White Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Soft Pumpkin Cake flavored with Caramel, Frosted with Spiced White Chocolate Caramel Cake and Filled with a Caramel Drizzle.

15oz can canned pumpkin not fresh pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
3 whole eggs room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 teaspoon caramel extract or caramel emulsion
1 box yellow cake mix I always use Duncan Hines, but Betty Crocker would be similar

1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 sticks (or 1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter left out at room temperature for 10 minutes
1 pinch salt
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
2 teaspoons caramel extract or emulsion
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
8 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream *if needed at the end to thin buttercream

Fall-themed sprinkles I used Neon Yolk here
Fondant Pumpkins I made mine with fondant, orange gel coloring, caramel balls, and a toothpick for the indents
caramel balls

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (if you aren't using convection bake, the only adjustment you'll need is maybe letting the cakes bake a little longer), and prep 3 (or 4 for this particular recipe) 6x2" cake pans with a swipe of shortening and dust of flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, hand-whisk together the canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
Sift in the cake mix and gently stir until just combined (don't overmix!). Split the cake batter between the three (or four) cake pans, and bake for 28-30 minutes or until the center is baked through. Remove the rounds from the oven, let cool in the pans for a minute, then flip them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until frosting.

For the filling, add the heavy cream to the caramel in a bowl and microwave about 10 seconds, then stir. Adding in the heavy cream will prevent the caramel from turning into a brick in the fridge/freezer; making it difficult to slice.

In a small microwave safe bowl, stir together the white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Heat for 30 seconds and stir until smooth. Set aside to slightly cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter until it's light and fluffy.
Add in the white ganache mixture, salt, vanilla, caramel extract, pumpkin pie spice, and whip to combine.
Turn the mixer to low speed, and slowly add in the powered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add in a touch of heavy cream if needed to thin.
Switch the mixer on the highest speed and let it whip up the buttercream's texture for about 2 minutes.

On a cake turntable with a cardboard cake round, add on a touch of buttercream in the center to act as glue with an offset icing spatula. Place down the first cake layer in the center.
Add on a layer of buttercream for the filling, and then drizzle on some of the caramel ganache - avoiding the edges. Place the next cake layer on top and repeat.
Crumb coat the cake, then freeze for 5 minutes.
Add on a final layer of buttercream, using the scalloped cake scraper to achieve the decorative sides, leaving the top unfinished for a more rustic look.
Add on the fall sprinkles in a circle along the outside rim of the top of the cake, hand place on the fondant pumpkins, and add a few of the caramel balls along the bottom.
Enjoy!