½-3/4cupcaramel toppingready made, for ice cream (optional)
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
8ozblock full fat cream cheesecold
1-¼cupswhipping creamcold
¾cupspowdered sugar
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare cake pans. I like to lightly grease mine with a small amount of butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 375
In the bowl of a standmixer, add butter and beat slightly to soften and cream it. About 30 seconds. On medium speed, gradually add brown sugar and white sugar, adding ¼ cup at a time. Beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add pie spice, baking powder, soda, and salt. Beat for at least 2 minutes.
Add in eggs, one at a time. Beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat well and completely combined. Gradually add flours, about ½ cup at a time, beating at low speed, just enough to fold into the batter. Do not over mix. It's a very short mix after each addition. There should be floury bits left in the batter. Remove from mixer and finish mixing by hand. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and bake, at 375, for about 25 minutes. The cake should be springy in the middle and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Cool cakes about 10 minutes in the pans before removing to a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake rounds if using.Using the handle of a wooden spoon or the fatter end of a chopstick, poke holes in the top of each cake. Not all the way through, about half way through the cake layer. Holes should be about 1 inch apart. Drizzle the top of each cake round with about ¼ cup of caramel sauce, spread evenly, getting some into the holes. Let cool completely. Make ahead: let caramel covered cakes cool completely. Then cover loosely and hold overnight. I usually stick a few toothpicks in the cake and tent aluminum foil over them. You will want to be careful to avoid the foil touching the caramel - as it will stick and pull the top layer of cake. Cakes can be stored in the refrigerator overnight at this point.
Make the whipped cream cheese frosting
Make sure mixer bowl and whisk attachment are cold. Chill in the freezer for 15 mins.
Add cream cheese and turn the mixer on low-med speed. Gradually add the heavy cream. Scrap the sides of the bowl down and continue to beat at low speed so that cream cheese breaks down into small pieces and becomes incorporated into the cream. Increase speed to high speed and whip until soft peaks form. This does not take that long. Add vanilla and icing sugar, ¼ cup at a time, while running mixer at low speed. Once all sugar is added increase speed to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Use frosting right away for the best results.
Assemble the cake
Optional: Take ¼ of the frosting and fold in one-half of the chopped candied pecans. Otherwise use about ¼ of the frosting as filling between the cake layers.
Place one of the cake rounds in the center of your cake serving plater, caramel side up. Spread frosting and pecan mixture evenly over top of the cake layer. Place other cake round on top. Caramel side up. Spread remaining frosting on top and along sides of the cake. I prefer less frosting on the sides.Tip: for a "naked" cake look, use a piping bag to fill the seam between the two cake layers, then use the length of an offset spatula to spread and flatten the frosting. Removing any excess as you go around the cake.
Optional: drizzle caramel sauce on the top of the cake and remaining chopped candied pecans evenly over the top.