Catholic Recipe:  Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake With Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

The combination of pumpkin and orange makes this a wonderful choice to honor St. Junipero Serra, combining the oranges the Franciscan brought to California and the pumpkins from the Native Americans.

This recipe is by Carolyn Beth Weil from Bon Appetit.

DIRECTIONS

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with 1 1/2-inch sides. Line bottoms with parchment; grease parchment.

Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl until smooth. Beat in brown sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating to blend between additions. Divide batter between pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks. Remove parchment. Using tart pan bottom as aid, turn cakes over onto racks, top sides up, and cool completely.

DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap cakes in plastic and store at room temperature.

Frosting

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add cream cheese and orange peel; beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until smooth.

Trim rounded tops from cakes. Using long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on large platter. Spoon 2/3 cup frosting atop cake in dollops; spread to edges. Repeat 2 more times with cake and frosting; top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake (layer will be thin). DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Decorate cake with walnuts and serve.