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Pumpkin Creme Brulee Cake

A reimagining of one of my favorite desserts, Creme Brulee, in seasonal cake form!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: creme brulee, Creme Brulee Cake, pumpkin, pumpkin creme brulee cake
Servings: 10 people

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cake

  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 pinch cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup grapeseed or canola oil
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

Vanilla Pastry Cream

  • ½ vanilla bean seeds scraped out
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Caramelized White Chocolate Buttercream

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 oz Dulcey Chocolate melted and cooled

Instructions

Pumpkin Cake

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour three 6-inch cake pans and set aside.
  • Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
  • Using an electric mixer, combine the oil, sugar, molasses and vanilla.  With the mixer running on low, add in the eggs – one at a time.
  • Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
  • In two batches, gradually mix in the dry ingredients until nearly combined.  Mix in the pumpkin until incorporated.
  • Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared pans.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.  Once completely cool, trim the tops as needed.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

  • Place the vanilla bean seeds and milk in a saucepan.  Slowly bring to a low boil over medium heat.
  • Meanwhile, combine the sugar, yolk, and cornstarch just as the milk starts to simmer.  Whisk in a small portion of the hot milk into the egg mixture to gradually raise the temperature of the eggs.
  • Transfer everything back into the saucepan and place over low heat.  Stirring constantly, heat the mixture until thickened, taking care not to over-heat and curdle the mixture – about 5 minutes.  Slows, big bubbles should “plop” up to the surface when done.  
  • Strain the pastry cream with a mesh sieve into a clean bowl.  Stir in the butter until combined.
  • Place a piece of plastic wrap directly to the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate until cool and thickened, or overnight.

Caramelized White Chocolate Buttercream

  • Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Whisk them together by hand to combine.  Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place it over medium-high heat.  Place the mixer bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double-boiler.  The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.
  • Whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer or is hot to the touch.  Once hot, carefully fit the mixer bowl onto the stand mixer.
  • With the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for about 8 to 10 minutes, until it holds medium-stiff peaks.  When done, the outside of the mixer bowl should return to room temperature and no residual heat should be escaping the meringue out of the top of the bowl.  Stop the mixer and swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle.
  • With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, then the vanilla.  Once incorporated, turn up the mixer speed to medium-high an beat until buttercream is silky smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add in the melted chocolate and mix until combined. 

Assembly

  • Fill a piping bag with the caramelized white chocolate buttercream.  Set aside.
  • Place the bottom layer of cake on a serving dish or cake board.  Pipe a buttercream boarder around the top edge of the cake.  Fill the inside of the buttercream ‘dam’ with pastry cream.  Top with the next layer of cake and repeat.
  • For the creme brûlée top, pipe a thin layer of pastry cream on top of the cake.  Generously cover with fine or granulated sugar.  Use a culinary torch to melt and caramelize the sugar topping.  As it cools, it should harden.  Pop int he fridge until set.
  • Once chilled, pipe around the top edge of the cake to cover the edges of the brûléed pastry cream.
  • NOTE - as mentioned earlier the crispy topping is difficult to cut through.  If yours ends up too thick and hardlike mine, scrape and pipe the remaining buttercream on the top of the cake.  OR skip the pastry cream all together.  There should enough buttercream to fill and decorate the cake.