Decadent desserts: pound cake and pumpkin-pecan cake

If afternoon tea time is around the corner, take a break in between sips to savour these lightly moist and ever-pleasing cakes.

With only six ingredients and no special baking talent required, this cake is truly foolproof. Cream cheese and butter combine to make a tender cake with a velvety, tight crumb. Serve at tea time, for dessert or toast thick slices and spread with jam as a snack.

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 12

• 3 sticks (350 g/1 1/2 c) unsalted butter (no substitutes), softened
• 1 pkg (225 g/8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 470 g (2 1/3 c) sugar
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 400 g (3 c) all-purpose flour
• 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the flour and beat just until blended. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Pour into a greased and floured 25 centimetre (10 inch) tube or Bundt pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with only moist crumbs, about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 12 slices and serve.

If you need a three-layer cake that's not the same old chocolate or vanilla variety, give this one a try. Each layer has a surprisingly nutty-tasting crust made with pecans and vanilla wafer cookies.

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

Serves 16

Crust

• 500 ml (2 c) crushed vanilla wafers (about 50)
• 130 g (1 c) chopped pecans
• 175 g (3/4 c) unsalted butter or margarine, softenedCake
• 1 box (550 g/18 oz) spice cake mix
• 1 can (500 g/16 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
• 50 g (1/4 c) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 4 eggsFilling
• 150 g (2/3 c) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 1 pkg (75 g/3 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 400 g (3 c) confectioners' sugar
• 10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
• 125 ml (1/2 c) caramel ice cream topping

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. For crust, beat the cookies, pecans and butter or margarine in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until crumbly, about one minute. Press into three greased and floured 23 centimetre (nine inch) round cake pans.
3. For cake, beat the cake mix, pumpkin, butter and eggs in a medium bowl until well-blended, three minutes. Spread over the crust in each pan.
4. Bake until a wooden pick inserted near the centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes to remove from the pans then invert again and cool ­completely on the wire racks.
5. For the filling, combine the butter and cream cheese in a small bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla, then beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
6. Stack the cake layers, crumb-side down, on a cake plate, thinly spreading the filling between each layer. Spread the remaining fill­ing over the sides of cake. Spread the caramel topping over the top of the cake, allowing some to drip down the sides. Cut into 16 slices and serve. Store in the refrigerator.

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