Toffee Pecan Cake INSIDE a Pumpkin

 Sometimes getting to be an old fashioned baker is just want I need to kick start myself again.  I love making cake designs, but sometimes I miss the excitement of a new, flavourful recipe.  Feeling the need to experiment with a new recipe, I went in search of a Fall way to spruce it up, after all, I can’t let down my followers on YouTube!  They like exciting things!!  So, with those requirements in mind, I came up with a Toffee Pecan cake INSIDE a pumpkin!  

The toffee pecan cake itself is delicious.  The flavour of the pecans and their crunch, combined with the crunch of the toffee bits makes for a delicious cake.  You could put any kind of cake inside the pumpkin, but like I said before, I was really wanting to try out a new flavour combination.  

Baking a cake inside a pumpkin takes a long time, and it can take an even longer time than “long” (haha,) depending on the size of the baking pumpkin.  My pumpkins averaged between 5″-7″ and took between 1.5-3 hours to bake completely through.  It will seem for the first hour or so like  you didn’t put enough batter in, but the cake rises up through the top of the opening near the end.  So, don’t fret like I did.  I managed to refrain from adding more batter while the cake was in the oven though, and I’m glad I did.  The cake ended up rising perfectly.  

The cake stays incredibly moist, despite the amount of time it is in the oven.  The pumpkin meat around the outside keeps the cake moist, and the foil wrapped around the outside helps with this as well.  When taking the pumpkin out of the oven and off of the baking tray, be careful as it softens a bit while baking. 

Finding baking pumpkins proved to be the most difficult task in this recipe.  I had to travel to a nearby town, about a 30 minute drive from my home.  It was to a market that specialized in local produce from nearby farms and orchards.  The baking pumpkins are smaller, and therefore sweeter than a pumpkin used for a jack-o-lantern. 

Toffee Pecan Cake Inside a Pumpkin 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups salted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 bag (4-ounces) toffee pieces
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• Baking pumpkins (small, sweet pumpkins)

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time and milk while the mixer is on low speed.
Add flour, baking powder and salt to wet ingredients, and mix on low until a smooth batter has formed.
Add toffee pieces and pecans. Mix briefly until pieces are coated and mixed in.
Wash and dry pumpkins. Carve an opening out of the top of the pumpkin large enough to fit your hand in to scoop the insides out. Remove the seeds and pulp.
Fill the pumpkin 3/4 full with cake batter.
Wrap in aluminum foil and place on a baking tray.
Bake the wrapped pumpkin for 1.5 hours-2 hours minimum. Ensure that the inside of the cake is cooked completely by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the centre of the cake portion, and if it comes out clean, it is baked through. If batter remains on the toothpick, continue to baked in 15 minute intervals.
Allow to cool before slicing and eating the pumpkin with the cake.
Store the cake-in-a-pumpkin in a sealed container for 2-3 days.