Butternut squash is my Fall favorite
I love butternut squash. It is a flavor I enjoy both in savory dishes like my Butternut Squash Galette. I love it roasted in salads or even over pasta. I also think it works well on the sweet side. Butternut squash is simalar to pumpkin, but I actually think it has a deeper, richer flavor. You can find prepackaged butternut squash in most grocery stores making it easy to prepare. The squash bakes up beautifuly with just a little bland tasting oil and then pureeing it. I’ve never had it be to wattery or bland for baking. I didn’t want to just make a Bundt cake substituting butternut squash for pumpkin, so I played around with the spices and added orange rind without over powering the flavor of the butternut squash.
The caramel sauce is not only great on this cake but also awesome poured over ice cream, and wait till you try it on a waffle! It doesn’t take long to make. Infact I made it while the cake was cooling. The sauce isn’t very sweet which brings out the butternut squash in the cake.
I always see the containers of peeled and already chopped up butternut squash in the grocery stores. I’ve seen them in various sizes. For this recipe I used 2 20-oz packages. Your store may have different sizes than what I found. You can also peel and seed your own butternut squash, cutting it into 1 inch chunks.
I love this cake so much. It was hard to take it to work, as I wanted to just sit in my sweats and eat it all…lol This would be great for Thanksgiving instead of your traditional pumpkin pie. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
A butternut squash pound cake with a caramel sauce
- 40 oz butternut squash chunks
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
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Pre heat the oven to 375°.
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Toss the butternut squash with the vegetable oil and roast for 60 to 70 minutes, tossing occasionally until the edges are starting to brown and the chunks are very tender.
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Set aside to cool 10 minutes or so
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Turn oven down to 350°.
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Puree the butternut squash in a food processor. You should get approximately 2 cups.
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Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Flour (or spray with a floured cooking spray)
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In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground coriander. Set aside.
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In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar and brown sugar until very light and creamy.
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Add in the eggs, one at a time beating well and scraping down the side of the bowl after each addition.
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Beat in the orange rind, vanilla and the pureed butternut squash.
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At low speed stir in the flour mixture. Continue mixing just until the flour has been incorporated. You can mix in the flour by hand using a large spatula.
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Spread the batter in to the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing out the batter evenly.
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Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, and then invert onto a rack and cool completely.
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Dust with powdered sugar and serve drizzled with the caramel sauce. Or serve the sauce on the side.
A great caramel sauce for cakes or ice cream
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons bourbon or whisky
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup roasted pecans, chopped
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In a small to medium saucepan, combine the sugar and the ¼ cup water.
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Over medium heat, swirl the pan. Do NOT stir for about 15 minutes or until the sugar gets to a deep amber color. Watch closely as not to let it burn.
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Remove from the heat and slowly add the cream while stirring. Be careful the caramel is very hot
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Add the salt and bourbon. Quickly stir in the pecans.
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Place back on heat for another minute, while continuing to stir, to melt out any clumps.
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Transfer to a heat-safe dish or bottle and let cool. Pour over a bowl of ice cream or serve with a cake. Try it on waffles with whipped cream.
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