Spiced Pumpkin, Apple & Pecan Cake with Pumpkin Seed Brittle

00h 45

This cake is the ultimate autumnal centrepiece, boasting flavours such as fresh pumpkin, bitter-sweet apple, earthy pecan, warm cinnamon and smooth maple. Decorate with orange leaves, pumpkin crisps, toasted pecans and my pumpkin seed brittle for a striking ode to October.

Recipe by Tassy Goodall is a chef, blogger, and bespoke cake maker. You can follow her on Instagram or read her Blog here.

Ingredients and Method

Ingredients

For the cake:
400g Vegetable Oil
5 Eggs
300g Light Soft Brown Sugar
100ml Buttermilk
Zest of 1 Lemon
300g Pumpkin, grated
200g Apple, grated
Pinch of Salt
500g Plain Flour
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Ground Mixed Spice
200g Chopped Pecans
For the pumpkin seed brittle:
200g Caster Sugar
100g Pumpkin Seeds
For the cream cheese icing:
400g Cream Cheese
200ml Double Cream
4 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tbsp Icing Sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/ Gas Mark 4). Grease and line two 8 inch cake tins.
Place the oil, eggs, sugar, buttermilk and lemon zest in a Mason Cash Mixing Bowl. Beat until thick and a little paler in colour, then mix in the grated pumpkin and apple.
In a second bowl, briefly mix together the salt, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices. Tip the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until thoroughly incorporated then fold in the pecans.
Split the cake batter between the two cake tins and level off. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Once cooked leave to cool completely in the tins.
While the cakes are cooling, make the pumpkin seed brittle and cream cheese icing.
For the brittle, lightly grease a piece of baking paper then place the sugar in a heavy bottom pan and gently heat until it starts to melt at the edges. Give it a swirl and keep a close eye on it until it has completely liquidised and taken on a deep golden colour, then tip in the pumpkin seeds, stir to coat and scrape out onto the prepared baking paper. Spread out with a spatula (taking care as the sugar will be very hot) if necessary and leave to cool and harden.
For the cream cheese icing, place the cream cheese, double cream, icing sugar and maple syrup in a Mason Cash Mixing Bowl and whisk until thick and well combined.
Now it’s time to assemble your cake; slice the cakes horizontally so you have four layers and sandwich the cream cheese icing generously between each. Cover the whole cake in the remaining icing then break up the hardened brittle and arrange on top. Enjoy!