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Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

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Nothing says fall quite like a yummy pumpkin dessert, fresh from the oven. This gorgeous pumpkin upside-down cake is brimming with delicious fall flavor (hello, pumpkin, pecans and cranberries!) and crowned with a swirl of tangy cream cheese glaze. I love to serve this as a dessert, but it would be equally delicious served with coffee or tea as an anytime treat!

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

 

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Pumpkin Upside Down Cake

This delicious pumpkin upside-down cake is brimming with pumpkin flavor combined with the satisfying crunch of pecans and the tartness of dried cranberries. Finished off with a drizzle of tangy cream cheese glaze, this is a perfect dessert for the holidays or any day when a fall treat is in order!
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Servings 9

Ingredients
  

  • For the cake:
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 2/3 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • For the glaze:
  • 2 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray with flour and set aside.
  • In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter and water. Microwave on high in 45-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until mixture boils and thickens slightly. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish, and sprinkle with the pecans and dried cranberries. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil and eggs, whisking to combine. In the bowl of an electric stand mixture, stir together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and salt. Add the pumpkin mixture all at once to the dry mixture, and stir until full incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan over the brown sugar mixture, pecans and cranberries, and smooth evenly with a spatula.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter and allowing to cool for about 10 minutes longer.
  • While the cake cools, prepare the glaze. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk and salt, and beat to combine, adding more milk, if necessary, until glaze is a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

This would be a gorgeous dessert to serve for Thanksgiving or Christmas as an unexpected twist on traditional pumpkin recipes. All of the different flavors here–the spicy pumpkin, toasty pecans, tart cranberries and tangy cream cheese–marry beautifully, and when served on a pretty platter, this cake looks every bit as spectacular as it tastes!

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Thanks so much for stopping in! If you’re on the hunt for even more delicious fall treat ideas, don’t miss these other fantastic recipes.

Pecan Cheese Cake Squares

Apple-Praline Bread

Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake

Cream Cheese Braids

Apple-Cream Cheese Cake with Praline Frosting