Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Yield: About 16 servings
Ingredients
* 2 3/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour * 1 tsp baking powder * 1 tsp baking soda * 3/4 tsp salt * 1 tsp ground cinnamon * 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg * 1/2 tsp ground ginger * 1 1/4 (270g) cups granulated sugar * 3/4 cup (172g) packed light-brown sugar * 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened * 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil, divided * 4 large eggs * 2 tsp vanilla extract * 1 3/4 cup (424g/15 oz) canned pumpkin puree * 1/2 cup milk
Directions
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with a round of parchment paper, butter parchment and set aside. * In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for 20 seconds, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and 3 Tbsp of the vegetable oil until pale and fluffy (occasionally scrape down sides and bottom of bowl throughout mixing process). Mix in remaining 1/4 + 1 Tbsp vegetable oil. Blend in eggs one at a time, adding in vanilla with last egg. In a bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together pumpkin with milk. Working in three separate batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with half of the pumpkin mixture and mixing just until combined after each addition. * Divide batter among three prepared cake pans and spread batter into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 30 - 35 minutes. Cool in cake pans 15 minutes, then run a knife around edge of cake to loosen and invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cool frost cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting (I recommend letting cake rest in refrigerator for a bit in an airtight container (such as a cake carrier) for cleaner cut slices. Store cake in an airtight container in refrigerator, if fully chilled, let rest at room temp only until not cold before serving.

Cinnamon Buttercream
INGREDIENTS
1⁄2cup butter, room temperature * -------------------------------------------------
3 3⁄4cups powdered sugar, sifted * -------------------------------------------------
3 -4tablespoons milk * -------------------------------------------------
1teaspoon vanilla extract * 1teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS 1. Place butter in large bowl. 2. Beat on low 30 seconds. 3. Add sugar about a cup at a time, beating on low between each addition. 4. Add 3 tablespoons milk, vanilla and cinnamon. 5. Beat on medium 1 minute. 6. Blend in up to 1 tablespoons of milk if frosting is too thick.

Making Gooey Maple Caramel
Ingredients & Tools You Will Need: 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons water
½ cup unsalted butter, cold
¼ cup whipping cream
3T pure Maple Syrup
Heavy duty pot with lid
Heatproof bowl
Wooden spoon
Pastry brush
Sieve
Oven mitts Place the sugar into your heavy duty pot and pour the water on top. Place your pot on medium high heat and cover with lid.

In the meantime, place the cold butter into a heatproof bowl and rest the sieve on top. Heat your whipping cream in the microwave for about one minute, or until bubbling. You don’t want it to boil over. Keep your butter and cream close by.

Once you hear your sugar mixture beginning to boil, remove your pot lid.
If your sugar is crystallizing along the sides of the pot, wash it down with water and a pastry brush.
Continue to watch your sugar until it begins to amber. This usually happens in one area. Stir the amber sugar around gently, to ensure that all your sugar caramelizes evenly. This is where your senses come in! When all of your sugar becomes a lovely amber colour, and you can smell caramel and see tiny bubbles on top, it’s show time!
Put on your oven mitts and remove your pot from the heat. Working quickly and safely, pour the hot whipping cream into your caramel slowly. Stir the cream in with your wooden spoon- it will bubble wildly.

Then pour your caramel through the sieve onto the cold butter. This will cool the caramel down and stop the cooking process while melting the butter. Let the butter melt into your caramel on its own for about 5 minutes. Then gently stir the mixture until it comes together. Stir in the maple syrup. I know how heavenly your caramel smells right now but don’t dip your finger in yet. Be careful not to burn yourself!

Set your caramel aside to cool completely and thicken.