Butternut Squash Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

Featured image 3 for Butternut Squash Cake Recipe.

5 from 2 votes

Butternut Squash Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

You'll love each slice of this moist butternut squash cake with apple chunks and autumn spices! The tangy buttermilk glaze takes this easy fall dessert to the next level.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $0.61 per serving

Equipment

10-inch springform pan or 9x13-inch baking dish

Ingredients

For the Butternut Squash Cake

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons cinnamon divided
½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground
½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter ½ cup softened to room temperature; 1 tablespoon melted
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar divided
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs at room temperature
¾ cups cooked and pureed butternut squash or puréed acorn squash or pumpkin
½ cup buttermilk
3-4 medium Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup walnuts rough-chopped
¼ cup golden raisins

For the Buttermilk Glaze (Option #1)

1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
1-3 tablespoons buttermilk

For the Cream Cheese Frosting (Option #2)

½ cup unsalted butter softened
8 ounces cream cheese softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Butternut Squash Cake

Grease a 10-inch springform pan or 9x13x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and the nutmeg.
In a large separate bowl, beat the butter for until smooth with a hand mixer for about 1 minute. Add 1¼ cups of granulated sugar and vanilla, then beat until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, stir the mashed squash with the buttermilk. Add squash mixture and dry ingredients alternately to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add 1½ cups of the chopped apple, walnuts, and the raisins into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. To the remaining 1 cup of chopped apples, add the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and toss well to coat the apples. Scatter the cinnamon sugar apples on top of batter.
Bake in 325°F oven for 1 to 1¼ hours for springform pan, and 50 minutes to hour for 9x13-inch pan or till cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. If using springform pan, loosen sides of pan; if using a 9x13 baking pan, invert onto cooling rack after 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before either glazing or frosting.

If Making the Buttermilk Glaze...

Stir together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and enough buttermilk to make drizzle consistency (add 1 tablespoon at a time till desired consistency).

If Making Cream Cheese Frosting...

Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Decorating the Cake

Drizzle the cooled cake with the buttermilk glaze or spread the cream cheese frosting on top. Let the glaze set, then slice and enjoy.

Notes

Bring the ingredients to room temperature before assembling the batter.
Let the cake cool for 30 minutes before adding the buttermilk glaze, or at least 2 hours before adding cream cheese frosting.
If you make this cake with the buttermilk glaze, feel free to choose whether or not to refrigerate the leftovers. However, if you use the cream cheese frosting, you must refrigerate any uneaten portions of cake.
When refrigerating the cake, cover the cake with plastic film right up against the crumb so it does not dry out.

Nutrition