Praline-Pumpkin Torte
This cake is very moist and lovely. I especially like to serve it around the holidays!
This cake is very moist and lovely. I especially like to serve it around the holidays!
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon whipping cream
- 3/4 cup pecans chopped
- 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 15 ounce canned pumpkin
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- whipped cream topping (recipe below)
- 1/4 cup pecans chopped
- -- whipped cream topping ingredients --
- 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla exrtact
- Carbohydrate 19.4750579985566 g
- Cholesterol 416.985052083333 mg
- Fat 61.2233982131578 g
- Fiber 1.27379183312564 g
- Protein 12.7314469026019 g
- Saturated Fat 18.5164860830076 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (190g)
- Sodium 226.380087549102 mg
- Sugar 18.201266165431 g
- Trans Fat 3.30897777354437 g
- Calories 668 calories
Step-by-step
- Beat 1 3/4 cups whipping cream until soft peaks form.
- Add the 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, beating until blended.
- Set aside.
- Cook first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until brown sugar dissolves.
- Pour into 2 greased 9-inch round cake pans; sprinkle evnely with 3/4 cup pecans.
- Cool.
- Beat eggs, 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar, and oil at medium speed with an electric mixer.
- Add pumpkin and vanilla; beat well.
- Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture, beating until blended.
- Spoon batter evenly into prepared cakepans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks 5 minutes; remove from pans, and cool on wire racks until completely cool.
- Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate, praline side up; spread evenly with half of whipped cream topping.
- Top with remaining layer, praline side up, and spread remaining whipped cream topping over top of cake.
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
- Store in refrigerator.
When operating under the constraint of a single oven operating at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, coordinating multiple dishes alongside a layered dessert requires careful thermal management. Because this torte relies on a substantial moisture content from canned pumpkin puree, heavy dairy, and oil to maintain its crumb, the resulting weight demands careful thought regarding accompaniments that will not overwhelm the palate with cloying sweetness. Pairing a rich, heavily spiced cake demands high-acid or bitter elements to cut through the density of the praline layer and the whipped cream topping without creating flavor fatigue.
- Serve small wedges alongside unsweetened black coffee or a crisp, tannin-forward black tea to balance the high sugar content found in both the cake batter and the cooked brown sugar praline base.
- Introduce tart, unsweetened fresh berries or a thin slice of sharp cheddar cheese on the side to provide a clean savory contrast against the heavy pumpkin pie spice profile.
- Avoid overbeating the egg and oil mixture during the initial incorporation phase, as excessive aeration will cause the structure to deflate prematurely under the weight of the dense flour and pumpkin addition.
- Ensure the cake layers cool completely on wire racks for at least 45 minutes before attempting to assemble with the whipped cream, otherwise the residual heat will liquefy the dairy topping and destabilize the presentation.
Proper refrigeration is mandatory once assembled due to the high dairy content in the whipped cream component. Maintaining these temperature boundaries prevents textural degradation before service.
