Spider Cake- Pumpkin Cake

So I managed to delete the inside picture of this cake.   Suffice it to say it's an excellent pumpkin cake, three layers, with some really awesome coconut flecks inside.  Imagine.  It reminds you of carrot cake, but not carrot....With the cream cheese frosting, the color and the irrigous texture (thank you google, synonym for the m word), it's a great one to substitute for pumpkin pie on thanksgiving.  The original recipe calls for raisins.  My husband finds raisins in his cake, he's calling a divorce lawyer.  No raisins here.  You do whatever you can get away with.

The cake is 3 layers in my world because it's a/ prettier that way and b/ the perfect frosting to cake ratio.  If you do 2 layers then do 1/2 the frosting.

Pumpkin Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit 2007
decorations learned from cookies and cups


Cake:
3 cups all purpose flour (14 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Frosting:
2 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
10 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoon dark rum
2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
9 cups powdered sugar

preparation

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; dust pans with flour. I also wrap mine in soaked with water cake strips to prevent doming.

Combine 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and oil in large bowl until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well  after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and orange peel; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated. Stir in 3/4 cup coconut. Divide batter between prepared pans. Smooth tops.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. You want to touch the center of the cake and have it spring back at you ever so slightly.  No Gumminess.

5 minutes after they are out of the over, cover with plastic wrap and tin foil.  Chill in freezer to cool, about 1 hour, still in cake pans.  This will trap water, make them easier to stack, and frost.   Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks; remove parchment paper.

For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dark rum and vanilla. Add powdered sugar in 3 additions, beating just until frosting is smooth after each addition (do not overbeat or frosting may become too soft to spread). Place 1 pumpkin cake layer, flat side down, on platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of  cream cheese frosting over top of cake. I like to chill for 10 minutes in fridge so frosting does not gush out.  Top with second cake layer.  Add 1 1/2 cups of frosting.  Chill for 10 minutes.  Add 3rd layer.  Spread remaining frosting over top (and sides) of cake. If you've got it, sprinkle with rainbow disco dust.

Store in fridge.  Itll be too tall for a cake dome, as all well made cakes are.  Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.
Cut cake into wedges and serve.