By Carol Ramos, The Pastry Chef's Baking
Cream-filled pumpkin Bundt cake with brown butter glaze
Adapted from The Baker Chick
For the pastry cream filling:
1/2 quart (2 cups) milk
generous 1/2 cup sugar
scant 1/3 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
Vanilla extract to taste
3 tablespoons butter
1. Heat milk.
2. Mix sugar and cornstarch, then add eggs.
3. Temper in milk, meaning add the hot milk a little at a time while whisking into the egg mixture so the egg mixture gradually warms up. If you add the hot milk all at once, it risks cooking the eggs. (For a more detailed explanation of making pastry cream, clickhere.)
4. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla.
5. Strain and cool.
For the pumpkin cake:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch Bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour, set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time until well combined.
5. Alternate adding the flour and pumpkin mixtures, mixing on low speed, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Don't overmix.
6. Spoon 2/3 of the batter into prepared pan then add the pastry cream in a ring on top of it. Cover with remaining batter and smooth top with the back of a spoon.
7. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Try to avoid testing the middle where the pastry cream is. Instead, insert the toothpick along the sides as well as close to the inner tube opening.)
8. Invert and cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack before icing.
For the brown butter glaze:
1 stick of butter, browned
2 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons milk
1. Pour the browned butter into a bowl and whisk in the 2 cups sifted powdered sugar and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Add the milk, a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
2. Drizzle over the cake and serve warm, at room temperature or even cold from the fridge.
See the full post on Stir It Up!
