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Butternut Squash Spice Cake

Photo Credit
Becky Luigart-Stayner
Catherine Boeckmann
Yield
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Category
Cakes and Frostings
Course
Desserts
Occasions
Thanksgiving
Preparation Method
Bake
Sources
Old Farmer's Almanac Contests
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Watch out, carrot cake! This spongy Butternut Squash Spice Cake won first prize in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide Recipe Contest. Moist and flavorful! Try it!

Cooked puréed squash adds rich flavor and plenty of moisture to this spiced, delicious cake.  If you don’t have all the spices, it’s flexible and you can mix up the spices. 

Serve as a dessert, a snack, or even as a coffee cake for breakfast.

The winning prize goes to Darlene Bueger from Peoria, Arizona. 

See more winning butternut squash recipes!

Cake

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs separated plus 5 egg whites
1 cup, cooked and puréed butternut squash
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Get out a 10-inch tube pan with removable bottom.

In a bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks and squash. Add squash mixture to flour mixture and stir to blend.

In another bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, or until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of egg white mixture into squash mixture, just until no streaks remain. Repeat with remaining egg white mixture. Pour batter into tube pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into bottom comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes, then invert pan onto narrow-necked bottle. Allow to hang upside down until completely cooled.

Invert cake and transfer to cake plate to be frosted.

 

Frosting

Ingredients
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
Instructions

In a bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger.

Using a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into cream cheese until combined.

Frost sides and top of cake. Sprinkle with toasted pecans.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Drizzle cake with caramel ice cream topping before serving.

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

Barbara Sinclair (not verified)

3 years ago

Does the recioe mean a total of 9 egg whites are needed (ie, the 4 from the separated eggs plus 5 more), or a total of 5 egg whites are needed (ie, including the 4 whites from the separated eggs)?

Erin (not verified)

6 years ago

I don't have a tube pan. Does this recipe convert well to cupcakes? (Obviously baking time reduced.)

Hi, Erin. If you don’t have a tube pan, you could use a bundt pan. The resulting cake is spongy, think Angel Food Cake, and we’re not sure that would make a good cupcake. But give it a try if you like. We love to experiment in the kitchen!

I used the bundt pan, but before I filled it, I scooped out just enough to make one cupcake. I baked it alongside the cake for 20 minutes, and it came out spongy, delicious and so cute! I'd attach a photo if I could. It had a nice flat top and the ridges on the side from the cupcake paper, so I just frosted the top and sprinkled the nuts and it made a perfect portion. Thanks for the recipe!

Robin (not verified)

6 years 1 month ago

Spray the tube pan before adding batter? Grease and flour it? Also, looks like this recipe with whipped cream frosting would need to be eaten right away, not intended to be kept for a week. Without the frosting or with a different kind of frosting, the cake should keep for a good while, I would think. Curious to try this cake that calls for more sugar than flour.

Hi, Robin. We thoroughly enjoyed this cake and we hope you do, too. There is no need to spray, grease, or flour the tube pan. The cake would keep for a day or so on the counter, but any longer and we would store in the refrigerator.