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This Chai Pumpkin Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting is the cake to make this Thanksgiving! Three soft, perfectly sweet, extra pumpkiny, chai spiced pumpkin cake layers. Each generously frosted with the most delicious maple browned butter frosting. Decorate with mini pumpkin cakes and you’ll have a deliciously festive pumpkin cake that beats out any ordinary pumpkin pie.
And just like that November is here. It’s time to talk Thanksgiving recipes…are you ready?
As you can guess, I am so very excited. There is A LOT happening this month and things are definitely busy. But I’m trying to take it one day at time and really enjoy my favorite time of year. Which is also my favorite time to create recipes! The one thing I’ve found so hard the last few months is that I really just want to do it all. I love what I do, I love working, and I love creating incredible content for you guys. It makes me so happy. The issue is that there are only so many hours in a day. It’s a bit of a balancing act. But again, one day at a time, enjoy the season, and try not to over think it all too much…over thinking can be a major pitfall of mine.
In the theme of November, I’m feeling very grateful for the small team we have here at HBH. My mom especially, who’s been putting in a lot of hours working behind the scenes on blog updates, hour-long meetings, finishing up the studio barn, and so much more. I’d be lost without her!
I’m also very thankful for you guys, and beyond thrilled that we have so many long time readers. I love that SO many of you are not only making HBH recipes, but you seem to be loving them too. Makes me happier than you know!
Which brings me to this chai pumpkin cake…
I’ve made a lot of cakes over the years, I kind of love them, especially layer cakes. This cake however? I really do think it might just be my favorite to date. It. Is. So. GOOD.
And cute, which you know is a big thing for me. Recipes need to look just as delicious as they taste.
This cake has been a long time coming. You guys have been asking for the recipe for a couple of weeks now. I teased it on my Instagram stories, and in this blog post. But I had to wait until November was here to share the recipe.
Three chai spiced pumpkin layers with maple browned butter frosting. And yes, I do think it’s actually better than pumpkin pie. I know that’s saying a lot, but it’s the truth. This cake is honestly that good.
For the cake base, I knew I really wanted the pumpkin flavor to shine. To achieve this, I used a whole lot of pumpkin, and a whole lot of chai spice. The chai spice highlights the sweet flavor of the pumpkin, while also adding that extra special touch that makes this pumpkin cake better than any other.
I baked my cake up in three (6-inch) layer cakes. I wanted my cake to be tall and skinny, as I was looking to do something a little different. That said, if you don’t own a 6-inch cake pan, you can also bake the cake in two (8-inch) cake layers. This works just as well, but you’ll have a more traditional looking cake. Still just a delicious!
Each cake layer is incredibly moist, so soft, and perfectly sweetened. The secret is truly in all that pumpkin. It makes for the best cakes.
So that’s all about the cake, now we need to talk about the frosting. This cake is good, but it’s nothing without the maple browned butter frosting.
Hands down one of my favorite frosting recipes. There’s so much flavor from the maple and browned butter, but the cream cheese keeps it incredibly light. Honestly? It’s addicting, and you should slather on more than you think your cake will actually need. Because people lick the frosting off the plate. It’s true, and I do believe that it’s all because of the browned butter, it’s the best.
The frosting pairs so perfectly with the pumpkin flavors and balances out the sweetness. Beyond perfect.
To decorate the cake, I made mini pumpkins simply by using a mini bundt pan (that’s the exact one I used), some cinnamon sticks and a little melted chocolate. They certainly aren’t perfect, but I kind of love that about them.
Each little cake is unique and so cute.
And delicious. Obviously.
I know it’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is a little under three weeks ways. So very, very close.
I’ll be sharing my full menu and tablescape this Sunday. And yes, this cake is part of my dessert line-up. I decided to save the chocolate for the pies, and serve up my new favorite cake instead.
My recommendation? Plan on making this cake for Thanksgiving, but give it a test run this weekend. Because if there’s one rule you should follow, it’s to always test out new recipes before entertaining with them. I mean, I’m fully confident this will turn out great (because I’ve now made it 4 times). But come on, don’t you really need a double dose of pumpkin this month anyway.
So make this cake this weekend, enjoy, and then make it again for Thanksgiving. You’ll be sure to impress all.
If you make this chai pumpkin cake please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chai Pumpkin Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 2244 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon all-spice
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin puree
Maple Browned Butter Frosting
- 3 sticks (1 ½ cups) salted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 (6-inch) round cake pans or 2 (8 inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, all-spice, nutmeg, and pepper. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the canola oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and pumpkin until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients until smooth and no lumps remain in the batter.4. Pour the batter among the cake pans and bake 35-40 minutes, until the tops are just set, and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.5. To make the buttercream frosting. Add 2 sticks butter to a skillet, set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and transfer the butter to the mixing bowl, let cool until it's room temp. 6. Add the remaining stick of room temperature butter and the cream cheese to the bowl. Then add the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Beat together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. If the frosting feels too loose, add powdered sugar to thicken. 7. To assemble. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the buttercream over the cake. Repeat with the remaining 2 cake layers. Be careful not to overfill your layers or the cake will be hard to slice. Frost the outside of the cake. Chill 30 minutes. Serve, or store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Decorate, as desired with mini pumpkins and melted chocolate.
Mini Pumpkin Cakes
Servings: 12 mini cakes
Calories Per Serving: 1081 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
Maple Glaze
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cinnamon sticks, melted chocolate, coarse sugar, for decorating
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a mini bundt pan with butter.2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, all-spice, nutmeg, and pepper.3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the canola oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and pumpkin until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients until smooth and no lumps remain in the batter.4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pan, filling it 2/3 the way full. Transfer to the oven and bake 12-15 minutes, until the tops are just set, and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then invert the cakes onto a cooling rack. Let cool. 5. To make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, powdered sugar, and vanilla. If needed, add water to thin the glaze, 1 tablespoon at a time. 6. Dip each cake in glaze and insert a cinnamon stick in the center. Drizzle chocolate around the cinnamon stick to look like stems. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let dry for 30 minutes. Use to decorate the cake.
So so good! Glad I found your blog! I’m in Europe so the cream cheese is a spread… I browned my butter, let it solidify in the fridge and then whipped it with my other half stick of butter. Add powdered sugar and lastly cream cheese. Used maple extract instead of syrup to ensure the consistency was perfect. Amazing! Love the little specks of browned butter!
I made this cake for our family’s annual Harvest Party. It turned out great and I received lots of comments on how beautiful it looked and how wonderful it tasted! I made two recipes; made a three layer cake and lots of little pumpkin cakes for the kids!
This looks amazing, i love pumpkin and I love chai! I have a really pretty fall leaves embossed bundt cake pan, do you think I could make the cake in there? or would it not cook right? Thanks!
Hi there! Yes, this can definitely be made in a bundt cake pan! Hope you enjoy. xTieghan
Could I use this recipe to make a loaf in a 9×5 bread pan? Then just glaze the top? Any changes in temp/timing?
Hey Shauna,
Sure, that should work well for you. I would just increase your baking time accordingly. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I just made this today in celebration of the first day of fall, and I absolutely love the cake! I am a huge Chai fan, so mixing that with pumpkin was a nice change up from the regular ole pumpkin spice. I did not use the icing, (Though I have plans to use that for some cupcakes I’m making this weekend) instead I used Russian Buttercream since that had been requested by a family member and while it is a very sweet frosting, I found it paired lovely with the spiciness of the cake!
Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!
Hey Caitlin,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe was loved, thanks for making it:) xTieghan
Love love LOVED this recipe. I doubled the icing because I love me some icing and I didn’t want it to look like a naked cake. I then split my icing in half and seasoned one half with chai slices – ginger, star anise, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon. I put the spiced maple frosting in between my layers and did the regular maple frosting on the outside. I then dusted the top with cocoa powder, cinnamon and powdered sugar, threw some whole star anise, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks on top for decoration. My group raved! We got about 12 slices out of the 6in cake that left us all stuffed. Will be making again for sure!
I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you Kathryn! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This recipe was a perfect end to Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you!
Thank you Tina! xTieghan
I had made this last year for thanksgiving just as cupcakes and it turned out really good. planning to make a 2 layer cake this time , was wondering if I could make the cake batter before hand, refrigerate it and bake the cake a couple of days before thanksgiving. I don’t know if it would give the same result.
Hey there,
Yes that should be fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Followed exactly and was insanely delish. Will be making this for Thanksgiving for sure. We’re not cake people but the flavors and texture can’t be beat. Throw out the pies and bring this instead. Guaranteed show stopper.
Thank you so much Mixie! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Do you think the canola oil could be substituted by coconut oil? Or would that mess up the cake? It looks so good !
Hey Amanda,
That would be okay to use! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This cake was AMAZING! I made it on a whim for a dinner party, and as I was standing at the head of the table and took my first bite I said, “WOW, this is SOOOOO GOOD! I am impressed with myself!” LOL. I had never made a layered cake before, and this was scrumptious. All of the recipes I have tried from you have been successful, thank you for sharing your talent!
Wow yes!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Lisa! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This looks and sounds wonderful! Might you have any suggestions for a dairy free frosting? Would love to make this!!
Hey Marcie,
You can use full fat coconut cream. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I LOVED this cake and so did everyone I served it to. I had lots of extra icing and right before I served it I heated it up and we spooned it onto the cake…so delicious. Made it the day before I served and it was so moist and tasty!!
Thank you so much Katie! I am really happy this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This cake was AMAZING! So so so so so good. Made it for my husband’s birthday get together and our friends LOVED it. If you like pumpkin, this cake is for you.
I am so happy you enjoyed this Lisa! Thank you! xTieghan
After reading all the rave reviews I’m definitely trying this recipe for Thanksgiving! But of course, because it’s Thanksgiving, I have to make it even more complicated than necessary. Lol.
What are your thoughts on making this into a sheet cake then turning it into a roll? I considered making a pumpkin roll (the pumpkin cake with the cream cheese frosting, etc.) but this would be more interesting!
Thanks for your help!
Hey Karen,
I would just simply make this into a sheet cake and frosting:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan