Pumpkin Gingersnap Cake - Cake by Courtney

prep time: 1 hour, cook time 40 min. total time 2 hrs 40 min.

by: Courtney Rich

Cake Ingredients:
1.5 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
5 large eggs, room temp
1 cup vegetable oil
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 cups all purpose flour
1.5 Tablespoons baking powder
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

For the Crumble:
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup roughly chopped gingersnap cookies - about 2
1/2 cup finely ground gingersnap cookies - about 8
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

For the Buttercream:
7 cups powdered sugar, measured then sifted
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1.5 cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly cold
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Ganache
1 cup cinnamon chips
1/3 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

For the Cake:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.  Spray three 8 inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray again and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 min. Add the oil and vanilla and beat on medium until combined, about 30 seconds.  Add the pumpkin filling and mix until combined, about another 30 seconds.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt, and with the mixer on the lowest speed gradually add to the pumpkin/egg mixture.
4. Evenly distribute batter into the prepared pans, smooth with a small offset palette knife and place in the center of the middle rack of the oven, about 2 inches apart.  Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  (Courtney's took 23)
5. Let pans cool on a wire rack for 10 min, and then invert onto a rack and cool them completely.

For the Crumble

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture resembles clumps of sand.
3. Pour the mixture over the parchment paper and spread it evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes, stirring the mixture about halfway through.
4. Let it cool completely and then crumble the mixture into smaller pieces.  The mixture will still be soft when you take it out of the oven.  Cool.

For the Frosting:

1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (i did wisk attachment in the bosch) beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla and beat for another 1-2 minutes.

For the Ganache:

1. Place the cream in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Alternately you can heat the cream over the stove.
2. Pour the warm cream over the cinnamon chips and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and silky.  Allow to cool, but not set, before using on your cake.

Assembly

1. After leveling each cake layer, place the first cake layer top side up on a cake board.  Apply 1/2 cup of the frosting over the cake layer, followed by 1/4 of the crumble and a drizzle of the cinnamon chip drip.
2. Repeat these steps for the next two cake layers.  Finish by placing the final cake layer, top side down, on top of the last layer of filling.
3. Before frosting the entire cake, you will want to apply a thin coat of frosting around the cake and on top of the cake.  This layer of frosting doesn't need to look pretty, it's simply functional.  We want to lock in any crumbs.  Freeze the cake for 10 minutes.
4. After the crumb coat is set, apply the rest of the frosting and drip.