Pumpkin and Caramel Cake Recipe

This delightful cake features shortcuts while boasting a rich dulce de leche and pumpkin spice-infused sponge.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 80ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
• 450g pack vanilla or white cake mix (or homemade cake mix)
• ½ x 425g can pumpkin purée
• 125ml full-fat milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For the spread:

• 4 tbsp dulce de leche from a jar

For the filling:

• 225g full-fat cream cheese
• 125g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ x 425g can pumpkin purée
• 440ml double cream

To decorate:

• 70g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Method

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of two 23cm cake tins. In a large bowl, mix the oil, cake mix, pumpkin purée, milk, eggs, and spice until smooth. Divide the mixture between the cake tins. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in the tins while preparing the filling.

Step 2:

In a medium bowl, briefly beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add icing sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin purée; mix until smooth. Take care not to overbeat. In another bowl, whip the cream and gently fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

Step 3:

Once the cakes are cool, slice each in half horizontally for four layers. Place the bottom layer on a plate. Spread with 1 tbsp dulce de leche, then top with a quarter of the filling. Repeat with remaining layers until you've created a delicious tower of cake, pumpkin, caramel, and cream. Top with toasted pecans.

Recipe Tips

Cake Mix:

To create your cake mix, beat 200g caster sugar with 200g unsalted butter. Gradually add 4 large eggs. Combine 200g self-raising flour with 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, then fold into the mixture. Add 2 tbsp full-fat milk and 210g pumpkin purée until fully combined. Bake as directed in the recipe above.