Pumpkin cake - recipe with step-by-step photos

From the ingredients below you will obtain a small cake for about 6 people.

Ingredients for the walnut sponge:

• 70 grams of finely ground walnuts
• 50 grams of sugar
• 20 grams of flour
• 4 eggs
• a bit of salt

Ingredients for the pumpkin mousse:

• 550 grams of pumpkin
• 250 grams of mascarpone
• 200 grams of fresh cream
• 80 grams of sugar

First cut the pumpkin in small, thin pieces and spread them in an over tray covered with baking paper.
Sprinkle a bit of sugar above each piece of pumpkin (only about 10 grams per total).
Let the pumpkin bake at 190 Celsius degrees for 40 minutes. After the first 25 minutes, turn the pieces on the other side.
When ready let them cool.

Prepare the walnut sponge layers:
Separate the egg whites for the egg yolks.

Beat the egg whites with a bit of salt until they form stiff picks.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they double the volume.

Add the flour over the beaten egg yolks and mix until well incorporated.

Add the walnuts and mix until well incorporated.

Add the beaten egg whites over the egg yolks/walnut composition and mix slowly until well incorporated.

Put the composition in an oven tray covered with baking paper and let it bake in the preheated oven at 160 Celsius degrees for 25-35 minutes or until ready.

When ready let it cool then cut it in 3 horizontal layers.


Prepare the pumpkin mousse:
Clean the baked pumpkin and mash it. Put it aside.

If the mashed pumpkin is too liquid, put it in a pan and let it for a few minutes over a slow fire. When warm, add 1 or 2 grams of hydrated gelatin (depending of how liquid is the pumpkin) and mix until well incorporated. Let it cool.

Beat the fresh cream until stiff picks are formed.

Add the mascarpone and the remaining sugar (70 grams) and mix until well incorporated.

Add the cooled pumpkin over the mascarpone/fresh cream and mix until well incorporated.

Divide the pumpkin mousse in 4 parts.

Assembling the cake:
On a plate add a detachable circle and start building your cake.

First add one walnut layer, then some pumpkin mousse. And continue with the other two walnut layers and pumpkin mousse.

The last quarter of pumpkin mousse will be spread on the sides of the cake.

You can decorate with some walnut kernels.

Enjoy!