Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cake
Fall into fall baking with this easy brown butter pumpkin spice cake recipe! A perfectly moist cake flavored with warm baking spices, pumpkin, and brown butter then topped with orange, mascarpone whipped cream. What’s not to love about pumpkin season with a cake like this?
About This Easy Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe:
Autumn is the season for pumpkin and pumpkin is the season for fall baking. Everything turns into apple picking and pumpkin spice the second September hits despite the fact that fall actually hits three weeks in. I am 100% one those people who needs to wait until it’s actually fall before I join in on all of those amazing fall flavors. This moist brown butter pumpkin spice cake recipe is super easy to make and put together and a good option for Thanksgiving dessert if you’re not into all the classic pies.
The Origin of Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkin spice everything comes every September 1st, but what made it so popular?? Starbucks. That’s who. Once the pumpkin spice latte (or PSL) debuted in 2004 it became a wild success, and pumpkin spice everything started popping up everywhere! The individual spices themselves (plus others!) are native to the Southeastern Asia Islands or present day Indonesia.
The Dutch brought those spices around the world with the Dutch East India Company where different nations had their spice blends. Pumpkin being one of the earliest crops to be cultivated was being used in pumpkin pie in Europe with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and mace. With the rise of pumpkin pie, and the need for those spices included, came the need to just make a spice blend to make the process easier. And that is the history of many spice blends we know today; making life in the kitchen easier. Learn more about the history of pumpkin spice here!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cake Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree: Canned pumpkin is perfectly fine for this pumpkin bake.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Supermarkets have made it easy to put all the spices needed for pumpkin pie by combining them for you! However, you can make your own with 4 parts cinnamon, 1 part allspice, 1 part cloves, 2 parts nutmeg and 2 parts ginger.
- Buttermilk: If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding a few drops of lemon juice to whole milk and allowing to sit for 10-15 minutes.
Major Allergens Present: Gluten, dairy, eggs
Equipment Needed
- 9″ x 13″: Used to bake the cake in. Alternatively, you can use two 8-inch cake pans for a two layered naked cake. If you choose this route, multiply the recipe by 2/3rds.
- Stand or hand mixer (optional): Not needed for the cake but helpful for the whipped cream. Of course you can always whip the cream and mascarpone by hand. If you are using a machine, use the whip attachment for a stand mixer and the beaters for a hand mixer.
How to Make Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake:
What is Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice cake Made of?
This moist brown butter pumpkin cake is a quick recipe to make when in a pinch! The pumpkin spice cake from scratch uses pumpkin puree, browned butter, and our favorite fall baking spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. The pumpkin puree and buttermilk makes this cake super moist! But what makes this the best brown butter pumpkin spice cake recipe in town is the mascarpone whipped cream flavored with bright and zesty orange! A perfect cozy fall dessert.
Brown the butter:
Brown the butter right away since it takes some time to cool down to room temperature before it’s ready for use. If you don’t allow it to cool, you run the risk of cooking your batter. When browning butter, use a medium sized pan since it does bubble and expand while cooking. Browned butter smells very nutty so you’ll know it’s ready when you smell it. It will also turn a nice brown color (hence the name). If you love brown butter as much as I do then check out my other brown butter recipes!
Make the easy Brown Butter pumpkin spice cake batter and bake:
As simple as whisking ingredients together in order. Nothing fancy about it. Make sure your butter is cooled otherwise you will cook your cake batter before it hits the oven! This cake is done when it springs back when poked or when a knife inserted comes out clean.
Make the orange mascarpone cream and finish:
Mascarpone is creamy and dreamy and goes perfectly with the pumpkin cake. I like to add orange to brighten it up and cut the fattiness of the mascarpone. Before combining with the heavy cream in your mixer bowl, massage it with a spatula to loosen it up, then just whip it all together until stiff peaks. Spatula and spread out on the cake and top with sifted ground cinnamon and orange zest. Enjoy this for your Thanksgiving dessert in lieu of pie.
Getting hung up or lost on all the baking terminology? Study up here.
Helping Making Easy Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cake:
How to Brown Butter and Add:
Brown butter is such a fantastic way to add depth and flavor to a dessert and I have several brown butter recipes in my arsenal. Check out these tips below on how to brown butter and add.
- You will want a medium sized pot for this recipe and larger if you multiply it. The butter will foam and rise in the pot, so if you choose a pot too small it may bubble right out.
- Once it reaches the foaming stage, it will stop boiling and just brown. You will need to swirl the pan around to see the color beneath the foam. You are looking for a deep golden brown and a nutty aroma.
- Remove from heat immediately and allow to cool completely before adding it. If you add it right away you could cook your batter before baking it. Also, definitely do not go for a spoon taste before cooling because you’re essentially working with hot oil!
- Scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan; that’s where all the yummy flavor is!
Enhancing This Moist Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cake:
- Instead of orange, add a packet or two of instant coffee to the mascarpone cream to give this cake a pumpkin spice latte feel.
- Fold in some raisins and/or nuts to the cake batter for a textural difference.
How to Store and Freeze Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake:
- Store in the fridge with any exposed, inside cake covered in plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
- Only the cake can be made ahead of time, wrapped in plastic wrap, and kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Troubleshooting The Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cake:
- My mascarpone cream is super lumpy! It is over whipped, and now it’s separated. You will have to start over. Only whip until stiff peaks or slightly under. And keep an eye on it; it sneaks up on you!
- I have weird lumps in my batter! Your butter was too hot before adding and you cooked some of your eggs. Next time, make sure your browned butter is at the most warm.
Something else going wrong? Reach out and we will troubleshoot together!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake
Equipment
- 9" x 13" Baking dish
Ingredients
Pumpkin cake:
- 218 g Butter, unsalted
- 162 g Light brown sugar
- 3 ea Eggs
- 98 g Buttermilk
- 417 g Pumpkin puree
- 327 g All purpose flour
- 1½ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 1½ Tbs Pumpkin pie spice
Orange mascarpone cream:
- 150 g Mascarpone cheese
- 150 g Heavy cream
- 28 g Granulated sugar
- 1 ea Orange zest and juice
Instructions
To prepare the pumpkin cake:
- Weigh out the butter in a medium pot and cook until browned. See my tips on browning butter for more information! Allow to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and prepare a 9" x 13" cake pan with pan spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and pumpkin puree until combined.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Whisk in the browned butter until combined.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool until room temperature before spreading cream on top.
To prepare the orange mascarpone cream and finish:
- Combine the cheese, cream, sugar, and orange zest with juice in a bowl. Either whip by hand or with a mixer on high until stiff peaks.
- Spread the whipped mascarpone on top of the cake and top with sifted ground cinnamon and orange zest.
Nutrition
