Baking recipe · from the recipe book

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake with Cocoa Cheesecake Swirl

Name: Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake with Cocoa Cheesecake Swirl
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Yield: 12 slices
Ingredients: ½ cup (113 g) Unsalted butter, cut into pieces; 1⅔ cups (400 g) Pumpkin puree, canned; 2 cups (240 g) All-purpose flour; ⅔ cup packed (150 g) Brown sugar, packed; 3 tbsp (60 g) Maple syrup; 3 large (150 g) Eggs, divided, at room temperature; ½ cup (120 ml, 120 g) Buttermilk, low-fat, at room temperature; 2 tsp (8 g) Vanilla extract; 1⅛ tsp (5 g) Baking soda; ¾ tsp (4 g) Baking powder; ¾ tsp (4 g) Salt; 2¼ tsp (6 g) Ground cinnamon; 1⅛ tsp (2 g) Ground ginger; ½ tsp (1 g) Ground nutmeg; ¾ cup (170 g) Cream cheese, softened; ¼ cup (50 g) Granulated sugar; ¼ cup (20 g) Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted; ½ cup chopped (60 g) Pecans, chopped

A tender, deeply spiced pumpkin cake with nutty brown butter and maple, swirled with a silky cocoa cream cheese filling and topped with toasted pecans.

Oven
2 hr 45 min · 30 min hands-on
Makes 1 cake (12 slices)
Vegetarian

31–45 g carbs
Sodium 600 mg or less
500 calories or less

Ingredients

½ cup113 gUnsalted buttercut into pieces
1⅔ cups400 gPumpkin puree, canned
2 cups240 gAll-purpose flour
⅔ cup packed150 gBrown sugarpacked
3 tbsp60 gMaple syrup
3 large150 gEggsdivided, at room temperature
½ cup (120 ml)120 gButtermilk, low-fatat room temperature
2 tsp8 gVanilla extract
1⅛ tsp5 gBaking soda
¾ tsp4 gBaking powder
¾ tsp4 gSalt
2¼ tsp6 gGround cinnamon
1⅛ tsp2 gGround ginger
½ tsp1 gGround nutmeg
¾ cup170 gCream cheesesoftened
¼ cup50 gGranulated sugar
¼ cup20 gUnsweetened cocoa powdersifted
½ cup chopped60 gPecanschopped

Steps

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling, until it foams and smells nutty with brown flecks, 5 to 6 minutes; pour into a large bowl and cool 10 minutes.
Make the cocoa filling first: in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder until smooth, then beat in one egg (one third of the eggs). Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg.
Into the cooled brown butter, whisk the brown sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin, buttermilk, vanilla and the remaining two eggs (the other two thirds) until smooth.
Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just until no dry streaks remain.
Spread the batter in the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the cocoa filling over the top and drag a knife through to make swirls.
Scatter the pecans over the cake.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick in the cake part comes out clean and the swirls are set.
Cool in the pan on a rack for at least 1 hour, then chill 30 minutes for neat slices. Lift out and cut into 12 slices; keep leftovers in the fridge.

Food safety: Don't taste raw dough or batter: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs.

Contains: Milk, Egg, Tree nuts, Gluten.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake with Cocoa Cheesecake Swirl

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