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."
- 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.
- 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
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.
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.