Honeynut Squash Cake with Brown Butter Glaze & Roasted Pecans

December 28, 2020

When you roast honeynut squash, it tastes just like candied yams. Honeynut squash is so naturally sweet that it’s an excellent pairing with warm spices. If you want a dessert that feels like the best part of Thanksgiving, make this loaf cake topped with brown butter glaze and pecans. Sit down, relax and enjoy a slice with your morning coffee too.

Ingredients:

Roasted Honeynut Squash Puree: 

2 medium honeynut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons olive oil 

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Cake: 

1 cup white sugar 

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves 

½ teaspoon kosher salt

3 large pasture raised eggs, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda 

 

Glaze: 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup powdered sugar 

2 tablespoons whole milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

⅓ cup pecans, chopped 

Directions: 

Roasted Honeynut Squash Puree:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Place the halves of honeynut squash cut side up on the foil-lined baking sheet. 
3. Drizzle the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt. 
4. Put the squash in the oven and roast for 1 hour until the flesh is soft enough to scoop. Cool for 5 minutes. 
5. Using a spoon, scoop the honeynut squash flesh into a small bowl. Then, mash it with a fork until it’s smooth. It should yield about 1 ¾ cups of puree. 

Cake: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9.5 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and grease with a non-stick spray. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and olive oil. Mix with a whisk until well-blended. Add in one egg at a time, making sure each egg is incorporated before mixing in the next one.  
4. Add one cup of the flour mixture into the bowl. Whisk until no flour streaks remain. Mix in half of the honeynut squash puree. Once that’s incorporated, repeat the process alternating with the remaining flour and puree. Make sure to begin and end with the flour mixture. 
5. Pour cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then pull cake out to finish cooling on a wire rack. 

Glaze: 

1. While the cake is cooling, roast chopped pecans in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes until they smell toasted and fragrant. Make sure to stir the nuts constantly to make sure they don’t burn. 
2. Take the pecans out of the pan and let cool in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, sift in 1 cup of powdered sugar. Set aside. 
4. In a small pot, melt the butter over low heat and stir with a rubber spatula. Within 5-7 minutes of stirring, the butter will foam and sizzle and you’ll have browned butter that smells nutty. Immediately whisk brown butter into the medium bowl with powdered sugar. 
5. Mix in 2 tablespoons of whole milk and vanilla extract until smooth. 
6. Pour the glaze over the top of the loaf cake and top with roasted pecans. 

 

This recipe was created by Local Roots Recipe Contributor @theduskykitchen. 

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