Bake

Roasted Squash Brown Butter Cake

December  3, 2020
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Food52
  • Prep time 45 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 30 minutes
  • makes 1 Bundt cake
Author Notes

The smell of spices and nutty brown butter that spreads through your kitchen while this cake bakes will turn your home into a space of cozy anticipation. You won’t need a whole roasted squash for this cake, but I like to have abundant puréee on hand for pies, other cakes, or soups, so I freeze the leftovers and thaw it out in the refrigerator when I need it. I also bake mini cakes in decorative individual Bundt pans for my children. For this, I reduce the baking time by 10 minutes or so (do the tooth-pick test if you’re unsure), then roll the cakes in cinnamon sugar.

©2019 by Aran Goyoaga. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Cannelle et Vanille by permission of Sasquatch Books.Aran Goyoaga

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Roasted Squash Brown Butter Cake
Ingredients
  • one 2 pounds (1-kilogram) butternut squash or sugar pie pumpkin, halved lengthwise and seeded, or 1 cup (225 grams) canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup (110 grams) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 1 cup (140 grams) superfine brown rice flour
  • 2/3 cup (65 grams) almond flour
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (30 grams) tapioca starch
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Place the squash cut sides down on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the flesh is tender all the way through. Check by inserting the tip of a knife into the thickest part of the squash. Let the squash cool at room temperature until it can be handled. The skin should peel right off. Scoop the flesh into a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Measure out 1 cup squash purée and reserve the rest for another use. (You could make soup with it or freeze it.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
  3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue cooking the butter until the milk solids start to turn brown and smell nutty. Pour the brown butter into a bowl and set aside to cool.
  4. Brush the bottom and sides of a 6-cup Bundt pan with butter.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, almond flour, granulated and light brown sugars, tapioca starch, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix in the squash purée, cooled brown butter, eggs, orange zest, and orange juice until smooth.
  6. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack and remove the pan. Let the cake cool for another 10 minutes, then dust the top with confectioners’ sugar and serve. The cake will keep for 3 days wrapped in plastic at room temperature.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

3-time James Beard finalist cookbook author, food stylist and photographer. Author of Cannelle et Vanille named best of by NY Times, Food 52, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and more.

3 Reviews

Kavitha December 16, 2020
I just tried this and was so impressed! The cake is so moist and flavorful with the orange and spices (think a richer version of pumpkin bread) and my family devoured it. I replaced the brown rice flour with an equal amount of oat flour and substituted the tapioca starch for half the amount (1/8 cup) of corn starch and it turned out great. I’m not gluten free and was trying to use what I had on hand. Will definitely be making this again!
lissa R. December 3, 2020
Can this be adapted to AP flour?
Aran G. December 3, 2020
Yes but I would still use almond flour as it gives it a lot of flavor and texture