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Pumpkin Spice Mini Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting – perfectly sweet, extra pumpkiny cake with pumpkin pie spice and a touch more cinnamon. This simple one-bowl cake is made with spiced pumpkin butter for the richest fall flavor. Once baked and cooled, it’s frosted with whipped maple brown butter cream cheese frosting and salted caramel brulée. Sweet, spiced, and full of pumpkin flavor. This is the fall cake you need to make this season.
I’ve worked so hard on this cake for you all. Days of baking and frosting, carefully rationing my mini pumpkin sprinkles, and tweaking every detail until it was just right. Finally – it’s ready to share!
The funny thing is, I actually wanted to make this cake last year. I’ve had the idea for a cozy little pumpkin spice mini cake in my head for ages. And truly, it was worth every bit of extra effort. This cake is so, so good. It’s not your typical fluffy cake. It’s more pumpkin-forward, moist, and rich, with the best fall flavor in every bite.
And that maple brown butter cream cheese frosting? It’s dangerously delicious. The kind of frosting that makes you immediately reach for another slice. This one’s even a hit with my littlest brother, Oslo. It’s festive and fun for Halloween, and just right for Thanksgiving too!
Tomorrow is Oslo’s birthday, so this cozy little cake is pulling double duty as this year’s “website cake”. My mom’s baking him his favorite tomorrow, a classic vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. But I think we grown-ups should all celebrate with pumpkin cake. It’s festive, it’s fall, and honestly…exactly what this season calls for!
Here are the details
Ingredients
For The Cake
- pumpkin butter
- canned pumpkin
- brown sugar
- salted butter
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- baking soda
- hot espresso or hot water
For The Frosting
- salted butter
- cream cheese
- maple syrup
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- granulated sugar – for the caramel brulée
The Tools
Just a mixing bowl, a saucepan, and a square cake pan. You can use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. I use a hand mixer most often.
Steps
Step 1: Brown (or Melt) the Butter
First things first, brown the butter. You can just melt it, but I love the deeper, toasty flavor that browning adds. Add the butter to a skillet and melt it over medium heat. Let it bubble and foam, then cook until it turns a light golden brown and smells nutty, about 3–4 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Batter
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the browned butter, pumpkin butter, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and glossy. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of sea salt. Mix just until combined — don’t overmix.
Then beat in the hot espresso (or water). I highly recommend the espresso — it gives the cake a subtle depth and turns it into the coziest pumpkin spice latte cake!
Step 3: Bake the Cake
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until the center is just set. The cake should come out a deep orange color and make your kitchen smell like everyone’s favorite fall candle, Pumpkin Smash, of course!
This cake is incredibly moist and perfectly sweetened. The secret is truly in the pumpkin butter, it gives the best flavor and texture.
Step 4: Make the Frosting
Brown more butter, then pour it into a heatproof bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add the cream cheese and beat together until light and creamy.
Beat in the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until the frosting is fluffy and whipped. I like to add a pinch of sea salt here too — it really brings out the flavors. The maple and browned butter make this frosting rich and flavorful, while the cream cheese keeps it light and perfectly balanced. And trust me, slathering on a little more frosting than you think you’ll need is the right move.
Step 5: the caramel brulée
This last step is optional but so good, the caramel brulée candy. It’s very easy to make and requires only two ingredients: sugar and flaky sea salt. Melt the granulated sugar on the stove until it turns deep caramel in color, then spread the caramel out over a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the caramel with sea salt and let sit for a few minutes. In almost no time at all, the caramel wil have hardened. It can then be easily smashed into small shards for sprinkling over your pumpkin cake. Again, be sure you’re being careful when handling this!
Frost the cake and then sprinkle with the caramel brulée candy.
For Halloween fun, I love using the cute pumpkin sprinkles and a dusting of edible gold for a little sparkle. Decorate however you like and make it festive.
The cake is adorable, smells incredible while baking, and tastes even better. It’s the ultimate cozy fall bake!
Looking for other pumpkin recipes? Here are a few ideas:
6 Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Cream Cheese Swirled Brown Sugar Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Chai Pumpkin Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Butter Bread
Lastly, if you make this Pumpkin Spice Mini Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pumpkin Spice Mini Cake
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Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 498 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.2. In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until fully combined. Beat in the hot espresso or hot water. 3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set. 4. To make the frosting: Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl, let cool until it’s room temp.5. Add the cream cheese, and beat with the butter until very creamy. Beat in the powdered sugar and maple until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. If the frosting feels too loose, add powdered sugar to thicken.6. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Decorate as desired. Slice and enjoy!
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