Late September, early October I begin to see sugar pie pumpkins at the market and immediately start making my plans to bake a brown butter pumpkin layer cake.

“A gingery glazed nut topping and brown butter spiked cream cheese frosting are the finishing touches for the spectacular spiced pumpkin cake”. I couldn’t of said it any better than that! This cake is so worth the effort and is a sure hit with family and friends! THANKS to Fine Cooking Magazine for publishing this recipe!

This recipe looks overwhelming with four different components but, preparing the pumpkin puree in advance you will save a lot of time.

For the Puree:
2 t. vegetable oil
1 medium-large Sugar Pie pumpkin, cut in half from stem to bottom and seeded

Position rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with the oil. Put the pumpkin halves in the sheet cut side down and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth. You can make the puree up to two days ahead or freeze for later use.

For the cake:
6 oz. unsalted butter, more for the pans
9 oz. all purpose flour, more for the pans
1 ½ t. baking soda
1 ½ t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
¾ t. salt
¼ t. ground cloves

1 ½ C. granulated sugar

2/3 C. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ C. buttermilk

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter two 9 inch round cake pans and line with parchment. Melt the butter in a heavy-duty quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not set, about 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves. In a large bowl, whisk 1 ½ C. pumpkin puree with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and buttermilk until very well blended. With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Gently whisk in the brown butter until completely incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto racks, remove the parchment, and cool completely.

For the topping:
1 ½ T. unsalted butter
2/3 C. pecans
½ C. unsalted, raw, hulled pepitas
2 T. firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ t. salt
1 ½ T. chopped crystallized ginger

Melt the butter in a heavy-duty non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans, pepitas and cook until the pecans brown slightly and the pepitas begin to pop, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and salt and stir until the sugar melts and the nuts are glazed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool in the skillet.

For the Frosting:
4 oz. unsalted butter
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
¼ C. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 ¼ C. (5 oz.) confectioners’ sugar

Melt the butter in a heavy one quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occassinoally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let stand until the solids settle at the bottom of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill until just firm, for about 18 minutes. Using a spoon, scrape the butter from the bowl, leaving the browned solids at the bottom.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar on medium high speed until light in color and the brown sugar has dissolved, 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes

Assemble the cake:
Put one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread ½ C. of the frosting on the layer. Sprinkle ½ C. of the nut mixture over the frosting and top with the second layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Arrange the remaining topping on the top of the cake. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Best served at room temperature.