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Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake

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Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake, that’s a mouthful! And, that’s a mouthful you’re gonna want to put right in your piehole, immediately. For me, holiday season is referred to as pie season, the time of year when my kitchen becomes a full time pie shop. My Apple Cheddar Pie with it’s unique leafy design and distinct sharp cheddar crust  is the ultimate show-stopping Thanksgiving table recipe. But, I realize that for some strange reason beyond my understanding, a handful of you prefer pumpkin spice cake to pie (weirdos).  Even though I fundamentally disagree with you and can’t imagine life without pie, this Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake is for you and your backwards ways. 

I’ve had a major crush on bundt cakes lately, especially since I bought my Nordic Ware Crown Bundt Pan a few months back. With it’s stunning shape that traps glazes in all kinds of places, it doesn’t take much to grab the attention of cake fans with this pretty pan. So let the pan do the fussy design work while you focus on flavor and explore all kinds of bundt cake recipes. 

Nordic Ware Crown Bundt Pan

Still so in love with my Nordic Ware Crown Bundt Pan.

This Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake is inspired by my Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with Grilled Cherries but has a warm and toasty twist for Fall. It all starts with browned butter to add depth and richness to the smooth, bourbon laced, spicy pumpkin batter.  Once it bakes, we hit that baby with a second shot of bourbon and cover it, inside and out, with a glossy bourbon glaze; resulting in a super moist and indulgent bundt cake. It’s refined and masculine with a warm and toasty pumpkin spice, so it should meet all of the needs of your Thanksgiving dinner guests. 

Because this Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake happens to be one of the best cakes I’ve ever made, just this once, I will allow the pie to slide to the side and let them eat cake.

brown butter

Browning the butter first brings a depth to the cake that pairs beautifully with the sweet bourbon glaze.

pumpkin spice

Pumpkin spices add warmth and give this cake all of the signature Fall feels.

sifting cake flour

This Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake is a dense cake but to help lighten things up, be sure to use sifted cake flour.

add eggs 1 at a time

Add eggs one at a time when baking cakes, this helps keep things light.

pumpkin puree, buttermilk and bourbon

Blend the pumpkin puree, buttermilk and bourbon together before adding to the batter.

filled bundt pan

Fill the prepared bundt pan with the batter and smooth out the top.

poke holes in the bottom of the bundt cake

Using a wooden skewer, poke holes all over the bottom of the Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake. This creates channels for the bourbon glaze and fills the cake with boozy moisture.

glazing the Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake

Pour 3/4 of the glaze evenly into the bottom of the cake, filling the channels with sweet sticky boozy syrup.

Unveiling the Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake.

Unveiling the Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake is the most exciting part!

Brush the Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with the remaining glaze to give it rich bourbon flavor and a stunning sheen,

Use a pastry brush to brush the Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with the remaining glaze to give it rich bourbon flavor and a stunning sheen.

This Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake is as pretty as can be.

This Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake is as pretty as can be.

Whip up some whipped cream.

Quickly whip up some whipped cream to top that stunning Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake. Just a simple mix of heavy cream, a little sugar and an ice cold metal mixer bowl and whisk attachment. 

Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake served with a dollop of Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake served with a dollop of Cinnamon Whipped Cream. Perfect for Fall.

Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

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Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

PUMPKIN SPICE BROWN BUTTER BOURBON BUNDT CAKE

  • Author: Becky Sue of Baking The Goods
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 12 slices
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Description

Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake: brown butter, pumpkin spice cake, blanketed with a glossy bourbon glaze; for a super moist, spicy & indulgent cake.

Ingredients

Units

PUMPKIN SPICE BROWN BUTTER BOURBON BUNDT CAKE

  • 3 cups fine pastry or cake flour (- sifted)
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (- at room temperature)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (- firmly packed)
  • 4 large eggs (- at room temperature)
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1 cup buttermilk (- at room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

SALTED BOURBON GLAZE

  • 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

WHIPPED CREAM

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • cinnamon (- to taste)

Instructions

PUMPKIN SPICE BROWN BUTTER BOURBON BUNDT CAKE

  1. Prepare a 10 cup bundt pan by brushing the inside (into all of the nooks and crannies) with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and a pastry brush, then lightly dust the buttered pan with an even layer of cake flour.
  2. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350° F.
  3. Place 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt completely. Just before it starts to brown, it will begin to foam up. Slowly whisk or swirl the butter until it begins to turn a warm chestnut color and tiny brown flecks start to form on the bottom of the pan. This is a delicate process, so stay vigilant. You want the butter browned but not burnt. Once you’ve browned the butter pour it into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool, I generally stick it in the fridge to hurry this process along.
  4. Sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a bowl then whisk by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining butter, (cooled) brown butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes, stopping to frequently scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer on a low speed, blend in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
  6. Combine the pumpkin, bourbon and buttermilk in a small bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the pumpkin-buttermilk-bourbon mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape down the bowl. Stop the mixture before the last flour addition and blend by hand with a spatula until the mix is just combined.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread it out evenly. Place the bundt pan on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes, carefully rotating the cake halfway through the bake time.

SALTED BOURBON GLAZE

  1. During the last 15 minutes of the cake bake; combine the butter, sugar, salt and bourbon in a small saucepan over low heat, warm until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, whisking to combine. Set aside.
  2. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it in the pan. With a wooden skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake, creating small channels down into the cake. Slowly, pour 3/4 of the glaze over the cake, reserving the remaining glaze.
  3. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then gently plop it out onto a serving plate so the glazed part is on the bottom. Brush the top and sides with the remaining bourbon glaze. If the glaze has thickened, re-warm it over low heat.

WHIPPED CREAM

  1. Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into the freezer and chill for 15 minutes.
  2. Pour the whipping cream and sugar into the chilled mixing bowl. Whisk just until the cream reaches stiff peaks, around 5 minutes. When you take the whisk out of the cream, the peaks should hold firmly but have soft tips. Stop whisking before the cream turns grainy.
  3. Slice and serve the cake with whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
Pumpkin Spice Brown Butter Bourbon Bundt Cake by Baking The Goods