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ryan scott
Playing Spiked and Spiced Pumpkin Can Cakes with Cheesecake Filling

"Why I Love This Recipe: It is so incredibly easy to put together but is always super tasty and impressive -- and the can really makes it a unique gift."

Ingredients
  • Equipment needed: 6 14- to 15-ounce cans, emptied
  • *Swap Option: for kids, add mini chocolate chips and use all orange juice instead of the booze. You can also add pecans, or butterscotch chips to make it extra.
For the cream cheese filling:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar, powdered
  • 3 egg, yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, ground
  • 1 teaspoon cloves, ground
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 pumpkin purée, 15-ounce can
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 eggs, large
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup bourbon, or rum
  • 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
Preparation

*Swap Option: for kids, add mini chocolate chips and use all orange juice instead of the booze. You can also add pecans, or butterscotch chips to make it extra.

For the Cream Cheese Filling: Whip all ingredients until smooth with hand blender or in a stand mixer. Put in a piping bag.

For the Pumpkin Cakes: Clean cans with soap and water, remove labels. Cut parchment or wax paper into 12" strips then 12” x 6 1/2” rectangles. Spray the inside of the cans with pan spray so the paper will stick. Line the inside of each can with a strip of parchment; it should fit the height of the can perfectly and have about a half-inch overlap inside.

Mix all dry ingredients with whisk. In another bowl, mix all wet ingredients with whisk. Add wet to dry, mix well with wooden spoon. Technique Tip: Don’t overmix the pumpkin batter, it will become tough and develop large holes inside when baked (tunneling).

Fill parchment-lined cans 2/3 of the way up. Pipe about 1 ounce of cream cheese filling in the center of each can.

Bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes, until cake is brown and done and cream cheese has souffléd like a cheesecake and is slightly golden brown.

When cool, decorate cans with stickers and fun bits of flair. Put can cakes in cellophane bags tied at the top with fall-colored ribbons.