Spiced Pumpkin Cake

This recipe and photograph was contributed to Food Thinkers Bakery Club by Kelly Barlow of NSW

Ingredients

Cake:

• 900g peeled cut pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups oil 
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups SR flour

Frosting:

• 250g butter
• 1kg pure icing sugar
• 50ml brandy
• 1/4 cup milk

Method

Cake:

1. Cut pumpkin into 2 cm wedges and roast @ 180C for 45 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool.
2. Pour all ingredients into food processor with a multipurpose blade. Mix until smooth and well combined.
3. Divide batter between three greased and lined 20cm cake tins.
4. Bake at 150C for 50mins to an hour until a skewer comes out clean.

Frosting:

1. Cut the butter into cubes and put into stander mixer bowl. Beat until pale and fluffy. 
2. Add icing sugar a little at a time while beating continuously until you have added 3/4 of the icing sugar.
3. Add the brandy and beat until smooth. add the rest of the icing sugar and milk and beat again until smooth.

To Decorate:

1. The trick behind getting a layered cake with that extra thick band of frosting is the middle is to trim the middle cake to be a little smaller that the top and bottom layer. this allows for a gap for the frosting to fill.
2. place a 20cm cake on a serving plate and roughly cover with frosting (there is no need to be too particular at this stage because you will tidy it up later), then top with the smaller cake. Cover the small cake with frosting giving the sides a nice thick coat that meets the edge of the bottom cake. Top this with the last 20cm cake and cover it roughly with remaining frosting. The last step is what makes your cake look like a professional. Using your longest cake spatula (use a long ruler if you don't have one), scrape the excess frosting off the side of the cake. go back and fill in gaps and scrape again until you have a smooth finish