Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting
Luxury Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and caramelized pecan crown, a mouth-watering dessert. The salted caramel frosting goes so well with the caramelized pecans, and the pumpkin cake creates a sensational explosion of flavor in every bite.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 710kcal
Equipment
- 2 Medium bowl
- Balloon whisk
- Frying pan
- Milk saucepan
- Baking paper
- Blender
- Spatula
- Loaf tin (900gr)
Ingredients
Praline
- 60 gr caster sugar
- 60 gr pecans skin on
Caramelized pecans
- 100 gr pecans skin on
- 80 gr caster sugar
- 23 gr water
Cake
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 120 gr golden caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 200 gr pumpkin puree
- 1 pod vanilla seeds
- 140 gr sunflower oil
- 80 gr whipped cream with 35% of fat cold from the fridge
- 220 gr plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting
- 230 gr cream cheese full fat like Philadelphia
- 50 gr salted caramel
- 80 gr powdered sugar
Instructions
Praline
- Roast the pecans in a hot pan on medium heat for a few minutes to realize the essence oil. Once they are ready, place them in a baking tray covered with some baking paper to cool off.
- Meanwhile, melt the sugar in the milk pan on medium heat. Using a milk pan with a tall base prevents the sugar from burning. Don't move or stir the sugar at the first stage of his caramelization, this will prevent the creation of sugar crystals. Once the sugar is starting to melt completely you can turn the pan around to help to liquefy the sugar evenly. The caramel is ready when it will become a golden color.
- Pour the caramel over the pecans and set them aside.
- Once the pecans are cooled off blend at high speed to obtain a powder. Set it aside.
Caramelized pecans
- Cover a baking sheet with some baking paper. In a steel frying pan add the pecans, the sugar and pour the water.
- Cook over medium heat and stir continuously with the help of a wooden spoon.
- Initially, the sugar will start to melt and after a few minutes, it will start to boil. Keep stirring.
- When the pecans have taken on a sandy consistency, lower the heat and continue stirring until the sugar begins to caramelize and take on a dark amber color.
- Pour the pecans into the pan and with the help of a fork keep them separate from each other. When the nuts are starting to cool, separate them with your hand.
Cake
- Preheat the oven at 160°C fans, 4 gas mark, or 180°C convection oven, grease the tin, and covert it with baking paper.
- In a medium bowl add the golden caster sugar, salt, and eggs. Whisk vigorously the ingredients with a balloon whisk until you'll have a pale texture.
- Pour the sunflower oil, the whipped cream, the vanilla seeds, and the pumpkin puree back into the medium bowl. Give it a good mix until is all well combined. It'll take just a few seconds.
- Before starting to mix the dry ingredients sift in a bowl the flour and the raising agents.
- Add the dry ingredients and the powder pecan praline back into the medium bowl. Whisk them all with a balloon whisk vigorosuly until is all good combined. Don't over mix the batter, we don't want to have a gummy texture.
- Bake the cake for 60 minutes, if after that time the cake is not ready bake for an extra 10 minutes. The cake will be ready when inserting a toothpick it will come out clean and dry. Leave the cake to cool off before removing it from the tin and spreading the frosting.
Frosting
- In a medium bowl add the cream cheese and the powdered sugar and whisk until light and fluffy (to obtain a buttery-looking frosting use cold cream cheese). Add the salted caramel and continue to whisk until you'll have a texture similar to the whipped cream. Set the frosting in the fridge to rest.
Assemble
- Once the cake and the caramelized pecans are cooled off you can start by decorating the cake. On a serving plate, arrange the cake carefully and spread the frosting over it with a spatula. Lay down the caramelized pecans creating a crown on top of each other over the frosting. Bon appetite!!
Notes
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend using digital scales for a more accurate result.
How do store the cake?
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, of course. I recommend freezing just the cake by itself without the frosting. Cut it into slices and wrap them individually in some baking paper. Place them in a container with a lid or a freezer bag. Remove the slices of the cake that you desire from the freezer and let them defrost at room temperature. Serve them with some whipped cream, and chopped pecans or with his frosting cream.
Can be made ahead?
Yes, of course. You can certainly prepare the caramelized pecans, the praline, and bake the cake the day before. Once the pecans are colled off store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Before serving make the frosting and assemble the cake. Buon appetite!!
Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting