1. Preheat your oven on a fan setting at 160°C. For the cake, in a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugars, sunflower oil, water, eggs and orange zest. Mix well until incorporated together. In another bowl, sift together the flour, salt and spices. 
2. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold in until just combined. 
3. Divide the mixture evenly between the three cake tins. Place the tins on the oven baking tray and put in the pre-heated oven. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. 
4. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Turn out of the cake tins and leave on wire racks to cool completely. 
5. To make the praline, place the pecans on a baking tray and toast in the oven on a fan setting at 170°C for 5 – 6 minutes. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, place the caster sugar in an even layer across the base of a clean frying pan. Using a medium high heat, allow the sugar to melt and caramelise to become a rich golden colour. 
6. Reserve five to seven nicely shaped pecans, then place the rest on non-stick paper on a baking tray. When the sugar has caramelised, very carefully pour the caramel over the pecans but reserve a little of the caramel in the pan. Allow this to cool slightly, insert a cocktail stick into each of the five reserved pecans. Using the cocktail stick as a handle, dip the pecans one by one into the cooling caramel. Sellotape the cocktail sticks to the edge of a works surface, allowing the caramel to run off the pecans to make sugar spikes. Leave to cool completely. 
7. Return to the cooled, set pecan praline and break it up into pieces. Place in a food processor and blitz to a rough powder. Set aside. 
8. To make the frosting, place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl and add in the icing sugar, maple syrup and ground cinnamon. Mix together with an electric hand whisk to make a very light and fluffy frosting – this will take seven to eight minutes of continual whisking depending on the softness of the butter. 
9. To assemble, place one of the cakes on a plate or cake stand and spread just over a quarter of the frosting over the surface. Place the second cake on top and spread with another quarter of frosting. Finish with the final cake and cover the top with a more generous amount of frosting leaving some frosting to cover the sides. Roughly spread the remaining frosting around the sides of the cake. Run a palette knife under hot water, then use the warmed knife to thinly and evenly spread the frosting round the sides of the cake to create a naked finish. 
10. Sprinkle a rim of powdered praline around the top of the cake. Carefully remove the pecan spikes from their cocktail sticks and arrange upright on the centre of the cake. Slice to serve. The cake will keep in an airtight container for three to four days. 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 1 medium pumpkin chopped
• 2 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• 700ml vegetable stock

Method:

1. Add the chopped onion, carrots, pumpkin, curry powder, cumin, coriander, ginger and nutmeg in your soup maker.
2. Then add the vegetable stock.
3. Place the lid on the jug.
4. Using the ‘Mode’ button, select the ‘smooth’ setting.
5. The Soup Maker will beep to indicate when the soup is ready.

For pie dough

• 350g Plain Flour
• 1 Egg + 1 Yolk
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 185g Unsalted Butter, cubed

For filling

• 2 small pumpkins
• 1 cup of evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs whisked
• 1 tsp. cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Toppings

• Maple tossed pumpkin seeds
• Whipped cream

1. Add the flour, salt and butter cubes to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse about 12 times.
2. Add the egg and yolk and pulse again 5 times until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Be careful not to allow dough to form in the machine.
3. Remove the mixture from the mixing bowl onto cling film and form a dough by hand. Finish the dough by wrapping it in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum.
4. Gently dust flour on the surface and roll the dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness on a 27cm disc. Transfer the rolled dough into the pie pan, trim the edges and flute them as desired. Freeze the case for 20 minutes.
5. Crunch the parchment paper and place it on the prepared pastry case.  Fill with lentils of your choice and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Cool on the rack.

For the filling…

1. Halve the pumpkin and scoop out the pulp and seeds from the centre. Save the pumpkin seeds for roasting later on. Cut rough pumpkin wedges on a baking sheet and roast at 190C for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Allow the pumpkin to cool down and peel the skin off.
2. Measure out the pumpkin flesh to 425g and puree in a food processor.
3. Add rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth.
4. Return the pastry case to the baking sheet and pour in the filling. Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 45-50 minutes. Cool on the rack for at least 1 hour.
5. Top up the pumpkin pie with maple toasted pumpkin seeds and serve with whipped cream.

Which of these delicious recipes will you try? Comment below…