Pumpkin Cake with Butter-Pecan Frosting

Heat the oven. Make the cream-cheese buttercream first so it is ready when the cakes are cold. Set a rack in the lower-middle of the oven and heat it to 175°C. Lightly oil two 20 cm aluminium cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.

Cream the cake batter. In a mixer with the paddle, beat the butter with the sugar, raising agents, potato flour, salt and the ground spices on low until moistened, then on medium until the mixture is fluffy and soft, about 8 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway. Beat in the yolks one at a time, then the vanilla, without over-beating. Whisk the milk and pumpkin until smooth. On low speed, add a third of the cake flour, then a third of the pumpkin mixture, and alternate until the batter is smooth. Fold from the bottom with a spatula and split it between the tins, about 756 g in each.

Bake and cool. Bake until the cakes are risen and firm, about 35 minutes, or until a probe in the centre reads 93°C; a toothpick should still hold a few crumbs. Leave them until no warmth remains, about 2 hours. Loosen the edges, turn out onto a rack, peel off the paper and set them right-side up.

Fill and crumb-coat. Level the cakes if needed. Set one layer on a turntable, spread with exactly 240 ml of buttercream, then add the second layer and coat the sides with another 240 ml, as smoothly as you can. Chill until the coating is firm, about 30 minutes.

Finish. Beat the remaining buttercream to loosen it and use it to decorate the cold cake; scatter cinnamon and toasted pecans if you like. Let the cake come back to a cool room temperature before cutting, and cover any cut faces with leftover buttercream. Under a dome it keeps for 3 days at room temperature.