Pumpkin cake

For the classic Genoese:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Place a very large saucepan half filled with water over a high heat and bring it to a simmer. Make a double boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over the simmering water.

2) Break the eggs into the bowl and add the egg yolks, sugar and honey. Make an egg foam by whisking the mixture to 45C on a candy thermometer, about 7 to 10 minutes. The egg foam passes through stages: foamy, then smooth and finally it thickens. When thick, it will be hot to the touch, tripled in volume, light in colour and the sugar will have completely dissolved. Dip the whisk into the mixture and pull it out; the batter should fall back into the bowl in a thick ribbon.

3) Remove the mixing bowl from the heat and whip the batter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until it cools, increases in volume, stiffens slightly and becomes pale yellow, about 7 to 10 minutes. Take the time to whip it well; if the mixture is underwhipped, the baked genoise will be dense.

4) Very, very carefully, fold in the flour with a rubber spatula until the flour is no longer visible, making sure to fold to the bottom of the bowl. Do not overmix or the batter will deflate.

5) Spread the batter over a greaseproof paper-covered baking sheet and bake until lightly and evenly browned and springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Allow the Genoise to cool slightly. Unmould and finish cooling on a wire rack to allow the air to circulate evenly around the cake. The baked Genoise can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 weeks if well wrapped in cling film. Return it to room temperature before using.
Yield: 2 cakes

For the pumpkin Bavarian cream:
1) Bloom the gelatine in cold water to cover. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and set aside. Place the pumpkin, sugar and spices in a large glass bowl and stir to combine.

2) Place about 60ml of the pumpkin mixture into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bloomed gelatin to the pan and stir to combine; the heat will melt the gelatine. Add the warm pumpkin to the remaining pumpkin mixture. Fold in the whipped cream.

3) Use round cutters slightly smaller than the pumpkin mould to cut the cake so the pieces will fit just inside the mould. Add the rum to the simple syrup and place the syrup in a squeeze bottle.

4) Add a few spoons of the pumpkin Bavarian cream to the mould. Place a cake layer on top and gently press into place. Soak the cake layer with the rum simple syrup. Repeat with another layer of pumpkin Bavarian cream, cake and simple syrup. Place the mould in the freezer for about 2 hours.

5) When the cake has frozen, place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and whip until softened. Use a rubber spatula to fold the cream cheese into the whipped cream. Place the whipped cream cheese into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Put the raspberry and chocolate sauces in squeeze bottles.

6) To remove the cake, dip the mould briefly into hot water. Fill the pumpkin's mouth with raspberry sauce and the eyes and nose with chocolate sauce. Pipe the whipped cream cheese around the rim of the cake using any form of decoration.

For the simple syrup:
1) Combine all 3 ingredients in a nonreactive large heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. All the sugar crystals should completely dissolve.

2) Remove from the heat and pour into a clean medium-size bowl. Allow to cool completely before using. If you are short on time, you can cool the syrup over an ice bath. Simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator indefinitely if kept in an airtight container.
Yield: 560ml