Rooibos Pumpkin Cake with Honey and Cinnamon Buttercream

Perfectly spiced pumpkin sponge perfumed with the familiar flavour of Rooibos, enrobed in a velvety cinnamon buttercream frosting. Enjoy a generous slice with your favourite brew.

INGREDIENTS

420g salted butter, at room temperature
540g demerara sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
330g cooked and mashed pumpkin or butternut, cooled
4 Tbsp rooibos tea leaves, finely ground
400g self-raising flour, sifted
1 Tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tsp nutmeg
240g finely grated carrots, squeezed well
1 cup sultanas (optional)
150g flaked almonds, toasted
175g honey
200g salted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g icing sugar, sifted
250g smooth full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
Pinch of salt

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C (or 160°C if you have a fan-forced oven).

Grease and line 4 x 20cm Le Creuset Springform Cake Tins. If you don’t have 4 cake tins, re-line the tins you used for the first two layers.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This will take a minimum of 8 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Beat in the pumpkin and ground rooibos.

Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices and stir into the cake batter. Add the carrots, sultanas (optional) and flaked almonds and divide the batter between the 4 tins and bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the tin and cool upside down on a cooling rack.

Place 175g honey in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 5–6 minutes or until very dark brown and starting to smoke. If you are using a thermometer, it should read 160°C. Remove the honey from the heat and carefully add 2 Tbsp of water, swirling to combine. Allow the honey to cool completely.

Cream the butter with 100g of the burnt honey, cinnamon, icing sugar until light and fluffy. This will take about 10 minutes. Mix in the cream cheese and salt.

Sandwich the cakes together with the frosting, leaving enough to cover the top and sides. Decorate with the figs and raspberries and drizzle with the remaining 75g burnt honey, to serve.

Recipe and image by The Kate Tin.