It was my birthday last week and like all passionate sad bakers, I made myself a cake. This Hummingbird Bakery Maple and Pecan Layer Cake recipe had been in the ‘to try’ pile since late last year and so I thought it was time to test it out. As always with Hummingbird recipes, I found the icing to be too sweet for me although everyone else thought it was great!
Ingredients
For the sponge
120g unsalted butter, softened
400g white sugar
360g white spelt or plain flour
1 ½ tbsp baking powder (yes that is tablespoons!)
¼ tsp salt
360ml whole milk
40ml maple syrup
3 large eggs
100g pecans (chopped)
For the frosting
240g unsalted butter
700g icing sugar
60ml whole milk
1tbsp maple syrup
Pecan halves to decorate
Preheat the oven to 170c and line 3 20cm loose bottomed sandwich tins with baking paper. You will need tight fitting bottoms as the batter is very runny.
Combine the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt with an electric mixer at low speed until the mixture reaches a crumb-like consistency.
In a jug, whisk together the milk, maple syrup and eggs. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until well combined. Fold in the chopped pecans with a spoon.
Divide the cake batter equally between the 3 baking tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes become light brown. Leave them in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the frosting, whisk with an electric mixer the butter and icing sugar until fluffy and sandy in texture, then add milk and maple syrup, mix well and then beat at high speed until it becomes soft and fluffy.
When the sponges are completely cold, place the first layer on a plate, top with 3-4 tablespoons of the frosting, and smooth it down using a palette knife and adding a little more if needed.
Put the second layer on top and cover with frosting in the same layer. Then put the third layer, frost the sides and top of the cake and decorate with pecan halves.
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