Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3.

pansGrease 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.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs with both white and brown sugars until light and foamy - ribbon stage.Pro tip - Start by whipping the eggs, then gradually add the sugar a little at a time. This will give the best volume with whipped eggs.

Gradually, add the oil while continuously whipping. Followed by the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

Next, add the flour mixture. Continue to use the whisk attachment, combine well but do not overmix. Pro tip - We do not want to activate the gluten in our flour so do not overmix.

Scrape the sides of the bowl, ensure you have a smooth batter. Then, divide the batter between the three prepared baking pans.Pro tip - Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan so it bakes evenly.

Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.Pro tip - I like to use cake strips to ensure my layer cakes bake flat.

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 away.Pro tip - Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for an hour. This will make fewer crumbs when torting and leveling the cake.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

Once all the powdered sugar has been added, continue to whip the buttercream until light and fluffy - about 2 to 3 minutes. If you want a maple color, you will need to add an Ivory food color gel because maple syrup does not add any color to the buttercream. Pro tip - The frosting will become whiter but also light and airy like whipped cream.

Boil the sugar and water for two more minutes after all the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool completely.

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.

Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand.Pro tip - If you plan to move the cake again, it is best to use a cake circle under the cake, so you can pick the cake with its base and without any accidents.

Top with a big dollop of maple buttercream - spread evenly with a straight-edge spatula.

Top the second cake layer on top followed by more frosting until you have used up all the layers.Pro tip - It is best to lift individual cake layers on pieces of clean cardboard or cake lifter so you do not break them from table to cake.

Place the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes so the layers hold together. Pro tip - Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don't move when you frost the outside. Though, if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.

Spread the remaining buttercream around and the top of the cake. Use a cake bench scraper to smooth the sides and an offset spatula for the top.

Create a rustic buttercream look by simply swirling the buttercream as shown in the video. 

I've used fondant pumpkin on this cake. I've shown you how to make these in the video above. Alternatively, you can put the remaining maple buttercream in a piping bag with a star piping tip and pipe some borders or swirls.