Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese, Pecans, and Caramel

INSTRUCTIONS for Pumpkin Purée

• 1
  Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds. Hokkaido does not need to be peeled as the skin softens sufficiently during cooking. Cut the flesh into 3 cm cubes.
• 2
  Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the pumpkin, salt, and about 50 ml of water, cover with a lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Blend the cooked pumpkin into a purée.

Instructions for Cake Base

• 1
  Line the bottoms of two 20 cm diameter cake pans with baking paper and grease the sides with butter. If you only have one pan, prepare the batter in half batches.
• 2
  Sift the flour with baking powder and baking soda, and mix in all the spices except salt. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly.
• 3
  Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add salt to the whites and beat them into stiff peaks, gradually whisking in the sugar by spoonfuls, then the yolks one by one, and finally, while still whisking, pour in the butter in a thin stream. Carefully fold the flour and 300 g of cooled pumpkin purée into the resulting foam.
• 4
  Evenly divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 170°C with fan. After baking, let cool on a rack.

INSTRUCTIONS for Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1
  Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy, then add the cream cheese and mix until the ingredients are well combined and a smooth, fluffy cream is formed. Chop the pecans into smaller pieces and mix them into the cream.

Instructions for Assembling the Cake

• 1
  Cut both cake bases horizontally in half. Spread a quarter of the jam and a quarter of the cream on the first layer of the cake base, and cover with another layer. Continue in the same way with the remaining layers. Chill the prepared cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• 2
  Before serving, pour the caramel glaze over the cake.

INSTRUCTIONS for Caramel Glaze

• 1
  In a saucepan with a thicker bottom, mix the sugar with 4 tablespoons of water and heat over low heat until the sugar dissolves and begins to turn golden. Add the cream and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel begins to thicken. Pour the still-warm caramel over the cake.

INSTRUCTIONS for Candied Pumpkin

• 1
  Cut the pumpkin into thin sticks. Boil 50 g of water with the sugar, add the pumpkin, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pumpkin and let it drain on a rack or baking paper.