Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream is a bit of a mouthful but you WILL want a mouthful if you try this. This pumpkin cake is very moist, warm and spicy. The frosting is a little nutty but mostly creamy, and it’s not too sweet. Plus, the cake is only two layers, so it makes for the perfect fall birthday cake or thanksgiving centerpiece without too much hassle. You don’t even have to be very artistic to make this cake look good!
What you need to make this layered pumpkin cake
- 2 nine inch cake pans – You only need two, and it’s fine if they are technically different. I used one springform pan and one standard cake pan (springform is easier for this but I only own ONE!) I got mine at Williams Sonoma here if you want to see the one I have.
- Parchment paper – You can grease the crud out of your cake pan, but it’s still good luck to place some parchment paper in the bottom of your greased pans to prevent any sticking. I like to cut mine out to fit the bottom of circular pans.
- Small saucepan – to brown our butter!
- Stand mixer or electric mixer – either works! Here’s the link to my KitchenAid.
How to make pumpkin cake
This pumpkin cake is only about three steps. We combine our wet ingredients first, including the eggs, pumpkin, canola oil and vanilla extract.
- Try to use organic pumpkin purée – I do not normally encourage us all to spend a dollar more on things but I WILL say that the organic pumpkin I bought from Trader Joe’s made this cake DREAMY. It seems to have more moisture than standard pumpkin cans and the consistency is thinner. It really made this cake the perfect texture.
- Use a plant based oil – I used canola oil for this cake but avocado oil would work well for this too. Coconut oil could be too thin for this cake so keep it to a standard, liquid oil.
Then we combine the dry ingredients to a bowl. NOTE: If you don’t have nutmeg, clove and all spice, you can substitute a few teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
Then we add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine until it looks like a consistent batter. This pumpkin batter will be very tempting to eat (it tastes delicious uncooked).
Pour your batter evenly into the pans as best as you can. It’s okay if one layer ends up taller than the other: just use that one as the bottom layer! Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and they should be good to go.
How to make the best brown butter buttercream
We have to start with some browned butter! I’ve written about this before, but making browned butter can be daunting, because it can go from delicious to burnt QUICKLY. Just keep watch and stir your butter frequently to avoid it burning too fast. Once the butter starts to bubble, that’s your sign that that butter will be done browning within 2 minutes or so. Once you can smell the butter and it looks golden, I like to remove it from the heat.
Be sure to transfer the butter to a bowl and let it cool in the freezer for a good 10-15 minutes. We want the butter to be room temperature so that it doesn’t melt the rest of the frosting when we mix it all together.
TIP: Follow my directions below, but don’t be scared if the frosting looks a little yellow-ish brown for a while. The heavy cream, which is added last, will bring the fluffy white color back to life. Be sure to whip the frosting on medium-high after the cream is added, and wait for a good 4 minutes to see it thicken and become fluffy.
ALSO: my frosting is not that sweet. I don’t like it. So taste test yours. It’s fine if you double the sugar amount – it will not affect the integrity of the frosting.
How to assemble the pumpkin cake
Luckily, this is a “naked cake,” so the assembly is easy. BE SURE TO FROST THE CAKES ONLY AFTER YOUR CAKES ARE COOLED. If they are warm at all, your frosting will turn into a liquid mess. Carefully remove the cakes from the pans and lay one down onto your plate, cake stand or platter. Add about 1/3 – 1/2 a cup of frosting to this first round and smooth it out. I like to save a lot of the frosting for the top, but you can alter this pending on your own preferences. Be sure to push the frosting all the way to the edges so you can see it poking through once the top layer is in place.
Add the second round on top and then add the rest of the frosting.
How to frost the cake
I like to dump all of the frosting into the center of the cake. Then take a knife and push it out to the edges. Don’t over work it! It will look better the less you touch it.
Then add the pumpkin butter. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s (Don’t buy from that link it’s actually only a couple dollars)! Add a few dollops all over the cake, and then take your knife and gently swirl it into the frosting. Be careful not to over do this part (which is easy to do). The more haphazard the better. Then decorate with some pumpkin seeds if you wish. Slice and serve!
How to store your layered pumpkin cake
This cake should be left at room temperature to preserve the texture. If you do not have a glass cake stand topper to protect the cake, just use a large mixing bowl! The cake isn’t very tall, so I’ve used a large bowl to cover it up and keep it safe from anything get to it.
Move to the fridge after about 4 days to preserve it a little longer, but you should eat it within a week’s time maximum.
Other similar recipes:
If you liked this layered pumpkin cake with brown butter buttercream, try these other recipes on my site:
- Browned Butter Espresso Banana Bread
- Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties
- Apple Butter Cookies with Maple Cream Frosting
- Easiest Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
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Pumpkin Layer Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
Equipment
- two 9 inch cake pans
- parchment paper
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- spatula
- small saucepan
Ingredients
For the pumpkin cake
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cups canola oil
- 15 oz pumpkin purée or 1 can
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp clove
- 1 tsp all spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the buttercream
- 3 sticks unsalted butter or 1½ cups, at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 3 tbsp pumpkin butter optional
- pumpkin seeds optional, for decoration
Instructions
Make the pumpkin cake
- Grease your cake pans with oil and line each with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
- In a stand mixer, add the eggs, pumpkin purée, vanilla and canola oil. Beat on low for 1-2 minutes until well combined.3 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 15 oz pumpkin purée, ¾ cups canola oil
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, all spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together.2 cups all purpose flour, 1¾ cups granulated sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp clove, 1 tsp all spice, 2½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two increments, mixing on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Place them in the oven next to each other on one rack and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. They should be slightly springy to the touch and golden brown.
Make the brown butter buttercream
- In a small saucepan, melt ½ cup or 1 stick of butter over medium heat. Continue to heat for 3-4 minutes, and wait for the butter to bubble and turn golden brown. Be sure to stir it occasionally. Remove from the oven and pour the butter into a heat proof bowl. Put it in the freezer and chill for 10-15 minutes.
- In the stand mixer, add the remaining butter and beat it for 1 minute until whipped and fluffy. Add in the browned butter, bourbon and vanilla and continue mixing on medium until combined. Add in the powdered sugar and mix again until well combined. Add in the heavy cream and whip on high for 4 minutes until the frosting becomes thick, fluffy and white. It should be pretty stiff.3 sticks unsalted butter, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp bourbon, 2 tbsp heavy cream, ½ cup powdered sugar
Assemble the pumpkin cake
- Remove the rounds from the cake pans. If one is taller than the other, place that one down first as the base. Top it with ⅓ cup of the frosting and spread out evenly, ensuring that the frosting reaches the edges.
- Carefully place the second cake round on top of the frosting. Add the rest of the frosting on top and use a spoon or spatula to smooth it out all over the top.
- Add a few dollops of the pumpkin butter in two to three different spots on top of the cake. With a butter knife, carefully make some decorative swirls in the top of the cake. Sprinkle on pumpkin seeds for additional decoration.3 tbsp pumpkin butter, pumpkin seeds
