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Praline Topping:
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1. In a small heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream.
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2 Cook over low heat until the brown sugar just dissolves, stirring occasionally.
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3. Pour mixture into two 9 x 1.5-inch round cake pans.
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4. Sprinkle mixture evenly with pecans.
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5. Allow to cool slightly, about 20 minutes, while you prepare the cake batter.
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Cake Batter:
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
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2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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3. In a large mixing bowl, beat granulated sugar, oil, and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.
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4. Add the pumpkin puree and dry ingredients alternately, beating until the mixture is just combined.
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5. Carefully spoon the batter over the praline topping in the cake pans, spreading evenly.
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6. Place the pans on a baking sheet (to prevent burning the praline topping).
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7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (or until toothpicks inserted into the centers of the cakes come out clean).
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8. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for no more than 5 minutes. Then invert the pans, allowing the cakes to fall to the wire racks, and replace the praline topping that remains in the pans. (The less time the cakes stay in the pan, the easier it will be to scrape the praline topping from the pan and spread it back onto the cake, but don't remove the cakes so soon that the cakes themselves fall apart. DO NOT allow cakes to cool completely in the pans or your praline topping will be unusable.)
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9. Allow cakes to cool completely on the wire racks before assembling.
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Whipped Cream Topping:
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Note: Make this topping and assemble the cake no more than 1 1/2 hours before serving the cake so that the whipped cream does not break down.
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1. Beat the remaining 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream with electric mixer until soft peaks form (the tips will start to stand up but then curl over at the top.)
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2. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla. (Sifting makes the final whipped cream that much lighter in texture.) Beat until stiff peaks form (the tips will stand straight).
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Assembling the Cake:
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1. Place one cake layer, praline topping up, on a cake platter.
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2. Spread half of the Whipped Cream Topping on the first layer.
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3. Add the second cake layer lightly, praline topping up. Do not press down heavily or you will begin the breakdown of the cream.
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4. Spread remaining Whipped Cream Topping on the second layer.
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5. Sprinkle the top layer of cream with additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired.
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6. Chill until serving, no more than 1 1/2 hours to prevent whipped cream from breaking down.
