Close Pumpkin Season Out with a Bang
This decadent and delicious Maple-Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake is begging you to dig in! The pumpkin cake is moist, velvety, and rich in texture. Delicious on its own, the base cake could absolutely be a stand-alone snack cake recipe. But why stop there? I’ve added a maple butter sauce made from 100% pure maple syrup, cream, a dash of nutmeg, and a lot of butter, ultimately giving this sauce its rich, lustrous, sticky, ooey, gooey goodness. Once you marry the pumpkin cake and the maple butter sauce together, you get indulgent blondie-like vibes, but secretly – this cake only requires minimal effort and cleanup!
If you like this recipe, then you’ll love my: Light and Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Tips for Your Maple-Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake
The Secret is in the Sauce: Making the maple butter sauce is my favorite part. As the sauce cooks, the sugars begin to caramelize, then all you can smell is the browning butter and caramel richness filling every corner of your home. It’s autumn, and I am, LOVING it! However, word to the wise – babysit this sauce to be careful that it doesn’t burn. You also want to be sure that you’re using your favorite brand of 100% Maple Syrup to get the best rich, pure maple flavor for your sauce. Artificial flavors in pancake syrup can become bitter and throw off the taste.
Tips for Less Cleanup: Line your baking dish with aluminum foil. The foil not only makes it easier to pull the cake from the pan, but it also makes cleanup a cinch!
What is a Snack Cake?
There is much debate over the meaning of ‘snack cake’ since there is also something called a snacking cake. So which cake is which?
Snacking Cake: Usually a little less formal. Using simple ingredients, the snacking cake is served as a square, ideally enjoyed with a cold glass of milk, hot coffee, or afternoon tea.
Snack Cake: These tend to be a bit more indulgent. Think hostess cake, petit fours, or left-over cake (if there is any).
My Maple-Butter Pumpkin Cake is taking the ‘indulgent’ path to deliciousness! I love the show-stopping quality of this snack cake, making it the perfect way to treat yourself and your guests to an unforgettable afternoon or evening!
Serving Tips and Suggestions
There are multiple ways to serve this snack cake based on the occasion, and although it’s meant for sharing, it won’t stick around for long!
- Want something small with your coffee?:
Grab some snack cake for a quick bite and drizzle on the maple butter sauce, just as you would a poke cake. Enjoy!
- Having company over?:
Take the snack cake, pour over the rich maple butter sauce, top with a dollop of whipped cream, garnish with chopped pecans, serve, and enjoy!
- Want to Treat Yourself? Top This Snack Cake with ‘The Works’:
Top this dessert with a scoop of your favorite vanilla-based ice cream, drizzle on the maple butter sauce, chopped pecans, and white chocolate, and then you’ve got a show-stopper!
For this recipe, my Maple-Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake is topped with ‘The Works’ to amplify the ooey, gooey goodness of the warm maple-butter sauce and pumpkin cake. I used chopped pecans, white chocolate chips, a heaping scoop of my favorite vanilla caramel swirl ice cream, and garnished with the crowning glory of the warm maple butter sauce. Feel free to mix and match toppings, to really make this recipe your own! Mmm! So good!
Mix-ins and Topping Tips:
This pumpkin snack cake is a great base for ice cream, whipped cream, butterscotch syrup, caramel sauce, or chocolate ganache. A few more great topping ideas would be caramel chips, cinnamon chips, melted cookie butter, or even M&M’s!
You can also switch the type of nuts or omit them altogether if they upset you. Try some crumbled pretzels instead, pumpkin seeds, or toffee pieces. The combinations are endless, so have fun with them!
What are your favorite snack cake toppings? Be sure to let me know in the comment section below the recipe!
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Rich Maple-Butter Pumpkin Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 10 tbsp Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature (plus more for buttering the pan)
- 1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar (packed)
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 cup 100% Pumpkin Puree (Not Pumpkin Pie Mix)
- 2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 6 oz White Chocolate (chunks or chips)
For the Maple-Butter Sauce
- ⅓ cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
Optional
- Vanilla Base Ice Cream or Whipped Cream (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the foil to keep the blondies from sticking. Whisk 2 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 tsp Baking Powder, ½ tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice, and 1 tsp Kosher Salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat 10 tbsp Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature and the 1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in 1 cup 100% Pumpkin Puree until combined. Next beat in 3 large Eggs (one at a time), scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 2 tbsp Vanilla Extract. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the 6 oz White Chocolate.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly on a rack.
Making Maple-Butter Sauce
- Meanwhile, place the ⅓ cup Pure Maple Syrup, 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, and ½ tsp Nutmeg in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir, and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. (Do not walk away from the sauce.) Slowly and carefully drizzle ¼ cup Heavy Cream, stir, and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel then set aside. (The cream may bubble up and over if you add the cream too quickly.)
- Use the foil to lift the pumpkin snack cake out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve the cake warm, garnish with Vanilla Base Ice Cream or Whipped Cream. To finish, drizzle over the maple butter sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Serving: 12 Servings | Calories 431kcal | Total Fat 22.7g | Saturated Fat 14.3g | Cholesterol 96mg | Sodium 357mg | Total Carbohydrate 51.7g | Dietary Fiber 1.3g | Total Sugars 33.5g | Protein 5.2g | Vitamin D 12mcg | Calcium 95mg | Iron 2mg | Potassium 226mg (The Nutritional Facts on this recipe are an estimate. The accuracy of these nutritional facts is not guaranteed.)
Did you love this recipe?
Leave a comment below, and on Social. Be sure to tag @hellobrazelina on Instagram.
I love a brown sugar crumble topping when I am picking out a snack cake. But the thought of chopped pecans and white chocolate on caramel for a topping sounds so good and I can imagine, how well it would go with the pumpkin flavor in the cake. I think I might have a new favorite topping!
Thanks Gina, I love your topping choices! You sure do know your snack cakes! 😉
Loved it!