Birthday Cake Club: Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake

A layered cake x cheesecake hybrid with luscious caramel sauce.

Hi Bakers!

I started Birthday Cake Club 3 (!!!) years ago in honor of my daughter’s December birthday. Despite it being the same week as Christmas, I vowed to make her birthday special - starting with a non-holiday cake. I’ve tried to share more evergreen recipes for Birthday Cake Club for this reason, but I hope you’ll accept my apology for this one. Once you get a load of this month’s cake, I predict that all will be forgiven. 

October’s BCC recipe is a cake-cheesecake hybrid. I’m calling it a Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake for simplicity's sake, but it is so much more than that. This recipe combines everything we love about moist pumpkin cake and luscious cheesecake topped with a golden caramel sauce to make, dare I say, the perfect fall showstopper.

I love cheesecake and I love pumpkin. So why not instead of a crust, we use pumpkin cake? It’s moist, it’s tender, and it has all those warming spices that make us love anything pumpkin. Your fork won’t miss a beat as it dives through the creamy cheesecake and into the plush cake with each bite. 

If you think the best part of pumpkin cake is the cream cheese frosting, check this out! A thick layer of silky cheesecake mousse is built right on top of the baked cake layer. It is so velvety with the slight tartness of cream cheese that the only thing that could possibly take it up a notch is a cascade of salted caramel sauce over the top. 

Tips for Success:

For a smooth, sliceable no-bake cheesecake, you need these three things:

1. Soft cream cheese. The cream cheese needs to malleable but not melted. To quicken the process, take it out of the box and work the foil-wrapped blocks with your hands. You can microwave the cream cheese in quick bursts, but do not melt. Using soft cream cheese is the only way you will have no lumps. Over-mixing to get rid of lumps may start to break down the cream cheese.

2. Perfectly whipped cream. The stability of the cheesecake hinges on cream that is thickened enough to fold into the cream cheese but not over-whipped. Over-whipping will cause the cream to break down and turn grainy.

3. Time. No-bake cheesecake needs plenty of time to chill and set up in the refrigerator. For clean slices, I recommend making the cheesecake a day in advance.