If your looking for a cake to wow your guests this is it! What could be better than a Pumpkin Marshmallow Brown Butter cake with a cinnamon Swiss buttercream! It's easier than you think to make this delicious creation.
Wouldn’t you like to make this Pumpkin Marshmallow Brown Butter Cake for your family this weekend? Thanks to my friend Krissy and her delicious guest post you now have the recipe.
While brainstorming ideas of what to guest post, I knew I wanted to make something sweet. One of my favorite things to bake is cake, especially ones with multiple layers and flavors.
Don’t y0u just love marshmallows? Browned, soft, gooey and delicious. How could I use them in a recipe?
So I came up with this decadent Pumpkin Brown Butter Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling and Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
I know it seems like a lot and may seem overwhelming, but it’s not as hard as it sounds.
Trust me! (You’re probably thinking, “How can I trust you? I barely know you.” Well, at least hear me out on this: Just be confident in the kitchen and you can do anything. Yep anything!}
This creation starts out with a Pumpkin Brown Butter Cake.
Most pumpkin cakes taste like muffins. They don’t have the moist and spongy cake quality and are often not sweet enough. Well, this cake is different. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and moistness, with the addition of brown butter to add a bit of nuttiness and flavor.
The cake is filled with a Toasted Marshmallow Filling. Made with real toasted marshmallows! To create the filling, all you do is toast up some marshmallows in the broiler. Combine the toasted marshmallows with the basic butter and confectioners and some extra marshmallow fluff, and you’re done! You just created a tasty filling reminiscent of a marshmallow roasting on a fire.
The cake is then topped off with a Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream. The swiss meringue buttercream adds a silky and smooth texture, which offsets the sweetness of the cake and filling.
All of these flavors mesh together perfectly to create an indulgent fall-flavored cake. It would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table. And everyone will be in awe of what you created!
And if you like this pumpkin cake you might also like my Pumpkin Crunch Cake.
If you’ve tried this Pumpkin Brown Butter Cake or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels, Twitter and Facebook.
If your looking for a cake to wow your guests this is it! What could be better than a Pumpkin Marshmallow Brown Butter cake with a cinnamon Swiss buttercream! It's easier than you think to make this delicious creation.
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter 1 ½ sticks
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon All Spice
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ cups Pumpkin Puree
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 16 Marshmallows (Standard-Size not Mini)
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature, 2 sticks
- 1 cup Confectioners Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 8 ounces Marshmallow Fluff
- 5 Egg Whites
- 1 cup Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 cups Unsalted Butter Softened, 4 sticks
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- To make the pumpkin brown butter cake, start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of 2 8-inch round cake pans. Place round piece of parchment paper on the bottom of each cake pan and then grease the top of the parchment paper. Flour the sides and bottom of the cake pans, set aside until needed.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Continue to cook until the butter has turned a golden brown color. There will be small black dots in the butter. Don’t worry this normally happens when you are browning butter.
- Place a mesh strainer over a small bowl and pour the browned butter through the strainer. This will catch most of the burnt pieces in the butter. Set the bowl aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and sour cream. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Add the brown butter and mix until it is fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. I use a scale to weigh the pans and make sure they are even. Smooth the tops of the batter and place the pans in the oven to bake. Bake until the tops turn a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let sit in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from the pans and remove the parchment paper from the bottom of each cake. Place the cakes on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, make the toasted marshmallow filling. Turn the oven temperature up to broil, or 500 degrees F if you don’t have a broiler. Place the marshmallows on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Broil the marshmallows until the tops turn a light golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully turn the marshmallows over. Place the marshmallows back in the broiler and bake until they turn golden brown. Remove the marshmallows from the oven and let sit until cool (they will deflate while cooling).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the toasted marshmallows and marshmallow fluff and mix on medium-low speed until the filling is smooth and fluffy.
- Set the filling aside, and then make the cinnamon swiss meringue buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly (I use a hand mixer) until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches about 150 degrees F.
- Take the bowl and attach it your mixture, fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the egg white mixture until it reaches room temperature and stiff peaks have formed, about 5-10 minutes. At this point the mixture will be thickened and white.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, 2 tablespoon as a time. Once all the butter is added, raise the speed to medium high and mix until the mixture starts to come together. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with the beater attachment. Beat until the buttercream comes together fully and is smooth. This can take time, sometimes 2 minutes, and sometimes up to 10 minutes. Don’t worry if you think you did something wrong, it will come together and create a smooth and creamy buttercream.
- Once the buttercream is silky and smooth, mix in the vanilla. Then add the cinnamon and mix until it has spread throughout the whole buttercream.
- Before assembling the cake, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes, just to firm it up. Cut each cake horizontally in half using a large serrated knife. This will create 4 even layers.
- To assemble the cake, place 1 cake on a cake stand or plate, bottom side down. (I assembled my cake on a cake turntable with a small cardboard on the bottom of the cake). Spread 1/3 of the marshmallow filling on top of the cake. Place another cake on top, bottom/flat side up and spread 1/3 of the filling on top. Repeat with the third cake.
- Top with the last cake and using the cinnamon buttercream, frost a thin layer around the sides and top of the cake to seal in the crumbs (this is a crumb coat). Place the cake in the refrigerator, or freezer, to harden the crumb coat. Finish by frosting the cake with an even layer of buttercream on the sides and top of the cake; leaving about 1 cup of buttercream for decoration. Evenly smooth the buttercream with an offset spatula.
- To create the decoration on top, place the leftover buttercream on in a piping bag fitted with a medium petal tip. Starting at one point on the top of the cake, hold the piping bag with the larger part of the tip facing in towards the center of the cake. Lightly applying pressure, move your piping bag in a back and forth motion, about 2-3 times upwards. Move onto the next row and do the same motion until you finish ruffling around the sides of the top of the cake.
- To create the dots on the bottom of the cake, change the tip of the piping bag to a small round piping top. Pipe small dots around the bottom of the cake.
- Place the cake back into the refrigerator or freezer to slightly firm up. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
- Pumpkin Brown Butter Cake from Sprinkle Bakes. Toasted Marshmallow Filling from Sweetapolita. Swiss Meringue Buttercream adapted from Martha Stewart.
Annette says
October 17, 2012 at 7:26 pmI just made this cake, and it was worth the time and effort. I live in South Georgia, so the humid weather is not ideal for making Swiss meringue buttercream; I made traditional buttercream instead and added the cinnamon to it. It was still awesome icing. The cake itself is AMAZING. The batter was like fluffy whipped goodness, so I knew the cake would be good before I even put it in the oven. And the marshmallow filling was such an unexpected-yet-wonderful addition. The final result tastes kind of like a cinnamon pumpkin rice krispy treat (without the rice krispies, of course!). It was time consuming, but wonderful!
Chef D says
October 17, 2012 at 8:58 pmThanks for letting me know Annette, so glad to hear it turned out well!
tina says
May 6, 2012 at 5:32 pmI just made this cake and it was soooo worth the time and effort!! I learned how to make buttercream icing a feat worth learning. I’m sure I will be using it more often now that I know how!!
wendyb964 says
November 26, 2011 at 1:33 pmHi, Chef Dennis. I love your blog and follow it daily. What a treat to find out that Krissy’s cake on Foodbuzz happened to be a guest post here! While I have not made many layer cakes since my sons were little though recently with the purchase of 6″ layer pans tis a whole new world! Still overwhelmed by the enormity of the blogosphere, my favorites to date appear intertwined beautifully. Thanks! (p.s. have never had marshmallow fluff and not toasted marshies since s’more days, but they are on my grocery list.) I will not rate a recipe I have not made precisely according to the instructions but KNOW this will be a 5 star winner/keeper in my book.
Shabs says
November 21, 2011 at 2:38 amWhat an amazing looking cake and even more amazing flavours esp the frosting ,yummy, Harding over to Krissy’s blog to look at her other creations .
kita says
November 20, 2011 at 8:02 pmI’ll be honest and say that my first visit to Krissy’s site wasn’t until just now in reading this post. That cake is flawless! I love how smooth and beautiful it came out and with all this up and down gray weather we’ve been having that yellow background just brightened everything up and made me smile!
Dionne Baldwin says
November 20, 2011 at 1:09 pmThis cake is so beautiful. I’ve never had anything baked that was made of authentic toasted marshmallow, it was usually the flavored syrup! Thank you for sharing your tips and recipe for this cake. I’m glad to meet you!
Laurel says
November 19, 2011 at 10:50 pmThat cake looks incredible. Am going to give it a try tomorrow!
Baking Serendipity says
November 19, 2011 at 9:59 pmLayered cakes are always the most impressive thing to me and this one definitely does not disappoint! This is gorgeous! Thanks for an introduction to a great new blogger 🙂 PS: I went to a football game this evening with work friends and had to stop myself from talking about all the new recipes I’ve discovered lately 🙂
Tiffany says
November 19, 2011 at 8:32 pmI really hate leaving one word comments, but LITERALLY the only thing that is coming to my mind is: STUNNING!
Ally says
November 19, 2011 at 5:48 pmWow, I just know this would be my favorite dessert; love at first bite if I’m going to get all cliche on you!
Seriously, incredible work. It looks scrumptious. You could make Willy Wonka blush!
🙂
http://allykayler.blogspot.com
Meagan @ Scarletta Bakes says
November 19, 2011 at 5:19 pmOh. My. Drool.
What a fabulous cake and post, Krissy!
foodlvr says
November 19, 2011 at 4:05 pmthat looks totally amazing. I want a slice.
Jay Geneske @ Local Me says
November 19, 2011 at 2:58 pmThis looks delectable. I really love the bold yellow linens paired with the cake.
Ellie@fitforthesoul says
November 19, 2011 at 2:37 pmThis sounds crazy sweet, but I love anything with spices in it, and that slice…that slice makes me want to take a huge chunk out of it!
tina says
November 19, 2011 at 12:34 pmI’m going to have to try this recipe, looks awesome
Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking says
November 19, 2011 at 11:08 amThis looks incredible! Great guest post, Krissy!
Thanks, Chef Dennis for introducing me to Krissy, I am headed over to check out her site!
Hyosun Ro says
November 19, 2011 at 9:51 amSuch a beautiful cake! Perfect for the holiday season. Photos are stunning too.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
November 19, 2011 at 9:06 amThat marshmallow frosting sounds insanely yummy. Love this recipe!
Sandra's Easy Cooking says
November 19, 2011 at 8:48 amBeautiful Cake..I love this combination and Krissy your cake look like a masterpiece! Wonderful job!
Congrats to both of you on Fbuzz top 9!!!!
Boulder Locavore says
November 19, 2011 at 7:41 amBeyond gorgeous! Love the marshmallows. Will be visiting Krissy again soon. Great post.
Liz says
November 19, 2011 at 7:29 amKrissy, this is a stunning cake! How could anyone resist? My kids adore pumpkin desserts…and adding marshmallows makes it even better!
Dennis, as always, you’ve shared a fabulous guest blogger! Thanks…and hope you both have a wonderful weekend!
Katherine Martinelli says
November 19, 2011 at 4:06 amWow, this is just gorgeous!! absolutely picture perfect. And I just love every element of it. Wonderful.
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
November 19, 2011 at 12:27 amOh my goodness gracious! This looks HEAVENLY!
Betty Ann @Mango_Queen says
November 18, 2011 at 9:13 pmWow! What an amazing cake! I just had dinner & was holding off taking dessert by having a fruit. And lo & behold, I see this post! I love it! Must try it for my family soon. Thanks for sharing. Great guest post, I truly enjoyed the read!
Emily @ Life on Food says
November 18, 2011 at 8:14 pmThat looks like four layers of heavenly goodness. Great post!
Redawna says
November 18, 2011 at 7:41 pmGorgeous cake! And that filling sounds fantastic!
Looking forward to giving it a try.
Krissy @ Krissy's Creaions says
November 18, 2011 at 7:38 pmThank you Chef Dennis for letting me Guest Post on your blog! I’m SO happy that you all liked it :). Thank you for all the wonderful comments!
Jessica | Oh Cake says
November 18, 2011 at 6:51 pmHoly cannoli! This is an absolutely gorgeous cake and sounds completely amazing and delicious. I am definitely bookmarking this recipe!
Carolyn says
November 18, 2011 at 6:17 pmWow, Krissy, that is a seriously gorgeous cake! Dennis, thank you for bringing it to us. And our weather in New England is nutty too. 40’s today and 70’s on Sunday!
Dara says
November 18, 2011 at 4:27 pmKrissy – you are killing me! This looks phenomenal. Wow.
Megan @ Pip and Ebby says
November 18, 2011 at 4:12 pmOh dear, quite the process, but it looks soooo worth it! AMAZING job!
torviewtoronto says
November 18, 2011 at 3:16 pmdelicious guest post beautiful looking pictures and cake
regards Akheela
Lauren @ KeepItSweet says
November 18, 2011 at 1:55 pmI was so happy to meet both of you at the festival and can’t wait until next year’s!
Krissy- this cake looks fabulous. Pretty sure I need to try that recipe stat!
susan davis says
November 18, 2011 at 11:31 amThis recipe looks wonderful!! I would like to add it to our Thanksgiving table. However… HOW MUCH BROWN SUGAR AND SOUR CREAM???? The recipe leaves these amounts out.
Chef D says
November 18, 2011 at 11:42 amHi Susan
i will have that info up on the page later today, sorry for the inconvenience, during the cutting and pasting I lost a couple of the numbers
Dennis
Mary says
November 18, 2011 at 10:55 amThis looks absolutely amazing! It never surprises me to see fantastic creations here on Chef Dennis’ site, but this actually made my jaw drop. That frosting is mouthwatering. I have never created anything that looked so perfect in my own kitchen. Wow!
Grubarazzi (@Grubarazzi) says
November 18, 2011 at 10:07 amKrissy, this is a really gorgeous cake. I can’t take my eyes off the screen!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
November 18, 2011 at 10:06 amThe cake looks exquisite!
Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family says
November 18, 2011 at 9:56 amThat is absolutely gorgeous. Thank you Chef Dennis for having Krissy over here to share this wonderful treat.
Kiri W. says
November 18, 2011 at 8:36 amThis most certainly is one of the most perfectly sculpted cakes I have ever seen – it looks gorgeous, inside and out! My only issue is that I really don’t like marshmallows (wasn’t raised on them in Germany), so I’d go for the cake, just not the frosting, I think!
Parsley Sage says
November 18, 2011 at 8:28 amOutstanding! This is a glorious cake. I love how she sneaked the marshmallow into this…so yummy 🙂
Cher says
November 18, 2011 at 8:03 amAbsolutely beautiful – and totally breakfast food…
The filling is so simple but brilliant!
Beth B says
November 18, 2011 at 7:00 amAmazing cake! One question… is it 1 cup sour cream?
Chef D says
November 18, 2011 at 11:43 amHi Beth
i will have that info for you later today, during the cut and past process, I lost a few of the numbers. sorry for the inconvenience
Dennis
Alida says
November 18, 2011 at 4:11 amWhat an amazing creation! Not only have you used an incredible flavor combination, but it is just beautiful. I will trust you that it is easy, but it is definitely intimidating! Great post!
Elin says
November 18, 2011 at 3:50 amHi Krissy..thanks for such sharing such a great post. I am delighted to be introduced to you here and this cake is truly made with great passion 🙂 Well done ! and I will be visiting you again .
Chef Dennis.. yea we talk of food and the weather all the time don’t we ?…for me it is food food food all the time! Thanks for introducing another great food blogger to us and you are lucky to be able to meet Krissy in person * wink 🙂 great introduction Chef. Have a nice weekend regardless of the weird weather 🙂
Cheers,
Elin
Patti says
November 17, 2011 at 11:57 pmWow looks delicious! not fair I want a slice right now 🙂
anne says
November 17, 2011 at 11:34 pmMy stomach makes a rumbling sound when I saw that gorgeousness *sigh* 😀 I wish I could grab that one delicious slice ;D Fabulous job , Krissy !!! Will lurk at your site after this hahaha Great guest post as always , Chef !
Steve @ the black peppercorn says
November 17, 2011 at 11:26 pmOH MY WORD! This cake looks incredible and sounds divine! The idea of a toasted marshmallow filling is genious. And the buttercream frosting – OH YA! Thanks for this fabulous guest post.
Oh and BTW – I talk about the weather all the time and I am not even 40! And I am obsessed with food. Soooooo, does that mean I act older than I am? 😛
Buzzed it!
mangiabella says
November 17, 2011 at 11:01 pmoh my word….every element of this cake is over the top awesome….fabulous job, wonderful post!
Melissa@EyesBigger says
November 17, 2011 at 10:51 pmwhat an amazing cake! I think I gained 20lbs reading this post but oh my!
Ann says
November 17, 2011 at 10:51 pmThis is a stunning cake! Kudos to you for making Swiss Buttercream! It can be temperamental, but it is SHEER MAGIC! The marshmallow filling is genius! Very nicely done and I am so happy to meet you! (headed to your blog now!)