Milk Bar Style Pumpkin Streusel Cake

Step aside b-day cake, this Milk Bar style pumpkin streusel cake is about to seduce your tastebuds. Made with layers of moist pumpkin cake, buttery cinnamon sugar streusel, and dreamy cream cheese icing, this fall cake is sure to be a favorite.

Pumpkin Streusel Cake à la Milk Bar

Take a deep breath. Do you smell that? The scent of crisp fall air and pumpkin spice? Soak it in. If autumn were a cake it would be this pumpkin streusel layer cake. I know she looks unassuming, but this tiny naked cake is what fall dreams are made of. Loaded up with pumpkin flavor, the perfect blend of spices, and of course a cream cheese frosting to hold it all together, this pumpkin cake is perfect for all your pumpkin occasions.

What is a pumpkin streusel cake à la Milk Bar?

I guess your first question is probably, “what is a Milk Bar cake?” And while I have personally consumed hundreds of the famous Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake (yes it deserves proper noun capitalization), I know this is an esteemed privilege not everyone may have. The popular cakes from the brilliant mind of Christina Tosi are small 3 layer 6 inch cakes based on nostalgic flavors like birthday cake, pumpkin pie, strawberry shortcake and so many more. These sweet, tiny cakes usually consist of 3 naked cake layers filled with frosting, a filling and often a crunchy homemade streusel.

So, as you can imagine the second autumn rolled around, I couldn’t stop dreaming about a Milk Bar style cake made with a ridiculously moist pumpkin cake, dreamy cream cheese frosting and a cinnamon streusel filling. The result is a rustic fall cake that tastes even better than it looks. It’s a little extra work, but I promise you’re going to love it.

Ingredients for pumpkin streusel cake

Now before you get scared off, let’s get one thing straight: this cake is worth every darn ingredient and extra moment spent on it. It is a slightly more intense recipe because it has 3 components, but each one comes together quickly! Here’s your grocery list:

• All Purpose Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Pumpkin Puree
• Vegetable Oil
• Eggs
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Nutmeg
• Ground Ginger
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Butter
• Vanilla Extract
• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar

What tools do you need to make a Milk Bar style cake?

Milk Bar cakes are made in a slightly funky way, so let me break it down for you. You’ll need the following tools for best results:

• 9 x 13 baking pan
• 6 inch cake cutter
• Acetate

This is all outlined in the directions in the recipe card, but I want to break it down to prevent any confusion!

1. Bake your cake batter in a 9 x 13 pan. You will use the cake cutter to cut out rounds after it’s done baking. This will give you that fun naked cake edge!
2. Once the cake is cooled, use the cake cutter to cut out 2 rounds. These will be your top and middle layer. You will use the scraps to make the bottom layer.
3. Place the cake cutter onto a plate or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut the acetate into a long strip so that it wraps around the inside of the cake cutter.
4. Arrange the cake scraps into the bottom of the cake ring, smooshing them down a little so that they form a cake layer. Add your frosting and crumble.
5. Carefully place one of the cake rounds on top. This can be a little tricky with the acetate, but it will work!
6. If your acetate doesn’t go high enough, add in a second layer of acetate to extend outside of the cake cutter.
7. Finish assembling the cake and place in the fridge for 3 hours to set!
8. When ready to serve, pop the cake out of the cake cutter and peel off the acetate! DEVOUR.

Don’t want to deal with all of that? NO PROBLEM. You can always make this recipe in 3 6 inch cake pans and simply assemble like a normal cake! You can also make it as a 2 layer 8 inch cake if that’s what you have on hand too 🙂

Have fun baking up this fun pumpkin project. And even more fun devouring it.

XXX

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american

Milk Bar Style Pumpkin Streusel Cake

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Step aside b-day cake, this Milk Bar style pumpkin streusel cake is about to seduce your tastebuds. Made with layers of moist pumpkin cake, buttery cinnamon sugar streusel, and dreamy cream cheese icing, this fall cake is sure to be a favorite.

• Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours
• Yield: 16 servings
• Category: dessert
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: american

Units: USM

Ingredients

for the pumpkin cake

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt

for the cinnamon sugar streusel

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the cream cheese frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper on all sides or butter and flour well. Set aside.
2. First, make the pumpkin cake. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
3. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring until well combined.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. While the cake cools, make the cinnamon sugar streusel. Lower the oven temperature to 300° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Combine all of the ingredients for the streusel and  use your hands to bring everything together until it resembles wet sand and starts to clump together. Use your hands to clump the mixture together into big and small balls and spread out on your baking sheet.
7. Bake the streusel for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool completely.
8. Once your cake and crumbs are cool, make the cream cheese frosting.
9. Combine all of the frosting ingredients in a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high. Beat until light and fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fit with a large round tip.
10. Now you are ready to assemble your cake. Use a 6 inch cake ring to cut out 2 cakes from your rectangle. These will be your two top cake layers–you will form the bottom layer from the remaining scraps.
11. Line a sheet pan with a clean piece of parchment. Clean cake ring and place it in center of the pan. Use 1 acetate strip to line inside of cake ring. Place cake scraps inside ring and use the back of your hand to press scraps together into a flat, even layer (you never see this layer, so it’s okay that it’s messy—but since it’s the base of the cake, it needs to be flat).
12. Pipe about 1/3 of the frosting on top of the cake layer and sprinkle with about 1/3 cup of the cinnamon sugar streusel. Use your hands to gently press the streusel into the frosting so it will stick.
13. Place one of the cake layers on top of the streusel and repeat with another third of the frosting and cinnamon sugar streusel crumbs. Repeat with the final layer, pressing down firmly.
14. Place the cake in the fridge for an hour to set.
15. When ready to eat, pop the cake out of the cake pan and peel away the acetate from the edges. Enjoy!