Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing
You guys I’m all moved into my new place and I couldn’t love it more.

It is so different from where I’ve lived the last 7+ years and the new energy just feels so amazing. I can really envision a little baby around here and I’m in full on nesting mode.

You can expect an upcoming post with some pictures of the new place once we do some more decorating. But- you’d be amazed at how unpacked and settled we were after only 24 hours. My sisters and mom were unpacking mavens and we barreled through everything that first night. Moving is the crappy part, settling in is the fun part, (for me at least.)

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing

My one mistake was really not sitting or eating much on moving day, which I am still paying for. Not only did we not have our furniture for the part of the day where my mom and I just cleaned everything in preparation, but I was just too anxious to be unpacked to relax.

I think that baby boy went into a bit of a hibernation while I was so active, because the minute I had a chance to just chill on the couch with Andy last night- he was doing karate-esque moves for hours. We actually could see my belly moving around which is both the coolest and most alien thing ever! 

Anyway…I couldn’t wait too long to bake something in my new beautiful kitchen and it didn’t take long for me to decide that this light and fluffy pumpkin cake was the way to go. I’m in full-on pumpkin obsession mode and I wanted to christen the kitchen with the smell of spices wafting through the apartment.

Also- I wanted to make something that dirtied a lot of dishes, just so I could enjoy the moment of just throwing them all in my dishwasher even more. For those of you that have always had one, there is nothing quite like not having one and then taking the burden of hand washing clear away. I feel like the luckiest girl in NYC.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing

This cake is easy to throw together and the texture is perfection. So tender and soft and fluffy that it almost melts in your mouth. The brown butter icing creates the perfect rich nuttiness that compliments the spices from the cake just right.

What I love the most about this cake though, is that it lasts for several days when sealed air-tight, and only gets better and better as it sits. This is perfect for me as we’ve had all sorts of friends stop by to check the place out and I love having something delicious to share. (Plus, now that I don’t live next door to my sister I have a whole new set of neighbors to share my sweets with!)

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing

Yield: 1 10 inch bundt cake

Ingredients

For Cake:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
  • 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 sticks, 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, light would be fine too
  • 3 large eggs

Icing:

  • 1 stick of butter, browned
  • 2 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-4 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or generously butter a 10 inch bundt cake pan and dust with flour, set aside.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time until well combined.
  5. Alternate adding the flour and pumpkin mixtures, mixing on low speed, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Don't overmix.
  6. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top with the back of a spoon. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Invert and cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack before icing.

For the icing:

  1. Pour the browned butter into a bowl and whisk in the 2 cups sifted powdered sugar and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
  2. Drizzle over the cake and serve warm, at room temperature or even cold from the fridge. (This cake tastes even better on days 2 and 3!)

Notes

Cake recipe adapted from: Gourmet Magazine Icing recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart Living

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing

35 Comments

  1. Had I known this would be around I would have hurried over to help you unpack;-) So glad you are settling in so well and enjoying the new place. I hope I get to see it and you soon!

  2. Check out that PERFECT lighting! I bet that’s one of the reasons you’re loving your new place. That first picture straight up belongs in a magazine!

    1. Aw thanks Mimi- the lighting situation is a lot different than my old place- so a learning curve for sure- but I’m getting there :)

  3. Becca from Cookie Jar Treats says:

    My cousin-in-w said feeling her baby boy kick in her stomach was weird too. And having something move and grow inside your belly does sound a little frightening. And not having a dish washer isn’t so bad. I went from having a dishwasher to no dishwasher because of where I moved in for school and it’s not so bad. I can clean a sink full of dirty dishes in about 30ish minutes.

    This pumpkin bundt cake looks phenominal! And I absolutely love the taste of brown butter frosting. I will definitely put this on my list to bake this fall season :)

    1. I managed without a dw for a LONG time- but I started getting so angry and resentful about washing dishes- so this new change just feels like a huge weight lifted :)

  4. I have to make this! Maybe tomorrow….

  5. So glad you are all settled in!! Now you can rest up :) I tend to unpack in 24 hours too because I cannot stand boxes everywhere. This cakes looks so moist and it’s the perfect way to christen your new kitchen.

  6. Everything about his cake is screaming fall. I had to stop by after seeing this on pinterest. Love the idea of brown butter icing.

  7. Yay for the new place! And moving sucks. I remember not eating anything either – there’s just too much to do!

    Now this bundt cake – holy moly that brown butter icing is amazing! I could definitely take a swim in that first.

  8. Can’t wait to see your new place, I’m SO curious! Btw, love this cake, it’s the quintessential of Fall and I love that it lasts for a lot of days when packed right, so I can have it for breakfast all week long. Could it get any better?!

    xo, Elisa

  9. Dude, this looks a.maz.ing. I can’t wait to try it!

  10. Happy happy happy! Welcome to your new home! That’s so exciting! I’m so glad you got unpacked-it’s my favorite part too. I love when babies are moving that much! Omg I would just be sitting there with my hand on your belly if I were Andy. It’s the best!

  11. This cake is so moist and delicious! I made it this weekend and had a hard time not eating the whole thing by myself!

    1. Isn’t it the best? Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out!

  12. Tricia sent me this receipe and I baked it yesterday for our homegroup. Everyone voted it was delicious. That browned butter icing is absolutely the best. Thanks for introducing it to me.

    1. I’m so glad you liked it Carol- thanks for letting me know! :)

  13. for the record, this cake is PHENOMENAL. i was the lucky new neighbor who got to taste it. :) …and am now making it for my baby’s first birthday [party] this weekend.

  14. I just made this cake, and have not even made the icing yet, and the cake is delicious! I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used a mixture of Greek yogurt and eggnog in the place of it. Divine! Thanks for another great pumpkin recipe for my portfolio of them!

  15. Wow that looks so delish! Gona make this one. Do you have any suggestions on how you browned your butter? Thank you!

    1. I often times brown my butter by putting it in a large glass bowl with a tight lid and microwaving for 5-6 minutes. Or- just do it on the stoveop- stirring constantly until its browned and smells toasty.

  16. Kathy In Cali says:

    thank you for this recipe! I actually made this for my mother in law for Thanksgiving and she loved it! She has since asked me to make it for her bible study’s annual Christmas dinner, and again for Christmas Eve. She even offered to pay me $20 per cake! She said it tasted like something from a world class bakery, so of course I took all the credit ; ) I’ll be checking back with you frequently for more yummy things to make. Thanks again!

  17. One question…wha at do you do with the left over 3/4 can of pumpkin?

    1. YOu know a reader told me she always puts the whole can in this cake and it still turns out great! But- I usually save it and make a loaf of pumpkin bread or pumpkin pancakes!

  18. Jeannette says:

    I just made this cake. I can’t speak for the cake itself since I have to save it for later but I must comment on the frosting…..it is delicious. It kindof has a maple taste to it to me . Can’t wait to taste it all together.

  19. Stefanie Scaturchio says:

    I made this today for the first time. It was excellent. One of the best pumpkin recipes I have tried. I followed the recipe exactly except that I did not have any nutmeg or cloves. Instead, I used just 1/8 teaspoon of Ginger, and an 1/8 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and of course, the cinnamon. The flavor was really good. One thing that everyone who ate it commented on was how “moist” it was! It truly is a moist and flavorful cake, with great texture. Love it!! Thank you.

  20. Hey, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues.

    When I look at your website in Opera, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer,
    it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up!

    Other then that, fantastic blog!

  21. Any recommended baking time/temp for a regular cake pan, 9×13 or cupcakes?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *