Growing up, all I wanted to do was to pretend-play I was writing and pretend-play I was baking. That was it. I was not interested even in playing with others, as much as I enjoyed independent play, with my notebooks, of course.
And I remember being in absolute awe of the adults in my life, being able to just bake something whenever they wanted. That was something that used to fascinate me. Especially growing up with strict, authoritarian parents who had little understanding for my baking aspirations, being able and free to just bake seemed like a promised land to my tiny self.
I often think about things we take for granted today, at this age, that we used to dream about. Baking freely is one of those things for me. Writing freely, joyfully, even. Sharing my thoughts, my cakes, things that make me happy. And encountering people who also happen to enjoy the same things and want to hear my point of view.
Those are very healing in many ways, which is why I always encourage pursuing things that used to make us happy in childhood or that we wanted to do back then. Chances are, those might turn into a beautiful calling.
Because if I had not persisted in fighting for what I tremendously enjoy doing, we would not be having this particular cake today. I would not be writing about it, you would not be reading about it, and the world would never know of a lovely combination of Biscoff buttercream and pumpkin butter.
For me personally, there is great joy in cakes, not only baking, but in sharing. That is why I do what I do. A cake made is lovely, but a cake shared is what life is about.
So if you enjoy the combination of pecans, vanilla, Biscoff, and pumpkin, I am sure you will love this cake, as well. It transports perfectly, keeps for a long time, and is best enjoyed with a cup of your favourite coffee, with the tiniest spoon possible, purely for whimsy.
Ingredients
For the soft pecan cake layers
120 grams plain flour110 grams granulated sugar
120 grams toasted pecans, finely ground
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
30 millilitres neutral oil
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
200 millilitres carbonated water
For the Biscoff pecan filling
150 grams vegan block butter1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
50 grams icing sugar
200 grams Biscoff biscuits, finely ground
75 grams toasted pecans, finely ground
25 millilitres espresso, cooled
For the pumpkin butter
200 grams hokkaido pumpkin, roasted100 grams granulated sugar
15 grams vegan block butter
Preparation
Start by making the pumpkin butter. Place the pumpkin purée into a heavy pot, along with the sugar, and place it over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced and thick, or until you get 200 grams, down from the original 300 grams. That could take around 15-20 minutes, depending on your pot. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be, so make sure you stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Remove it from the heat, stir in the vegan block butter, and let it cool down completely.
While it is cooling, make the cake layers. Let the oven preheat to 180°C and line a medium round cake pan (16 cm) with baking parchment, bottom and sides.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda, add them to a medium bowl, and add in the sugar and ground pecans. Whisk well to combine. Pour in all of the wet ingredients, without any particular order, and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake immediately, in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool down in the pan completely.
Mine was baked through after exactly 31 min.
When the cake is almost completely cool, start working on the buttercream. Place the softened vegan block butter into a large bowl, add in the vanilla, and mix with an electric mixer on high for about 2-3 minutes, or until lighter in colour and creamy. Add in the icing sugar, and continue whipping the buttercream for a few minutes more. Add in the ground pecans and finely ground Biscoff biscuits, and mix on the lowest setting until somewhat combined.
At this point, it might look a bit dry or crumbly, but that is fine.
Start adding the cooled espresso in a thin stream while the mixer is running, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the batter is blended well, the buttercream will look a bit soft, but that is fine. Place the bowl into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
Once everything is ready, proceed to assemble the cake.
Level the cake if necessary, and slice it into four very thin layers. Divide the filling into four equal parts by weight. Place the pumpkin butter in a sturdy piping bag with the tip cut off.
Working quickly, place the first layer onto the serving platter, add a fourth of the filling, followed by a portion of the apple butter, and repeat the process two more times. Because the cake is firm, it can be decorated with the remaining filling and any remaining pumpkin butter.
This type of filling sets up very quickly, especially if your kitchen is on the colder side, like mine is, so if it happens that it becomes too thick to spread, you can very gently heat it up to make it spreadable again.
Place the platter with the decorated cake into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, and serve in thin slices, with strong coffee. Yields 8 rich servings.
