Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake with Blueberry Filling

Steps

1. Make the filling first: in a small pot, stir together the frozen blueberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until bubbling and thick, 8–10 minutes. Spread on a plate and chill until cold.
2. Brown the butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat, swirling, until it smells nutty and the bits turn golden, 5–7 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and cool 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 3–4 minutes, and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round pans and line them with parchment.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg.
6. Into the cooled brown butter, whisk the brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
7. Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just until no dry streaks remain. Divide the batter evenly, half into each pan.
8. Bake 28–32 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
9. For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Add the cold heavy cream and whip to firm peaks.
10. Place one cake layer on a plate. Pipe a ring of about a quarter of the frosting around the edge, spread the chilled blueberry filling inside the ring, and top with the second layer.
11. Cover the top and sides with the remaining three-quarters of the frosting and sprinkle the toasted pecans over the top. Chill 30 minutes to set, then cut into 12 slices. Keep leftovers refrigerated.