Golden Harvest Cake

Ingredients

 * GOLDEN HARVEST CAKE
 * 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
 * 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
 * 2 large eggs
 * 2 cups cooked butternut squash, puréed
 * 2 cups finely diced raw green apple
 * 2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
 * 2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
 * 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
 * 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
 * 1 tsp. salt
 * 1 cup raisins
 * 1 cup chopped pecans
 * Pecan Praline Frosting
 * 1 cup dark brown sugar
 * 1/2 cup heavy cream
 * 1/2 cup butter
 * 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
 * 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
 * 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans plus
 * 1 cup pecan halves for garnish, if desired

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans.

2. To make Golden Harvest Cake: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat 2 minutes. Add puréed squash and apple, and mix thoroughly.

3. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in separate bowl. Sift together, and add to butter mixture in 4 separate batches. Fold in raisins and chopped pecans.

4. Bake cake 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and cool.

5. Meanwhile, to make Pecan Praline Frosting: Place brown sugar and heavy cream in saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and add butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool to warm, but do not stir. Place frosting in bowl, and beat in confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, until spreading consistency. Fold in chopped nuts, saving pecan halves to place decoratively around top of cake.

6. Place bottom cake layer on plate, and spread frosting on it, letting frosting drizzle down side of cake. Repeat with remaining two layers. Alternatively, frost each cake layer, both sides and top. If frosting begins to harden, dip spatula into warm water to make frosting easier to spread.