Chai Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream
This simple cake is full of pumpkin and chai flavors and frosted with a delicious browned butter buttercream. The cake is fluffy and super moist, thanks to the pumpkin puree, and the frosting has a perfectly smooth texture with a deep flavor that pairs well with the fall flavors of the cake.
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This cake is for fall lovers. Not only does the pumpkin puree keep this cake very soft and fluffy, it also adds a noticeable pumpkin flavor that is to die for. Added to that is a lovely blend of chai spices, which to me scream fall and all things warm and cozy.
What really takes the cake here (haha, see what I did there?) is the browned butter buttercream. It’s so smooth and so rich in flavor. There’s nothing quite like browned butter, and adding it to buttercream creates this slightly nutty, slightly caramelized flavor that pairs beautifully with the chai pumpkin cake.
Together, this cake is one of my new fall favorites.
Why this recipe works
Using pumpkin instead of milk makes this cake 1) very pumpkin-y, 2) very moist, and 3) very fluffy. It also gives that lovely orange color that screams fall. Because pumpkin adds such a different texture than the milk and can even dry it out, I’ve completely subbed the butter for oil. The pumpkin will make up for how dense this can make it, and the two together create a super fluffy, super moist cake.
Beyond that perfect pumpkin flavor, I used my favorite chai spice mix, adding in a lovely warm, almost exotic flavor. It’s a bit spicer than your average pumpkin pie spice, thanks to extra ginger and using cloves and allspice. Plus, the star: cardamom. If you don’t like cardamom (or chai), you can easily leave this out (see below for substitution ideas).
Finally, that buttercream. The browned butter not only reduces the amount of water, making this a very smooth and creamy frosting, but it adds a deep, nutty, slightly caramelized flavor to the buttercream. It pairs perfectly with any spiced cake and is my favorite fall frosting. Plus, the specks of browned butter (which are the browned milk solids) are so fun and festive!
Key ingredients
Flour. Be sure to spoon then level your flour so you don’t pack it in, and don’t skip the sifting!
Baking powder. Be sure yours hasn’t been open longer than 6 months, as it loses its potency after about that long, regardless of the stated expiration date.
Chai spices. I used cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can use any chai spice mix you like or sub pumpkin pie spice (see below).
Oil. I always use avocado or grape seed oil in my baking, but you can sub vegetable or canola.
Sugar/brown sugar. Brown sugar is ideal for a fall/spiced cake, but you need a little regular sugar to help it rise better.
Eggs. Be sure your eggs are fresh and room temperature.
Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
Pumpkin puree. Use plain pumpkin. You want to use a less watery pumpkin. Some brands are more of an applesauce consistency, in which case you’d blot it a bit (see note below).
Browned butter buttercream. This can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for 2-4 weeks or frozen for 1-2 months. See note below for subbing a different buttercream.
How to make chai pumpkin cake
1. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. Sifting is necessary to get a fluffy cake.
2. Whisk wet ingredients and sugar. Whisk well, until sugar starts to dissolve.
3. Fold dry ingredients into the wet. You don’t need to get it smooth, just fold until there’s no visibly dry flour.
4. Bake. You’ll need to prep your pan with butter and flour or baking spray. I made a half recipe for these photos, but the recipe is written for a simple 9x13 snack cake. You can also make a stacked round cake, but reduce baking time.
5. Brown the butter. I suggest doing this while the cake bakes, so it can cool by the time the cake is ready to frost.
6. Make the buttercream. You’ll combine regular butter and the browned butter, then proceed with adding powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, just like a regular American buttercream.
7. Frost cake. You can remove it from the pan or frost it directly in the pan. I only removed mine for photography purposes and encourage you to leave it in the pan to keep it fresh longer.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Can I make this without the chai flavor?
Yes! You can sub one tablespoon (8g) of pumpkin pie spice (plus a teaspoon (3g) more of cinnamon, if desired) to create a simple pumpkin cake. I just really love chai, so I decided to try my hand at the pairing. You could also simply omit the cardamom and increase the other spices until you have about a tablespoon (8g) total spices. It’s entirely up to you!
Can I use a different frosting?
Yes! I personally think this is the best pairing for any spice cake, but sometimes you just want to change it up, or maybe you don’t like browned butter or need want to avoid the golden specks. In that event, you can use just about any frosting. Some good options are:
Brown Sugar Spice Buttercream, another fall-ish frosting with a great flavor and texture
Vanilla Bean Buttercream, for a nice earthy flavor without the nuttiness of browned butter
Whipped Sea Salt Vanilla Bean Buttercream, for that earthy flavor but with a pop of sea salt and a super fluffy texture
Coffee Buttercream, for a dirty chai pumpkin latte flavor
Salted Caramel Buttercream, for a sweet contrast
Chocolate Buttercream, because chocolate and pumpkin are always a good idea
What if my pumpkin is thin?
I used Libby’s for this cake, but I usually use Trader Joe’s pumpkin, which is on the watery side. Think of the difference between applesauce and mashed potatoes (the kind you can scoop that will somewhat hold their shape—not potato puree). If your pumpkin is more like applesauce, you’ll want to blot it with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture. Otherwise, you may have a slightly denser cake that will take longer to bake.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! Depending on my schedule, I almost always make the frosting at least a few days ahead, whipping it quickly with a hand mixer before using. For the cake layers, I often bake my cakes the day before I plan to serve them. I let them cool completely then wrap them well in plastic wrap (I know, NOT eco-friendly), leave them on the counter overnight, then decorate them the next day. If I’m planning a rather intricate or time-consuming decoration, I’ll decorate them the night before and either refrigerate them or leave them on the counter, depending on the type of frosting/filling as well as the location (in fact, for outdoor parties I often freeze the cake then keep it in the shade until serving, when it will have warmed up just enough to cut without melting). You can also bake the cake further in advance and refrigerate (well wrapped) it for 1-2 days or freeze it for up to a month, but this can dry it out a little. It’s actually more ideal to freeze a frosted cake, if you have room. Simply freeze it for an hour then carefully wrap the whole thing with a few layers of plastic wrap. Leave the plastic on while it defrosts to allow the condensation to stick to the plastic, not the frosting.
Spoon then level your flour
Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this cake. Affiliate links provided.
Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)
All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier so the batter and frosting doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)
9x13 cake pan (or 8” cake pans or 6” cake pans)
Offset spatula for frosting the cake
Chai Pumpkin Cake with Browned Butter Buttercream
- prep time: 30-35 minutes
- bake time: 40-45 minutes
- total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes (plus cooling time for cake)
servings: 12-16
Ingredients:
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (289g) flour, spooned then leveled and sifted
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon (2g) ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon (1g) ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
- ¾ cup (164g) light flavor oil (avocado, grape seed, vegetable, etc.)
- 1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 1 15oz. can (425g) plain pumpkin puree
- one batch browned butter buttercream
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325F/165C. Lightly grease and flour (or spray with baking spray) a 9x13 cake pan. Alternatively, you can use two 8” or 9” pans or three 6” pans for a stacked layer cake, but line those with parchment for easy removal.
- Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift and whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl or with a hand mixer or hand whisk), beat the oil, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin on medium medium for 30-60 seconds, until well-blended and the sugar has started to dissolve.
- Add the flour mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined and no visibly dry bits of flour remain. Don’t worry if you see some lumps, those will bake out.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- While the cake cooks is an ideal time to brown the butter for the buttercream, since it needs at least 30 minutes to cool.
- Let cake cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack until completely cooled.
- While the cake cools, make the buttercream.
- Frost completely cooled cake directly in the pan, unless making a stacked cake. Alternatively, you can remove the cake from the pan and frost it on all sides.
Enjoy!
Cake will last, at room temperature, for 3-5 days. Keep cake and leftover well sealed.
