Butternut Squash Cake w/ Cinnamon Glaze

I have been so in love with squash this season.
Carnival, Delicata, Butternut, Acorn, you name it, I like it.

Roasting is my favorite method to serve this fall/winter vegetable.

Why not bake it in a cake?
I made a Torta di Zucca a while back, and it was delicious.

This recipe is more of a cake instead of a dense torta.

The original recipe calls for a beurre salé (salted caramel) on top, but I opted for a cinnamon glaze with pecans.
To each his own.

Did you know you can freeze pureed squash? Make it ahead or freeze leftovers from last night.
You only need half a cup for this recipe.

This was delicious. Moist and fragrant. Better even than my beloved carrot cake and as moist as a zucchini bread.

A note from the original recipe: *Don't open the oven before the 30 minute mark or your cake will sink.
OBEY. You have been warned.

My only complaint about this recipes is that it makes one small 8" cake.

This is a great cake for Thanksgiving, and you can make it, frost it and freeze it!

Butternut Squash Cake w/ Cinnamon Glaze: (adapted from Knead for Food)

1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

4 tbsp butter (2 oz.), softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temp
1/2 cup cooked, pureed butternut squash
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used melted coconut oil)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Glaze:

1 cup of confectioners (powdered) sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup of chopped pecans

Whisk all ingredients for the icing (including the nuts) with a fork and set aside.

Roast the squash either by seeding and cutting it into cubes and drizzling w/ olive oil and kosher salt (400F for 25 minutes), or cutting a whole squash in half, removing the seeds, and brushing w/ coconut oil and kosher salt (any oil works), flesh side down for 30-40 minutes.

Spoon out the flesh (if roasting whole) and mash the cooked squash. Set aside.

Butter an 8" springform pan and preheat oven to 350F.

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.

Cream the butter w/ the sugars, egg, oil, mashed cooked squash, vanilla and cream.
Add to the dry ingredients and mix to make a batter.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
*as I mentioned above. Do not open the oven door before the 30 minute mark, or your cake will sink, and there is no turning back.

I checked mine after 35 minutes, and it was nicely done with some cracks on top.

Remove cake ring when cool enough to handle and pour out the glaze into the middle of the cake until it all drips over the sides and the nuts spread over the top of the cake.

Let completely cool so icing hardens.

In fact, I kept this cake covered in the garage, to keep it cool......I almost liked it served "cold".

DELICIOUS!

Gets even better after the second day, if it lasts that long.