butternut squash cake recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal #cake

Butternut Squash Cake Recipe

Written by Becky

Today you’ll find all kinds of seasonal recipes floating around the web! Follow the hashtag #eatseasonal or check out the links below for inspiration.  After recently attending a dinner at Solitude Ski resort inspiration came for this seasonally appropriate Butternut Squash Cake.  I made my version in a bundt cake pan and topped it with spiced whip cream, salted caramel and roasted apples.  If you’ve never roasted apples before, move that to the top of your list.. they are so satisfying during the cold months!

Butternut Squash Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

I served this cake to a group of homeless from our downtown.  One of the highlights from my year has been getting involved with a few cook/chef friends to put on special dinners for table of homeless every month.  We’ve made everything from braised pork shoulder to crispy cheese polenta and these apricot raspberry galettes. We cook a fabulous meal, something you might find at one of the best restaurants in town, then we serve it to those who are often the most marginalized in town.  The evening is usually one that brings out a mixture of emotions, from pleasure to sadness.

Butternut Squash Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

The friends at our table all have a story to tell and through out the course of our meal, we usually get to hear them.  What these folks have been through is beyond my imagination and even then, most of them are smiling or laughing while pulling up a seat at our meal.

The inspiration for this meal comes from this verse:

Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.” – Luke 14:12-14 (the message)

Every time I’ve been a part of this meal, I’ve left more filled and joyful that I’ve been in weeks or even months.  The unexpected lightheartedness that often comes from the table is incredible. While many dinner parties drain and tire this one just seems to supply.  I am filled and grateful. And at this last dinner,  I was super glad they were all daring enough to try my butternut squash cake!  Many even got seconds!

Butternut Squash Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

Here’s our lovely round up of seasonal recipes for this month. Hope you have holiday parties that fill you up this month too!

December Seasonal Recipes

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Butternut Squash and Cranberries by Well Plated

Pomegranate Yogurt Bowls by Mountain Mama Cooks

Persimmon Pumpkin Tart with Streusel Top by Suitcase Foodist

Meyer Lemon Cottage Cheese Sugar Cookies by Food for My Family

Kale Salad with Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Orange by Flavor the Moments

Christmas Stollen Madeleines with Preserved Lemon by Simple Bites

Avocado Toast with Persimmon, Pomegranate and Fennel by Floating Kitchen

Butternut Squash Cake with Roasted Apples and Spiced Cream by Vintage Mixer

Persimmon Tart with Pecan Crust by Letty’s Kitchen

Cabbage Slaw with Honey Lime Yogurt Vinaigrette by The Lemon Bowl

Roasted Persimmon Butter by Cafe Johnsonia

Lemon Poppyseed Baked Oatmeal by Project Domestication

Persimmon Apple Crumb Pie by Kitchen Confidante

Butternut Squash Cake Recipe

A seasonal cake made with butternut squash and winter spices. This cake is great served with whipped cream, caramel, and apples.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 16 ounces butternut squash puree,* or 1 16 ounce can
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together sugars and oil on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between.
  • Add the pureed squash and let the mixer run while you mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
  • In the dry ingredient bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
  • Turn the speed down to low and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix together just until the flour is incorporated.
  • Spoon the batter evenly into the bundt pan, and smooth out the top.
  • Bake your cake for 50-55 minutes, checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the top of the cake. If your toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done.
  • Remove the cake from the oven, and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
  • Turn the cake onto a cooling rack. Tap the bottom of the bundt pan with a wooden spoon to help loosen if necessary.
  • Serve with spiced whipped cream, salted caramel, and roasted apples.

Notes

Butternut squash puree can be substituted with pumpkin or sweet potatoes.

I topped my cake with my quick caramel sauce (no whiskey added), whipped cream sweetened lightly with powdered sugar and spiced with cloves and cinnamon, and roasted apples (roasted on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer at 400 for 30-35 minutes and flipping half way through).  To ensure the apples don’t brown you can toss them in a little lemon juice before baking.

Comments (10)

    • Thanks so much Sarah! I’ sure I’ve asked you this before but you’re welcome to join in on the eat seasonal crew if you’d like. Just let me know and I’ll get you all set up!

  1. Butternut squash in a cake sounds like such a wonderful idea, Becky! The roasted apples and caramel sound like the perfect compliments, too. 🙂 Feeding the homeless sounds very rewarding and that’s such a phenomenal way to give back! Thank you for hosting another month, Becky — I loved these ingredients!

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