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For the past few years, Josh and try and take one vacation a year. We spend a lot of time dreaming about where we’re gonna go to next. 2019 is Paris (hopefully!) neither of us have been, so we can’t wait!
Every year we try and make sure we have enough points so our flights or hotel are covered. This makes the expense of the vacation itself a whole lot more manageable.
That’s why I’m super excited to be teaming up with American Express and their new Gold Card to share with you how to earn points for doing the things you love!
With this Card you get 4X the points at restaurants and 4X the points at grocery stores (on the first $25,000 in purchases per year). Terms do apply, but this is huge! You know me, I practically live at the grocery store lol.
There’s actually a limited-edition Rose Gold Card that you can get until January 9, 2019 and that’s the one I chose!
I took my Card for a little spin to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for this funfetti + pumpkin cake. It is our autumnal cake dreams come true. Two layers of fluffy pumpkin cake with a sprinkle-speckled white cake in between.
This cake is fluffy and delicious. It’s spiced with all the fall spices we want and it’s very vanilla-forward. It’s also perfect for making ahead. Say…if you wanted to make it for Thanksgiving. Here’s how to make it ahead (I really should do an entire post about making cake ahead, I think?)
1. Make cake layers and allow them to come to room temperature.
2. Wrap them in two layers of plastic wrap. Stick them in the freezer.
3. Make the frosting and freeze in a freezer-safe container.
4. The day before, transfer the frosting and cake layers to the fridge.
5. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature. I always like decorating a very cold cake and then slowly letting it come to room temp.
That’s it!
Tips and Tricks
- If you’re after that perfectly flat cake top, use cake strips around your pans.
- Room temperature ingredients are a must – they blend better and bake more evenly.
- If you’re feeling frisky, a dash of pumpkin spice in the batter will amp up the autumn vibes.
- When folding in the sprinkles, be gentle. It’s not a race, and you don’t want to deflate the batter.
- For an extra festive touch, sprinkle some additional funfetti on top of the frosting.
Recipe FAQs
A classic vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting would do this cake justice.
Coat them lightly in flour before folding them in; this helps to suspend them in the batter.
Absolutely, just adjust the baking time – cupcakes will bake up quicker than a whole cake.
For the fluffiest texture, get that batter into the oven posthaste, so the leavening agents don’t tire out.
Swap out some of the oil for unsweetened applesauce. It keeps things moist and adds a hint of apple.
Pumpkin Funfetti Cake
Ingredients
Funfetti Cake Layer:
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles
Pumpkin Cake Layer:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 can of pure pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 3/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Food gel coloring, colors of choice
Instructions
To Make the Funfetti Cake Layer:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 8-inch cake pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk and whisk in the egg whites and vanilla extract.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, add the butter, oil and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Alternating between the buttermilk mixture and the dry mix, add them to the butter mixture, until combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside.
To Make the Pumpkin Cake Layer:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 8-inch cake pan and set aside.
- In the a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or a large bowl using an electric mixer), whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and pumpkin until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out using an offset spatula or butter knife. Transfer to the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then invert it onto a cooling rack. When cooled, slice the cake in half.
To Make the Frosting:
- Sift in the powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment. Or you can use a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer. Add the butter and salt. Beat the frosting for about a minute or two until smooth. Scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of frosting for the any flowers or decorative top you might use for decoration. Pour in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and beat again for a full 2 minutes, until super fluffy. I like for the frosting for the decorative top to be a stiffer consistency and then the rest of the frosting to be nice and fluffy.
To Assemble the Cake:
- Decorate the cake how your heart desires. Add the fluffy frosting to the layers and outside of the cake. And use the remaining for the flowers or any sort of decorative top you’d like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
(This post is sponsored by American Express and their new Gold Card. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep A Cozy Kitchen cozy.)
This was seriously one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. Everyone at Friendsgiving was blown away. It wasn’t too sweet, so unique, and so flavorful!
What a gorgeous flower garden did you make! ❤❤❤ Although I’ve never made any cakes by myself, I would love to have one soonnn in the future. Anyways, I always enjoy your pastel style, it’s so pleasuring 🙂
– Natalie
I kid you NOT, when I stumbled across this post, I was thinking…how on EARTH does she do that? It looks like SO much work to create this cake! Really, in all seriousness, this is terrific work from you (as always, of course). Each layer and frosted rose probably has a lot of heart and soul into them and it really shows. I wish you the best trip in Paris if you and Josh end up going! It is such a beautiful city with a rich history and magnificent cuisine. You will both LOVE it!
Haha I did have to go in a bit of a trance when making the flowers but honestly I enjoy that type of work–it’s mediative for me.
Thank you so much! You’re so sweet.
OMGoodness Adrianna!!!!
Marvelous…..just MARVELOUS!!
I’m always pleased with your recipes, but this one, well, it just takes the cake!!
I also would like for you to PLEASE make a video/tutorial on how you made your flowers.
What a stunning cake and when you slice into it….BAM!
Delicious indeed, YAY YOU!!
What a nice idea for your get-away, have fun planning for your fun with hubby!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hi Dalila, I absolutely will. Thank you so much. You’re so sweet. Happy Thanksgiving! x
Adrianna, this is gorgeous! So beautiful!
What a gorgeous cake! The flowers alone are just beautiful…
My gosh you are so talented! That cake is simply stunning. My husband and I travel a lot and every year travel first class to Europe using our AMEX points. To accumulate points I use my AMEX for everything, and since I’m a big Costco shopper I was SO disappointed when they stopped taking AMEX. We leave for Europe in April, this time crossing the Atlantic on a cruise. I’m super excited!
This cake is GORGEOUS!!!! And falls under the category of “Things I Would Love to Make But Don’t Have the Patience For.” 😀 But if you send one my way for Thanksgiving, I will happily eat it. 😉
Excited for you for your Paris trip! Rack up those points. You can put them to good use in all the patisseries!!
Can you do a video sometime of how to make those gorgeous flowers? I’d love to learn.
I need to do this! It’s on my to-do list 🙂
Beautiful! The colors are stunning!