Celebration Pumpkin Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the most delicious, moist pumpkin cake, made into a fancy 3-layer cake. The caramel sauce drizzle creates a show-stopper. It looks great, but it’s absolutely achievable.

Serves 12

Cake

• 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree, or 1 1⁄2 cups

• 4 eggs, room temperature

• 1 c avocado oil, or grapeseed, olive, canola, or safflower

• 1 1⁄2 c granulated sugar

• 2 t vanilla bean paste, or extract

• 2 c all-purpose flour

• 1 1⁄2 t baking powder

• 2 t baking soda

• 1⁄4 t kosher salt

• 1 T pumpkin pie spice

• 1 t ground cinnamon

• 1⁄4 t ground nutmeg

Salted Caramel Sauce

• 1⁄2 c granulated sugar

• 3 T butter, room temperature

• 1⁄4 c heavy cream

• 1⁄2 t vanilla bean paste, or extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

• 8 oz unsalted butter

• 1 T vanilla bean paste, or extract

• 1⁄2 t salt

• 7 c confectioners sugar

• 1 c toasted pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 8” round cake pans.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a small bowl and stir to mix. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla, whisking vigorously until the batter lightens, about 2 minutes. Gradually fold in the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Transfer 1⁄3 of the batter to each of the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake 25-30 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when pressed lightly. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add vanilla and salt and beat to combine. Slowly add in sugar and beat until fluffy.

To make the caramel sauce, pour sugar and 1 tablespoon water into a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Cook the sugar mixture over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil rapidly. Cook, without stirring, until the caramel turns an amber color. If you see dried sugar on the sides of the pan, use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to brush down the sides of the pan and dissolve that sugar.

Once the sugar is dark amber color, turn off heat and carefully add the cream (the mixture will rise dramatically in the pan and sputter), and whisk to combine. Use a long handled whisk if you have one. If any bits of caramel have solidified, set the pan back over low heat and stir gently until they melt. Stir in the butter. Pour caramel into a heat-proof measuring cup, stir in vanilla until combined, and allow to cool to room temperature.

To construct the cake, place one layer on a cake plate or turntable. Frost the layer, then sprinkle with half the chopped pecans. Place the second layer on top and repeat. Once the third layer is in place, frost the top and sides of the entire cake. Drizzle the cooled caramel sauce on top of the cake, smoothing with an offset spatula. Let the excess caramel drip down the sides of the cake. Decorate with fresh fruit if desired.