Pumpkin Bundt Cakes with Brown Butter Glaze
It’s pumpkin season, y’all! And if you’ll take a quick break from sipping your Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I’d like to share a little something with you: Yep, pumpkin cake.
It’s perfect for fall. Not just because of the seasonal flavors—like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and well, pumpkin—but because of their shape. It turns out when you take two bundt cakes and stack them butt-to-butt, it totally looks like a little pumpkin!
Before I stacked these mini bundt cakes, I cut off the very bottom of each bundt to level them. Having a “raw” and moist cake edge also helps the two halves to stick together, but you could make ’em stick with some frosting or a little extra glaze instead. But I definitely reccomend the leveling method. It means you’ll end up with some cut-off pieces to snack on. (Pro tip: The mini bundt “butts” can be sandwiched together with glaze or frosting to make pumpkin whoopie pies!)
To complete the look, I added a cake stem. You can make yours out of fondant or marzipan, but I thought it was just easier to make ’em out of cake. Before I poured my batter into the molds for these cakes, I set aside a little bit and poured it into a mason jar. My mason jar went into the oven with the big cakes, then came out a little earlier (it’s smaller, so it’s quicker to bake). Then, I used a cupcake corer to get little cylinders of cake to use as stems. Once your cakes are done, drop a stem into the top of each pumpkin before you pour the glaze.
These are seriously the perfect treat to serve and display during Halloween or Thanksgiving gatherings. And if the words “pumpkin” and “brown butter” don’t give it away for you, these cakes are also seriously delicious!
I used little mini bundt pans for mine and got three whole pumpkins, but if you’re going to do the pumpkin-shaped cake thing with a big pan, remember to double the recipe below.
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 can of pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup milk
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large bundt pan or several small punt molds. Coat the inside of the pan with a dusting of flour, tapping off the excess.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the granulated sugar and 1 stick of butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined. Warm the milk on the stove top or in a microwave to around 110°F. Add the milk and pumpkin puree to the wet mix, beating until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan(s) and bake for around 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool, then transfer to a metal rack.
- Heat 1 stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour butter into a bowl, leaving most of the sediment behind.
- Add the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk to your brown butter, and stir until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more milk. If it's too thin, add more confectioner's sugar. Use immediately by spooning the glaze over the top of your bundt cakes and let cool to set.
- This recipe makes one large bundt cake, or six small bundt cakes. So how many it feeds all depends on who's eating.
Julia
Such cute little cakes! It’s nice to see creative pumpkin recipes.
Natasha
I am totally in love with mini bundt cakes. I just made a spiced buttermilk version that I am obsessed with. These are SO cute. Such a good idea!
Taryn
Thank you! And spiced buttermilk cake sounds amazing!