tsp Spice Islands Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp heavy cream
6 cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Chocolate shavings for garnish optional

Instructions

To make the pumpkin cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and butter flavoring. Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until just blended.
Add half of milk and half of flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Repeat with remaining milk and flour mixture. Mix well.
Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until cakes are golden brown and set in the center. (Test by inserting a toothpick into the center of each cake layer. If it comes out clean, they're done!)
Let cakes cool in pans for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, level cake layers by cutting off any domed tops with a serrated knife or cake saw. Use a wooden pick or skewer to poke holes over the top of the cake. Stir together the cooled coffee and coffee liqueur. Drizzle about ¼ cup over the top of each cake.

To make the mascarpone frosting

Cream mascarpone and shortening on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add vanilla, cream, and half of the powdered sugar; mix until well blended. Repeat with the second half of powdered sugar and mix for 1 minute.

To assemble the cake

Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Using a piping bag and an open star tip, pipe frosting over the top of the cake. Using a duster or mesh sieve, dust cocoa powder over the frosting. Repeat with the remaining two cake layers. Top with chocolate shavings, if desired.
Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator. Thaw for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.