Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake

Fall is my favorite season, and with it comes one of my favorite flavors — pumpkin!

This brown butter pumpkin cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting has been a staple in my kitchen for years now.  I found it in a magazine many moons ago, and after a few adaptations to my liking, I’ve never looked back.  I’ve made this cake in many different sizes and for many occasions, including a rustic autumn wedding,  but it is a most perfect complement to Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.

Browned butter is in my top 10 list of favorite flavors.  It has a wonderfully nutty taste, and combined with earthy pumpkin, rich brown sugar, and tangy cream cheese… it’s just divine.  I really hope you’ll give this cake a try for your holiday celebrations this year.

Watch me make this cake start to finish in the video below!

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for future videos and posts, let me know in the comments below!  Enjoy!

Adapted from Fine Cooking.

Print Recipe

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake

This rich, moist cake and nutty, tangy frosting is the perfect complement to cooler weather. Swap out your traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas pumpkin pie with this brown butter pumpkin cake, and your guests will never want the traditional again!

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

Cakes, Holiday

Servings

8" layer cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk

Frosting

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 12 oz cream cheese
• 3/8 cup light brown sugar
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar

Topping

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup pecan halves raw, unsalted
• 1/2 cup pepitas raw, hulled, unsalted
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 2 Tbsp crystallized ginger chopped fine

Course Dessert Cuisine Cakes, Holiday Servings 8" layer cake Ingredients Cake 3/4 cup unsalted butter 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 3/4 tsp table salt 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2/3 cup light brown sugar 2 eggs 1/3 cup buttermilk Frosting 3/4 cup unsalted butter 12 oz cream cheese 3/8 cup light brown sugar 2 cups confectioner's sugar Topping 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2/3 cup pecan halves raw, unsalted 1/2 cup pepitas raw, hulled, unsalted 2 Tbsp light brown sugar 1/4 tsp table salt 2 Tbsp crystallized ginger chopped fine

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter turns amber-brown and smells nutty, between 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, and set aside 15 minutes to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves. In a separate, large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, both sugars, eggs and buttermilk. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until fully incorporated, then gently whisk in browned butter until smooth.
4. Transfer batter evenly to cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees until set, 28-30 minutes. Let cakes cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out to racks to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. Make a second batch of browned butter just as before. Let this batch sit at room temperature until the solids settle to the bottom, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill until firm. Use a spoon to scrape the butter from the bowl, leaving the solids at the bottom. Discard solids.
2. With an electric mixer, cream together browned butter, cream cheese and brown sugar until sugar has dissolved, 4-5 minutes. Beat in confectioner's sugar, and whip until fluffy, another 5 minutes.

Topping

1. Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
2. Add pecans and pepitas, and cook until pepitas begin popping, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add brown sugar and salt, cooking until sugar is dissolved and pecans and pepitas are glazed, another 2-3 minutes.
4. Turn off heat, and stir in crystallized ginger.
5. Let topping cool completely before assembling cake.

Assembly

1. Fill and frost cake as desired. Topping can be adding only to the top, or if desired, sandwiched between the cake layers, as well.

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