3D Turkey Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Recipe thanks to Nordic Ware.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup nuts

Frosting:

• 1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease and lightly flour turkey pan; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, pumpkin, and eggs. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add to pumpkin mixture.
3. Blend on low speed for 1 minute, scraping the bowl often. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Stir in nuts.
4. Pour batter into the pan, dividing evenly among halves.
5. Bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven; cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a cooling rack. When cooled, place halves back in a clean pan. Using a serrated knife, cut the dome off the cakes to make them level. Remove one turkey half from the pan and set aside.
7. In a medium bowl, combine frosting ingredients and beat on low speed. Increase speed and beat until light and fluffy, adding additional milk if necessary.
8. Spread half of the frosting over the cut side of the cake that is in the pan. Place the remaining turkey half on top of the frosting, pressing to set. Let it stand for one hour. Stand the cake up on a serving platter. Use the remaining frosting to decorate as desired.