Ultimate Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake (with Dulce de Leche!)

It's Saturday, October 25th, and I'm writing this from Casablanca, Morocco. The air is crisp, the markets are bustling, and it's a beautifully different world from my home kitchen in Austin, Texas. But no matter where I am, when late October hits, my baking instincts are exactly the same: I need to make something cozy. I need pumpkin, and I need brown butter.

This Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake is my absolute showstopper for the season. It's not just a simple pumpkin loaf; it's a full-on celebration. We're talking two layers of incredibly moist, spiced pumpkin cake (made with nutty brown butter!), a surprise, rich filling of dulce de leche, and the whole thing is covered in the most divine Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. This is the cake I plan to make the second I get back to Austin for Thanksgiving.

Jump to:

• The Ultimate Show-Stopping Fall Layer Cake
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake
• Tips and Tricks for Success
• Variations
• How to Serve
• Make Ahead and Storage
• Recipe Notes / What I Learned
• Nutrition Snapshot
• Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake Recipe
• FAQs

The Ultimate Show-Stopping Fall Layer Cake

This is a "project bake," but every single step is worth it. The brown butter in the cake batter itself lends a deep, toasty, hazelnut-like flavour that cuts through the sweetness of the pumpkin. The dulce de leche filling is a decadent, creamy surprise. And the frosting... that brown butter cream cheese frosting is tangy, nutty, sweet, and so good you'll want to eat it with a spoon. It's the perfect centerpiece for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert table.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Brown Butter Three Ways: Brown butter is the star! It's in the cake batter and the cream cheese frosting, providing an unmatched nutty depth of flavour.
• Incredibly Moist Crumb: The combination of 100% pure pumpkin puree and the fat from the butter and oil creates a tender, plush cake that stays moist for days.
• Surprise Dulce de Leche Filling: Instead of just more frosting, a rich, thick layer of dulce de leche provides a distinct, milky-caramel flavour in the center.
• The BEST Frosting: The Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting is tangy, nutty, and perfectly sweet. It's the ultimate companion to the spiced cake.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for this epic three-layer dessert. For the full list with precise measurements, see the recipe card at the end of the post!

For the Brown Butter (The Secret!)

• Unsalted Butter: 10-12 Tablespoons. You need to yield 8 tablespoons (4oz for the cake, 4oz for the frosting) of room-temperature, softened brown butter.

For the Pumpkin Cake

• Sugars: A mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
• Eggs: 3 large eggs, at room temperature.
• Flavour: Pure vanilla extract.
• Pumpkin Puree: One 15-ounce can of 100% pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling).
• Flour: All-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.
• Spices: Pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves).
• Leavening: Baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

For the Frosting

• Cream Cheese: One 8-ounce block of full-fat, brick-style cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
• Sugar: Confectioners' (powdered) sugar, sifted.
• Flavour: Pure vanilla extract.
• Cream: Heavy whipping cream to make the frosting light and fluffy.

For the Assembly

• Dulce de Leche: About 6oz (or ⅔ cup) of thick, store-bought dulce de leche.
• Garnish: Pumpkin pie spice or pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds.

How to Make Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake

This is a layer cake, so the key is to bake and cool the components properly before assembly.

Step 1: Brown All the Butter (Prep First!)

This is the most important prep step. In a light-coloured saucepan, melt 10-12 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Let it melt, then foam, then bubble, stirring often. Watch it like a hawk until you see nutty, golden-brown specks (the beurre noisette) at the bottom and it smells toasty.

Immediately pour the brown butter into a heat-proof bowl. Weigh or measure out 4oz (½ cup) for the cake batter and let it cool. Pour the remaining 4oz (½ cup) into a small container and chill it in the fridge until it's solid (like a stick of butter). You will use this softened for the frosting later.

Step 2: Make the Pumpkin Cake Batter

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour two deep 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the 4oz of room-temperature browned butter and both sugars. Beat on medium speed for 4-6 minutes. The instructions are right: at first, the butter and sugar will look separate and weird. Just keep mixing! After the full time, it will become light and fluffy.

Add the room-temperature eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla extract. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until fully combined. (The mixture might look a bit curdled at this point-don't worry! It will all come together).

In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, just until combined. Do not overmix!

Step 3: Bake and Cool the Cakes

Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 34-38 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool in their pans on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes, then invert them onto the rack to cool completely.

Step 4: Make the Brown Butter Frosting

While the cakes cool, make the frosting. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the 4oz of room-temperature (softened solid) browned butter and the room-temperature cream cheese for 2 minutes until fluffy.

On low speed, add the sifted powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Once the sugar is incorporated, scrape the sides of the bowl down. Then, mix on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes until the frosting is incredibly light and fluffy.

Step 5: Assemble the Cake

Place one cake layer on your serving plate or cake stand. Spread the dulce de leche evenly on top, leaving a small ¼-inch border.

Place the second cake layer on top. (My pro-tip: place the bottom side up, so you have a perfectly flat top for frosting).

Spread the remaining brown butter cream cheese frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice or decorate with pumpkin seeds. Store the finished cake in the fridge.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using Hot/Liquid Brown Butter for the Frosting: This is the #1 mistake and will result in a soupy, greasy, broken mess. The brown butter for the frosting must be chilled until solid, then softened back to room temperature, just like regular butter.
2. Using Cold Cream Cheese/Eggs: If your ingredients are cold, your cake batter will curdle and your frosting will be lumpy. You must use room temperature ingredients (except for the heavy cream in the frosting).
3. Overmixing the Flour: Once the flour goes into the cake batter, stop mixing as soon as it's combined. Overmixing will develop the gluten and make your cake tough and dense.

Variations

This cake is already a showstopper, but you can always add a twist!

• Add Nuts: Fold 1 cup of toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts into the cake batter at the very end.
• Skip the Dulce de Leche: If you can't find it, you can just use the brown butter frosting as the filling instead.
• Make it a Sheet Cake: Pour the batter into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool, then spread the frosting over the top. This is a much simpler, but still delicious, version.
• Add a Drip: Garnish the chilled cake with a caramel sauce or chocolate ganache drip.

How to Serve

This Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake is a rich, decadent dessert, perfect for the holidays.

• It must be served chilled or at a cool room temperature. Because of the cream cheese frosting and dulce de leche, it will become too soft if left out for hours.
• It is the perfect centerpiece for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert table.
• Serve in tall slices with a hot cup of coffee or a Chai Latte.

Make Ahead and Storage

This is the perfect make-ahead cake!

• Make Ahead: You can bake the cake layers up to 2 days in advance. Let them cool completely, then wrap them very well in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator. The frosting can also be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Storage: The fully assembled cake must be stored in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting. It will keep in an airtight cake carrier for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: You can freeze the unfrosted cake layers. Wrap the cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.

Nutrition Snapshot

Estimated Nutrition Per Slice (1/12th of cake): ~630 calories · 8g protein · 80g carbs · 33g fat (This is an approximation for a very decadent dessert and can vary based on your specific ingredients.)

FAQs