Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ingredients

• 400 g Pumpkin puree
• 200 ml Vegetable oil
• 4 Eggs (large)
• 400 g Self raising flour
• 350 g Light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Mixed spice
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 225 g Butter (softened, unsalted)
• 225 g Icing sugar
• 450 g Full fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbsp Demerara sugar
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 100 g Orange fondant
• 20 g Green fondant

Instructions

1. 1

   If you would like to make the fondant pumpkin decorations, weigh out 7g of orange fondant per pumpkin. Roll into a ball using the palms of your hands. Use a sugarcraft dresden tool to indent lines around the sides. Then use a sugarcraft bone tool to make a small hole in the top for the stem. Roll out a small amount of green fondant and insert it into the hole, using water or edible glue to secure it, shape it into a stem. Repeat until you have enough pumpkins, set them aside to dry out and set

2. 2

   Pre-heat the oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and grease and line two 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)

3. 3

   In a large jug or a mixing bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, pumpkin puree and eggs using a hand whisk, until combined

4. 4

   In a large mixing bowl, stir together the light brown soft sugar, self raising flour, salt, baking powder, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

5. 5

   Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and whisk together gently until combined

6. 6

   Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy if you like

7. 7

   Bake them for 35-40 minutes or until a thin skewer or a cocktail stick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or on cooling racks

8. 8

   If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a sharp knife

9. 9

   To make the cream cheese frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and combined

10. 10

    Next, add the cream cheese and the vanilla extract and mix in until the frosting is thick and smooth - this won't take very long so be careful not to over mix

11. 11

    Put one of the sponges on your plate or cake stand, and pipe or spread a layer of the buttercream over it

12. 12

    And the second sponge on top, pipe larger rosettes of buttercream all around the edge and smaller ones in the centre

13. 13

    To decorate, mix the demerara sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle it over the cake. If you have made the fondant pumpkins, add these to the cake too

14. 14

    Serve immediately, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 3 days