Pumpkin Cake (Torta di Zucca) with Orange-Mascarpone Topping

Italy’s Jews used pumpkin and squash often in their cooking, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they used it in cake. This beautifully moist and flavorful adaptation of a couple of Jewish-Italian recipes features my special addition of orange-mascarpone topping. The cake is best made the day before serving and stores nicely at room temperature, though you can refrigerate it if you like; make the topping up to 6 hours ahead.

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Servings 16 servings of cake (Pareve) and 4 cups of topping (Dairy)

Ingredients

For the Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup mild olive oil
1 can 15 ounces pure pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ tablespoon lemon zest from 1 lemon

For the Topping

2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest from 1 large orange or 2 medium oranges
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
In a bowl or on sheet of wax paper, lightly whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars. Add the eggs and oil and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed about 2 minutes (the mixture should be smooth and slightly lightened in color). At low speed, mix in the pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix in the flour mixture until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered at room temperature until ready to serve.

For the Topping

In a large bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer on high speed until it holds soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. In a separate medium bowl, blend the mascarpone, sugar, zest, juice, and vanilla on medium speed until combined. Use a spatula to gently fold in the cream. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Serve cake slices with a dollop of topping.

Notes

For a nondairy dessert, omit the topping and simply dust the cake slices with confectioners' sugar.