Pie is the traditional way to feature pumpkin on the Thanksgiving menu, but during the Gilded Age, pumpkin and other squashes also found their way into other desserts, including puddings, tarts, fritters, and cakes. Some of these were heartier, substituting cornmeal for flour, such as pumpkin loaf (similar to Boston brown bread) and pumpkin Indian pudding. But this recipe uses cake flour for a lighter, fancier cake that makes a pretty addition to the Thanksgiving table. Just one of the luscious and historic desserts featured in The Gilded Age Cookbook! 

SERVES 12–16

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup cooked (or canned) pumpkin
• 3 cups cake flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon maple extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.

Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and pumpkin and mix well.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add alternately with milk to the butter mixture. Fold in walnuts and maple extract.

Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30–40 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool completely. Frost with maple butter frosting.

MAPLE BUTTER FROSTING

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 31/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon maple extract
• 3 tablespoons milk

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy, adding another tablespoon of milk if necessary to achieve a good spreading consistency.