Brown Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake with Crackle Icing
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake with Crackle Icing

Brown Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake with Crackle Icing

5 from 1 reviews
Brown Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake with Crackle Icing
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This is simply THE BEST and THE EASIEST little pumpkin cake you could make this fall! If you love pumpkin, do not pass go and do not collect $200 -- get in the kitchen and make this RIGHT NOW!
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (1/8 cup is 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Caramel Crackle Icing Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • vanilla bean ice cream (optional, for serving)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8-inch square baking pan (I also place a greased sheet of parchment in the bottom for extra assurance.)
  2. Brown the butter and bloom the spices: Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Add spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice) and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Pour the butter into a large bowl and allow it to cool.
  3. Once the butter has cooled, whisk in the vegetable oil, sugars, vanilla extract, eggs, and the pumpkin. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk these into your wet ingredients to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
  4. Make the icing: When the cake comes out of the oven, while it's still hot, prepare the icing. Bring the sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, for 10 minutes. The frosting will bubble like caramel most of the time and you'll notice it start to pull away from the sides of the pan as it nears the 10 minute mark. Remove the icing from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour the icing over the hot cake and spread quickly, because it begins to set immediately. Cut and serve the cake immediately.

 

6 Comments on Brown Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake with Crackle Icing

  1. Jane S
    November 2, 2016 at 11:59 pm (7 years ago)

    Well, Julie, I will be making this ASAP! Pumpkin cake with brown butter sounds amazing! I see no way this will make 12 servings… I’m thinking I might polish the whole thing off by myself! 😉

    Reply
  2. Heather
    November 3, 2016 at 10:59 am (7 years ago)

    never tried Blooming spices, I think I need to get on that ASAP!! this cake sounds heavenly

    Reply
  3. Robin Solis
    November 25, 2016 at 5:02 pm (7 years ago)

    I’m in!

    Reply
  4. MD
    September 7, 2018 at 10:28 pm (6 years ago)

    I have a couple of questions: The instructions for the cake says to cool cake completely, but then it states to pour the icing on the hot cake. Which one is correct?

    I made this cake once and everyone LOVED it! It was a big hit. I baked the cake and poured the icing on top all on the same day. I would like to make this again but can I bake the cake the night before and then do the icing the next day?

    Reply
    • Julie Ruble
      September 7, 2018 at 11:10 pm (6 years ago)

      Oops, I’ve fixed that error now. Thanks for noticing it. The correct instruction is to pour the icing on a hot cake, but it won’t hurt to pour it on a cooled cake — I only specified because usually you don’t ice hot cakes and noting it here might make it more convenient for people who prefer not to wait. Enjoy!

      Reply

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