Cake 3: Pumpkin Almond Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Caramel

Boy that title is a mouthful. And what a decadent mouthful it is.  This cake is an adaptation of what has become my birthday cake tradition (except for this year, thanks to my eldest child’s budding desire to learn to cook.) 

A few years ago, a friend of mine showed up on my doorstep on my birthday with this amazing three layer pumpkin spice cake with a pecan and vanilla wafer crumb crust.  Between each layer of dense, delicious cake was the best cream cheese frosting ever made.  This drool-worthy confection was topped with a generous dose of caramel ice cream topping and sliced almonds.

It was the best cake ever, despite not being chocolate, and ever since, my friend has made me this cake every year.  This cake is so awesome, so coveted, that we never have leftovers.  I made it this year for the cake challenge, and it was gone before I could even get some out to my friends.  (I promptly went out that day and joined a gym.)

Apologies for the lack of photos—apparently it takes more smarts than I have to download the photos from the new camera without deleting them in the process!

The original recipe called for pecans,but I never have those on hand—I always have almonds—so that’s what I use.  Here’s the original recipe—with substitutions included:

Pumpkin Pecan (or Almond) Spice Cake:

Crust:

2 c. crushed vanilla wafers (about 50)—I used gingersnaps

1. c. chopped pecans (or almonds)

3/4 c. butter, softened

Cake:

1 box spice cake mix

1 (15 or 16 oz) can solid pack pumpkin

1/4 c. butter, softened

4 eggs

Frosting:

2/3 c. butter, softened

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 c. powdered sugar

2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. caramel ice cream topping

In mixing bowl on medium speed, beat the wafers, nuts, pecans/almonds, and butter until crumbly.  Press into three greased 9 inch round cake pans. In another mixing bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, butter, and eggs for three minutes.  Spread over crust in each pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers of cakes comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling. (Crust will be crumbly, so be careful.) 

For the frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a bowl and add the sugar and vanilla.  Beat on medium until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Spread thinly between cake layers, placing crumb side of cakes down as you stack them. Drizzle the caramel topping over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.  Garnish with more chopped nuts (I like to use sliced almonds.) Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.  Yield: 16- 20 servings.