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Pumpkin Chai Cake

Recipe makes one 9 inch diameter, 2 layer, pumpkin cake with chai flavored frosting
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Servings 12 people

Ingredients
  

Cake, Dry ingredients

  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 and /3 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pice
  • 1 and 1/3 teaspoon salt

Cake, Wet ingredients

  • 4 eggs room temp eggs
  • 1 and 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 2 and 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 and 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (use 1 standard can)

Frosting

  • 1 and 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup vegan margarine (Earth balance)
  • 3 tablespoons soy milk
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chai spice mix
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chai spice mix

  • 2.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cardamon
  • 1/3 teaspoon ground allspice

Candied orange slices

  • 10 slices thinly sliced orange
  • 3 tablespoons sugar

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325F, lightly spread thin layer of vegan margarine or use oil spray on two non-stick 9" baking pans, and then dust with flour. Cut parchment rounds to fit the bottom of the pan, then grease and dust with flour the parchment rounds too to extra make sure you cake doesn't stick to either the parchment or the pan.
  • Start by making the cake layers, this can be done the day or two prior and keep tin the fridge, or one month prior and frozen down after baking (slow thaw before use in fridge for 24 hrs). Mix wet ingredients in one bowl, dry in another. Add wet to dry and mix. When just combined, stop mixing.
  • Wet and slide baking belts on the pans, and pour in batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 60 min. The purpose of the baking belts is for more even baking and gives a flatter cake layer that doesn't make a bump in the middle.
  • Let cake cool completely, I prefer overnight.
  • Level the cake with cake leveler to cut it very flat on top.
  • Make frosting by cream vegan margarine and butter, then add powdered sugar and soymilk till smooth, then the spices. Mix till smooth. Spices are to taste, adjust if you like cinnamon more, etc.

Candied orange slices

  • Roll orange slices in sugar, then bake at 250F on a piece of foil about 1 hr till the slices are totally dehydrated.

Decorate Cake

  • Put a cake board on cake turn table, add a little frosting and then your first cake layer. Fill with frosting on top and add second cake layer. Apply frosting to the remainder of the cake including top. Use wilton 1M size tip to create the tuffs of frosting, then decorate with candied oranges and rosemary, and cranberries dipped in water and rolled in sugar for that snowy look.