One week and some change from the writing of this column, families all over the country will be getting together for the biggest meal of the year: Thanksgiving.

We all know this meal is the Superbowl (or the Egg Bowl, if you’re more inclined toward Mississippi and the SEC), of American cuisine.

Turkey, dressing, sides and fixings, along with relatives you try to get along with for four hours at a time. But most importantly: sugary desserts you don’t eat any other day of the year.

I always look forward to the desserts more than anything else. Maybe because my mother has the best pecan pie recipe of all time. Or, maybe it’s because I’m spoiled by my grandmother, who has concocted a new and wonderful sweet treat for us every year for as long as I can remember.

Either way, the women of my family throw down when it comes to desserts on Thanksgiving day.

Nothing else can really compete, because no matter how stuffed you are at the end of the meal, you will always eat just one more bite of something sweet. Then another one. Then another.

All that to say, when the beginning of November rolled around this year, I had to ask myself a challenging question: What dessert am I going to bring? And no matter what it is, how can I make something delicious enough to join that dessert table?

As I was digging, I found a recipe I wanted to try this week: A pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting recipe. This is not typically on our Thanksgiving dessert menu, and it looked so good I figured I would give it a test run.

The pumpkin cake recipe is from RecipeTinEats. And, I have to say, it is totally delicious, especially if you serve it a little warm. The cream cheese frosting will melt if you do that, which isn’t exactly ideal as far as presentation goes. But who is going for presentation points on Thanksgiving?

I even left off the topping included in the recipe, since the cake was already sweet enough for me. But I included it here so you can have it, if you want it.

Topping or no, after you take the first bite, you’re going to want a second one. Then another. Then another. I may have to bake it again for Thanksgiving. But I’ll call my mom first, to see if we’re all prepared to gain 1,000 pounds in a day. I know I am.

PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients
Cake Batter:
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
6 ounces plain cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Topping:
1/3 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (You can do this all at once, or can drizzle each piece individually, if you prefer).
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Directions
To make cake:
■ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray and line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper with overhang.
■ In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add remaining batter ingredients and mix well.
■ Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
■ Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto the cooling rack to cool completely (About 2 hours) before frosting.

To make frosting:
■ Place the cream cheese and butter in the mixing bowl of a standing mixer. Beat for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
■ Add the powdered sugar in 3 batches, starting the beater on low after each addition. Once incorporated, turn the beater up to high and beat for 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Use frosting immediately.

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