Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C/Gas Mark 3
• Grease and line 3 x 7-inch round cake pans or 2 x 8-inch round cake pans
• Dry ingredients: Combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt - set aside.
  2 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour , 2 tsp Baking powder, ½ tsp  Baking soda, 1 tsp  Pumpkin Spice, ¼ tsp  Salt
• Wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add eggs one at a time, followed by the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
  1 cup Unsalted Butter, 1 ½ cup Sugar, 3 Eggs, ½ cup Pumpkin Puree, 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• Dry to wet: Then, add the flour mixture and sour cream in three batches. Next, add eggs one at a time. Followed by the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
  ½ cup Sour Cream 
• Bake: Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert on a cooling rack and cool completely. Always cool cakes completely before you decorate or store them.
• Cream Cheese Frosting: Add cream cheese, lemon juice, and whipping cream to a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until you’ve used all of it. Then, add the vanilla extract and pumpkin spice. Continue to whip for a minute or more until light and fluffy.
  1 lb Cream Cheese, 1 lb Powdered Sugar, 2 tbsp Whipping Cream, ½ tsp Lemon juice, 1 tbsp Vanilla extract, 1 tsp Pumpkin spice
• Simple syrup: Add sugar, water, and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, then boil for two minutes more. Cool completely before using.
  ½ cup Sugar, 1 cup Water, 1 tsp Lemon juice
• Level & Torte: Using a bread knife or cake leveler cut the domes off the cake layers. Cut each layer in half horizontally, giving you a total of four layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
• Stack: Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of cream cheese frosting - spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Top the second cake layer on top followed by more frosting until you have used up all the layers. Place the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes so the layers hold together. 
• Frost: Spread the remaining buttercream around the cake and its top. Use a cake bench scraper to smooth the sides and an offset spatula for the top.
• Border: One smooth, place the remaining cream cheese frosting in a piping bag with a star or round and pipe a border
• Decorate: I've used fondant pumpkins on this cake. Alternatively, you can pipe the remaining frosting on top. This cake needs to be stored in the fridge because cream cheese is a perishable frosting
  4 oz Orange fondant, 2 oz Brown fondant, 2 oz Green fondant