| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr |
| Prep: | 2 hr 40 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for the pans
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 quart heavy cream
- 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two 9-inch-round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, orange zest and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each one is incorporated. With the mixer running, add the vegetable oil in a steady stream. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Divide the batter between the 2 prepared pans; lightly tap the pans on the counter to distribute the batter.
- Transfer the pans to the oven and bake until the cakes begin pulling away from the pans and the centers spring back when lightly pressed, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pans, then unmold onto the rack and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a large deep saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook, without stirring, until deep amber, about 8 minutes. Carefully whisk in the cream and cook, whisking, until smooth. Add the corn syrup and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the heat; whisk in the butter, chocolate, vanilla and salt until smooth. Let cool completely, then fold in the pecans. Cover and refrigerate until firm but spreadable, about 1 hour.
- Assemble the cake: Cut each cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife to make 4 layers. Put 1 layer on a platter; spread one-third of the pecan filling on top. Layer the remaining cakes and filling on top, ending with cake. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
- Make the glaze: Combine the chocolate, cocoa powder, butter and honey in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 1 minute; uncover and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, then spread on the cake, letting the excess drip down the sides. Refrigerate until the glaze sets, about 10 minutes.
Reviews
Recipe was great!
I give this a 4 star rating simply because of the time it takes to make. The pumpkin spice cake is absolutely delicious. The ‘ganache’ topping is killer! The filling however, was not for the meek and mild. It took a long time to prepare. I would suggest that if you want to take the time to prepare this cake, do it in phases, as one reviewer suggested. I baked the cake 3 days before serving and froze it. Also, for the filling, heat the cream to almost boiling before adding it to the caramelized sugar. Let the cream mixture get really thick, thicker than just coating the back of a spoon. I would also cut down a bit on the amount of pecans. I got rave reviews, but no one knew how much time went into this!!
Absolutely delicious, but get ready to be 100% engaged in baking for hours. The filling was kind of a pain. While I was making it, I kept saying to myself that if I ever made it again, I would do something different for the filling, but it turned out so good I think it was worth the trouble in the end. I had the same problem in a previous post with my caramel crystallizing as soon as the cream hit it–but, like the previous post, it dissolved again with a little more heat and time. Also, my filling was not too runny, but you really have to simmer it for about an hour. And I learned very quickly that to truly simmer it, it froths up A LOT and very rapidly. I had to stand and basically stir it constantly while it was cooking. Overall, really fussy cake, but everyone loved it. You just have to decide if it’s worth the time!
Way too much time involved for this dessert. The cake itself was delicious. I didn’t like the taste of the filling or the glaze, and I’m a huge chocolate fan. I had similar preparation problems as previous posters. For future, I’d make the cake, and just use chocolate buttercream frosting, or chocolate ganache.
I halved the recipe, because i was just teating it for Thanksgiving. It makes plenty for 6 people! It tastes really good, but it takes a lot of time and a good amount of money. If you let the filling thicken as the instructions say, you shouldn’t have a problem with it being runny (as other posts complain about. I actually had it on the burner for slightly longer than 50 mins. When I put cream in, the caramel seized up and crystallized!! I was really disappointed at first, but the crystals ended up melting, and all was well! I will make it for Thanksgiving even though I’m dreading the time it’ll take. : You can always make the cake first, the filling later, and the topping even later. I think I’ll make it over 2 days. Good luck!!
I brought it to a Fall Harvest party, it was loved. It is labor intensive! The filling needs a lot of babysitting. Cake was moist. I was worried I wouldn’t like the orange zest in the batter, not an orange-chocolate fan, but it was subtle. The caramel was a little scary to make. I saw crystals forming but did not stir, and the crystals dissolved . It took longer than 8 minutes to get sugar amber colored. Be careful after you add the cream, it will boil over very quickly. The filling was delicious though. The filling made a lot! Half would work fine. We saved some to put over vanilla ice cream – yum. I did not think it was too runny or that the cream amount 1 quart was wrong. Just chill well, re-stir nuts that floated to top, and chill again after you assemble cake so it will get firm again. A little on the expensive side to make with the two different chocolates, pecans, but a nice splurge during the holidays.
Baked this cake for my co-workers today and it was a hit. The taste of the cake with the hint of orange zest would be delightful with other fillings as well as the chocolate pecan filling. I used the 1 litre of heavy cream and refrigerated it overnight and had to microwave it today for 1 1/2 minutes to soften it up to spread on the cake. I actually transported the cake and filling separately and put it together at work. A little time consuming but a great recipe.
I am wondering why the filling is so runny…the cake looks and tastes great, I followed the directions for the filling but it hasn’t firmed up at all and I am worried that it will run out the sides of the cake.
Why would it not firm up…it thickened up so that the back of the spoon was coated and I could run my finger down the spoon and left a line.
Hoping that it will be ok as the cake is being used tomorrow at a function.
Cindy
I think there is a typo in the amount of heavy cream required in the filling – 1 quart. It was waaaaay too runny, even after cooking for the 50 min. and refrigerating overnight!