The Pioneer Woman's Secret Ingredient For Her Delectable Pumpkin Cream Cake

Nothing screams fall quite like pumpkin. From the classic, spice-tinted lattes that grace coffee shop menus each autumn to the open fields lined with hay bales and the carvable orange squash itself, pumpkin embodies the spirit of the season. Although pies are one of the most common pumpkin provisions, a pumpkin cream cake gives them a run for their money. Warm, cozy, and underscored by earthy notes and a tangy cream cheese frosting, this autumnal cake is a true October treat. Though there are many ways to upgrade a pumpkin cream cake, you can bake like Ree Drummond, AKA The Pioneer Woman by infusing it with her favorite secret ingredient, maple extract.

Maple extract is a concentrated flavoring agent sourced from maple tree sap that provides dishes and baked goods with a folksy, warming essence with just a few drops. With a flavor tapestry that combines notes of caramelized vanilla and woody toffee, adding maple extract to a pumpkin cream cake gives it a cozying touch perfect for enjoying by a fall fireplace. The earthy, vegetal taste of pumpkin is grounded and soothed by the complex, homey comfort of maple extract, culminating in a true autumnal flavor profile. Plus, this tree-sourced extract marries well with other pumpkin cream cake ingredients, ensuring you never have to compromise on your favorite recipe.

In and of itself, the act of introducing maple extract to pumpkin cream cake batter is simple. However, baking is a careful science, so it's good to keep a few tips in mind when shaking up recipes with new ingredients.

For starters, know the difference between genuine maple extract and its imitations. Adding dupe flavoring agents to baked goods isn't an automatic kitchen sin, but it can water down the depth and complexity of their true form. Imitation maple extract is commonly made with molasses and diluted vanilla extracts, so while it may provide pumpkin cream cake with a sweet, warming touch, the real stuff captures the true essence of maple sap. Bear in mind that real maple extract is more expensive than imitation varieties, so budget accordingly.

Though maple extract is a bit pricey, you only need a small amount to enjoy its flavor-forward pumpkin-enhancing benefits, so a single bottle can stretch across many uses. Ree Drumond only uses humble ½ a teaspoon to zhuzh up her pumpkin cream cake. Remember, maple extract is a concentrated flavoring, and too much of a good thing can overpower the cake or disrupt its texture. If you add too much, balance the flavor with a dash of acidity and remedy mushy textures with additional flour, all while remaining mindful of your liquid-to-dry ingredient ratios.

Independently, pumpkin cream cake tinted with maple extract is a delicious, full-bodied dessert. However, there are some additional ingredients you can introduce to the cake to complement and enhance the maple-kissed pumpkin cake.

Try incorporating non-pumpkin spice autumn flavors into the cake such as peppery cinnamon, sweet yet pleasantly bitter clove, or aromatic, tobacco-shaded nutmeg. Despite their nuances, each of these snug-tasting spices shares a surprisingly similar profile with maple extract and are frequently used in pumpkin recipes, making them an apt and delicious choice for introducing to the batter or dusting atop the creamy icing like a cascade of almost-winter flurries.

Baking isn't the Wild West — there's plenty of room in your cake pan for two extracts. Halve the amount of maple extract in your recipe and fill the remaining portion with vanilla, almond, coffee, or chocolate extract. From nutty to bitter to rich, these flavoring agents provide pumpkin cream cake with added layers of intriguing depth.

For added moisture and amplified maple goodness, a skosh drizzle of pure maple syrup can transform the mouthfeel of pumpkin cream cake dotted with its extracted counterpart. To counter the silky texture of the syrup, chopped walnuts or pistachios will do the trick. Whether you stick to the basics or jazz things up, adding maple extract to a pumpkin cream cake is an easy way to transform it from ordinary to extraordinary.