It's all about the layers.
I can talk for hours about this recipe, but before I jump in too deep, let me just say it again:
Pumpkin Rum Cream Cake.
Layers of light, fluffy pumpkin cake soaked in rum, mounded with whipped cream cheese, and topped with crushed caramelized pecans. Take a bite, and you’ll get warm holiday spices and nutty sweetness, perfectly balanced by tangy cream cheese and a kick of booze. It’s moist and rich but not heavy, sweet and satisfying but not cloying. Move over, pumpkin roll; Pumpkin Rum Cream Cake has arrived.
Now the story:
Tiramisu is a Christmas tradition in my home. I began making it a few years ago, using a technical challenge recipe from the Great British Bake Off. “Technical challenge” is actually the perfect way to describe that recipe, because it’s HARD. You have to bake a fluffy fatless sponge (sans any chemical leavener) and then somehow cut it horizontally into two perfectly even layers, which are then soaked in coffee and booze and layered with whipped mascarpone cream and grated chocolate.
The finished cake is delicious: I love the lightness of the sponge and the way the rich mascarpone balances the bitter coffee and the stringent brandy. But boy, is it tricky to make! And, as much as I personally love the combination of coffee, booze, mascarpone, and chocolate, I understand that it’s not everyone’s favorite.
I decided to create a new version: a cake with all my favorite elements of the original—the many layers of lightly soaked sponge interspersed with whipped filling, that perfect balance of rich and tangy and light— and evolves them into a dessert that’s easier to make and more easily enjoyed by a broader range of people.
I switched up the flavors, swapping the plain sponge for a pumpkin spice cake, changing the mascarpone in the filling to cream cheese, and eliminating the coffee and chocolate altogether. I kept the booze (optional, but highly recommended!) and I added crushed caramelized nuts which, although probably the most technically difficult thing in the recipe, are also one of the most delicious things in it!
I also simplified and streamlined the recipe. I eliminated splitting the cake horizontally—which is both technically tricky and, even if you can do it perfectly, an absolute PAIN—and I simplified the cake soak to just a single ingredient: the rum. Yes, there are still four components to this recipe, but they’re much simpler to make, and the assembly process is much easier. Also, both the cake and the caramelized nuts can be made at least a day in advance, so that when you want to assemble, you only need to whisk up your filling and start layering.
After all this, what did I end up with?
A scrumptious pumpkin and whipped cream cheese cake that is easy, impressive, and absolutely delicious! It’s sure to be a universal hit on any holiday dessert table or—if your dessert sharing must be done from a distance—gladly received by anyone you choose to share it with. After all, cakes were made for sharing.
Happy Holidays, and Enjoy!
Pumpkin Rum Cream Cake
(Serves 8-10)
For the cake:
100 grams all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
200 grams white granulated sugar (about 1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
150 grams pumpkin puree (about 2/3 cup)
For the candied pecans:
100 grams raw pecans (about 1 cup)
100 grams white granulated sugar (about ½ cup)
3 tbsp water
1/8 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
To assemble:
450 grams cream cheese, slightly softened (two 8-oz packages)
115 mL heavy whipping cream, chilled (a shy ½ cup)
4 tbsp powdered sugar (approximately, to taste)
3-6 tbsp white rum (approximately, to taste)
Special equipment: parchment paper
Method
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10 inch baking sheet, line with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until blended.
In a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs and sugar together until light and thick, and you can draw a figure 8 in the batter when it falls from the whisk. Whisk in vanilla and pumpkin puree until just blended, then gently fold in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Try not to knock the air out of the batter.
Spread batter gently and evenly into prepared pan and tilt to evenly distribute (the batter will not spread and equalize in the oven, so make sure it’s smooth and even when it goes in).
Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until springy to the touch and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool in the pan.
Note: to store, cool completely, then wrap the whole pan tightly with plastic wrap, drawing the wrap tightly across the top so it doesn’t actually touch the cake. The cake will be sticky and stick to the plastic wrap if it touches. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
For the nuts:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spread pecans onto a baking sheet. Bake until smelling toasty and golden brown in the centers. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Pour sugar into a heavy bottom saucepot and add water. Place on the stove over medium-low heat and stir until dissolved. (You want all the crystals gone before you try to turn up the heat and caramelize the sugar; if there are any left undissolved the caramel will crystalize.)
Raise the heat to medium high and cook until the sugar begins to turn golden brown, swirling occasionally to redistribute the heat and eliminate hot spots. Do NOT stir. Cook until the sugar turns the color of a brown paper bag and smells like caramel. Dump in pecans and salt and, working quickly, stir to thoroughly coat the nuts. Spread onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and let cool.
Once the caramelized nuts are cool, pick out 6-10 of the best-looking ones and save for garnish, then blitz the rest of in a food processor or crush in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Set aside.
Note: to store, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature.
To assemble:
Whisk cream cheese and powdered sugar in a stand mixer until smooth and light. Whisk in heavy whipping cream until light and fluffy. Taste and add additional sugar if needed. Spoon into a piping bag and refrigerate while you cut the cake.
Remove the cake from the pan (still on its parchment paper) and set on a clean cutting board. Using a ruler and a sharp knife, trim the sides of the cake and cut into 3 even rectangles (about 4 ¾ x 10 inches each). Choose the thickest one, peel it off the parchment, and place right side up on the serving platter. Sprinkle evenly with 1-2 tablespoons rum (depending on how strong you like it; I used 1) and pipe on an even layer of the whipped cream cheese filling, about the same thickness as the cake. Smooth using an off-set spatula or knife.
Add another layer of cake, placing it face down over the filling; sprinkle over another tablespoon rum, and pipe with filling as before. (If you have one layer that was slightly uneven or thinner, it should go here!) Repeat for the final layer, placing the cake face down again and making sure your top coat of filling is extra smooth. Sprinkle with crushed caramelized nuts as desired and top with reserved whole caramelized nuts.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before slicing.
Note: this cake “ages” well, and will actually be more delicious on the second day, so feel free to assemble ahead. If you choose to do that, wait to garnish with crushed and whole caramelized nuts until just before serving, as the humidity of the refrigerator will start to dissolve the caramel.
To store, cover cake on serving platter with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Do not freeze the assembled cake.
Originally posted November 7, 2020.