Pumpkin Butter Cake + Maple Bourbon Caramel & Candied Pecans
Serves: serves 12
 
This recipe makes small bundt pans (roughly 5-6" each), 1 large bundt pan, or 6-12 mini bundt pans (depending on size).
Ingredients
  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • 8 tablespoons (4 ounces or 1 stick) Butter, softened
  • ¾ cup Raw Cane Sugar
  • 1 Vanilla Bean
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • ½ cup Buttermilk
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Puree (I use red kuri squash puree)
  • ¾ cup Sweet Rice Flour
  • ½ cup Oat flour
  • ⅓ cup Millet flour
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1½ teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
  • FOR THE MAPLE CARAMEL:
  • ½ cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • ½ cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 tablespoons Bourbon (Kahlua is also a good option)
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla
  • FOR THE CANDIED PECANS:
  • ¼ cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • ¾ cup Pecan Halves
Instructions
  1. FOR THE CAKE:
  2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 2 small bundt pans (roughly 5-6" each), 1 large bundt pan, or 6-12 mini bundt pans (depending on size).
  3. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds out into the sugar. Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined. Add the buttermilk and pumpkin puree to the mixture. Beat until completely mixed in. Set aside.
  4. Place the sweet rice flour, oat flour, millet flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
  5. Add dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix in until fully combined. Spoon the batter into prepared pan(s). Bundt pans should be about ⅔ full of batter.
  6. Bake cake(s) as follows: 55-60 minutes for a large bundt, 40-45 minutes for 2 smaller bundt pans, and 25-30 minutes for mini bundts. Test cake with a toothpick before removing from oven. Toothpick should come out clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
  7. Let cakes cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving dish, removing pans. Let cool completely.
  8. When cake has cooled, drizzle the maple bourbon caramel over the top and place a mound of candied pecans in the center.
  9. FOR THE MAPLE CARAMEL:
  10. Place the maple syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the maple syrup has thickened and gives off a caramelized aroma - take care not to burn as maple syrup can do so easily.
  11. Add the butter, cream, and bourbon to the caramelized maple syrup. Syrup may seize and harden, which is fine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the bubbling mixture becomes smooth and fully combined (this should take another 1-2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes before drizzling over cake.
  12. FOR THE CANDIED PECANS:
  13. Place the maple syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture becomes a pale golden color and is quite thick. Add the pecans to the bubbling mixture and stir until all nuts are coated.
  14. Pour the nuts onto a piece of parchment paper, spreading in a single layer. Let cool. Break any nuts that are stuck together apart. Use to garnish cake.
Recipe by The Kitchen McCabe at https://www.thekitchenmccabe.com/2016/11/01/pumpkin-butter-cake-maple-bourbon-caramel-candied-pecans/