Honeynut Squash Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

A bonus recipe from the book!

I promise I excel in the savory department, I promise. And we’ll be back there! Soon! But this fall, in between stew-y vegetable-forward soups and roasted salads, baking has really been calling to me. And as I was looking at the cookbook (out! this! month!), I realized there are two seasons this book really thrives in: 1) Summer, for all the fresh, vegetable-filled recipes and 2) Fall, for all the squash, brussels, and kale recipes that pack the pages.

And I filmed this Honeynut Squash Cake video for a brand deal, but I sadly had to swap to another video for the client. As soon as the brand passed on this cake, I quickly emailed my marketing manager at my publisher (Hi Brianne, love u), and asked if I could give the video out as a bonus recipe for the book.

Everyone say: Thank you, Brianne. Because she said yes!

Now in the book this is a Butternut Squash Cake (page 275!), but the beauty is you can play around with the squash a bit. I found a honeynut is the perfect size for the recipe, and supremely concentrated in flavor.

So with that, I present to you a cake that is better than any pumpkin bread I’ve ever had, packed with brown butter and just the right amount of baking spices, and nutty from the small (but mighty!) addition of dark rye flour.

But, let’s say you only have all-purpose flour and butternut squash on hand…to paraphrase Ina Garten, that’s completely fine ;)

Honeynut Squash Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

The last recipe in the book, and one of my favorites. If you like this recipe, consider purchasing a copy of the book it comes from.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 tablespoons / 113 grams salted butter

• 3/4 cup / 150 grams plus 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups / 330 grams cooked and mashed honeynut squash or butternut squash (canned squash purée also works)

• 3/4 cup / 105 grams all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup / 115 grams dark rye flour

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• 1 cup / 240 mL heavy cream, chilled

INSTUCTIONS

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. Set a small saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Melt the butter, then let is foam and cook, stirring occasionally until flecks of brown form at the bottom of the pan, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the brown butter to a medium bowl and whisk to let it cool.

3. Whisk 3/4 cup of the sugar into the brown butter. Crack in the eggs and add the vanilla. Whisk into a smooth mixture. Add the squash directly into the bowl (there still may be a few chunks, but that’s fine) and whisk to combine. Switch to a spatula and fold in the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the all spice, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine into a nice, thick batter.

4. Scrape the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan onto a wire rack. Continue to let cool before slicing.

5. While the cake is baking, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), combine the heavy cream, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes. Chill the cream in the fridge until the cake is ready.

6. To serve, slice and top with the whipped cream!

And it’s just a recipe in today’s newsletter, and we’ll have a bit more of a chat in tomorrow’s. You’ll see why! I’m excited and love you very much. Enjoy the cake, and happy October <3

Xoxo,

Loaf_Snacks