Pumpkin Poke Cake

Add the sugar to a medium pot and heat it over medium heat. As the sugar is heating it will crystalize and then eventually all melt down and turn golden in color. When most of the sugar has melted, but there are still a few crystalized clumps, turn the heat down to low so the melted sugar doesn't burn.
(Melting all the sugar takes 10-15 minutes.)
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in color, add in the butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated.
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
Then add in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together.
(At this point if you see the butter and cream start to separate from the sugar turn the heat up to medium low and stir vigorously to combine everything together. This can happen if your butter and cream aren't room temperature.)
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt
Remove the caramel from the heat and transfer it to a small bowl. Let it cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9 metal baking pan with non stick spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.
2 1/4 cups (281 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 tbsp ground pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
Add the softened butter and granulated white sugar to a large bowl. Cream together for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on high speed. (You can also use a stand mixer.)
10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale in color and smooth, about 1 minute.
2 eggs, at room temperature, 1 tsp vanilla
Add in the buttermilk and canned pumpkin puree and mix until combined.
(It will look curdled at this point but don't worry. Everything will combine together nicely once the dry ingredients are added!)
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature, 1 cup (244 g) canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until the cake batter is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake the cake for 35-38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out from the center with just a few moist crumbs.
Then let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool.

While the cake cools make the cream cheese frosting by adding the butter to a large bowl and whipping it on high speed with a mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
Then add in the cream cheese and mix until combined and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until fluffy again, 1-2 minutes.
2 1/4 cups (293 g) powdered sugar
Transfer 1/4 cup (50 g) of cream cheese frosting to a small bowl and dye it orange with food coloring until the desired hue is reached. Add 2 tbsp (25 g) of frosting to small bowl to dye green and 2 tbsp (25 g) to another small bowl to dye brown. (You could also use some cocoa powder to make the brown frosting.)
orange, green and brown food coloring
Transfer the different colored frostings to piping bags fit with tiny circular tips.

When the cake is completely cooled carefully turn the pan over to release the cake. Transfer it to a serving plate.
Poke holes on the top of the cake using a wooden stick or the handle of a wooden spoon. Space the holes out about every 1/2-1 inch.
Transfer the cooled caramel sauce to a piping bag. Pipe the caramel into the holes of the cake. Smooth out the caramel with an offset spatula if any leaked out.
Frost the top of the cake with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula.
Pipe decorative pumpkins on top of the cake with the colored frosting. Sprinkle the cake with chopped nuts and a dusting of cinnamon. Then serve!
chopped walnuts, cinnamon for dusting the cake with