If you’re looking for a showstopping dessert for fall or Thanksgiving, this Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake is the one!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake
If you’re looking for a special dessert for Thanksgiving or the holiday season, look no further! This tried-and-true Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake by Jeanne Kelley, originally featured in Fine Cooking magazine (Issue 107, October/November 2010), is simply amazing. It truly is one of the BEST cakes for fall and Thanksgiving!
This is not a sponsored post – I have no affiliation with Fine Cooking or Jeanne Kelly – I’m just a fan of this amazing recipe!
Read rave reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinetrest!
Another review — Christina loved the cake so much, she made a 3 tier wedding cake with the recipe!
Original Post Date: Oct 20, 2015
Pinnable Image
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a sponsored post; I have no affiliation with Fine Cooking or Jeanne Kelly – I’m just a fan of this amazing recipe! When I share a tried & true recipe, I always credit the source and will often send you to the site for the directions. All you need to do is click on “Print Recipe” below, and it will take you to the full recipe. One extra step for an awesome recipe- that’s it! It’s important to me to share the love and send you to the source.
UPDATE 9/14/2023 – Since I first shared this tried-and-true cake in October 2015, the Fine Cooking website has been updated and the original recipe is no longer available there. You can view the original recipe in the archived issue of Fine Cooking or print a copy over at Deanna’s Daughter.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake
- 6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter; more for the pans
- 9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- *1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée
*Included with this recipe is how to make pumpkin purée for the cake. We opted to use canned.
For the Topping
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup unsalted, raw, hulled pepitas
- 2 Tablespoons, firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
For the Frosting
- 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 5 oz. (1 1/4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
Directions
susan
So I have gone to where it says to get directions and can not find anything about the cake!
Mary Neumann
Hi Susan, Thanks so much for letting me know – you are right, it’s not showing up on their website. Please head here to print the recipe, there are a few sites that have the original recipe: https://deannasdaughter.com/?p=6842
Mary Neumann
You can print the recipe here: https://deannasdaughter.com/?p=6842
C Connell
We made this for my daughter’s tenth
birthday with fresh made pumpkin puree. It was delicious. We changed the decorative topping because of time (there’s a lot of steps and we ran out of time.) Will make again.
Sue Richardson
Do you have a recipe for a graham cracker cake?
Elana Brown
Could I use sweet potato instead??? Not a fan of pumpkin.
Anonymous
I'm going to make this cake, it looks so good. I'm in the fall mood and this will compltet the mood, only problem is….I can't make it fast enough to meet the hunger I'm feeling.
Jens C. Kruse
Thank you
Marsha Baker
Absolutely beautiful! And no doubt, it tastes as good as it looks. Yehaw!