Butternut Custard Cake

Butternut Custard Cake is a thing of magic. Butternut squash is a squash with some sweetness, but it’s usually not our first baking choice. But when you mix it with brown butter, sugar, a touch of lemon juice – you can layer it into something that tastes soft, custardy and delicious.

I don’t know how to describe Butternut Custard Cake it other than: it’s sweet and soft butternut layers nestled in between a soufflé pancake batter. Luckily, it’s easier than any soufflé out there.

How we’re prepping the butternut squash

This recipe is the most simple Thanksgiving dessert I have on my roster. However, there are a few butternut prep tricks that have to happen to make it as supple and sweet as possible.

To make the butternut squash supremely soft, you have to thinly slice it with a mandolin. This is the only pain point of the recipe, and it’s worth it to get a perfectly soft butternut consistency in your cake.

To coax out its sweetness, I mix the squash with brown butter, lemon juice, brown sugar and white sugar. Let this sit and you’ll see the squash begin to release some moisture. That’s a great thing. It will make the cake so delicious.

Next, a supremely simple “custard”

The custard that holds all this squash together is just eggs, milk, flour and some spices that make it taste like fall. Once this mixes with the sugars and the squash, it becomes a flavorful batter that holds the squash together, but bakes up the Butternut Custard Cake like magic.

You don’t have to be precious with the layering

And that is what I love about this custard cake. While you could layer everything into concentric circles (been there, done that), this you just need to spoon into a double-lined tart pan.

You can either let the topping be all rustic and organically arranged like the tart below:

Or you can make a little design on top like this next tart.

The batter will puff up around the squash slightly, so any design won’t be fully seen, but it’s fun to play around with!

Looking for other Thanksgiving desserts?

I have a good pile of them! Here are a few favorites:

Sticky Toffee Pudding Pumpkin Pie

This is a new-and-improved version of a butterscotch-y bourbon-y pie I made last year, but with a much more traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding twist! This pie is for the pumpkin pie haters, with just a sliver of pumpkin pie layered on top of a moist sticky toffee pudding, and then drizzled with another layer of melt-in-your-mouth toffee. I can confirm, this four layer pie is the only pie I want to eat on Thanksgiving.

Check out this recipe

Snowconut Pie

This pie is like a coconut cookie cake pressed in a shortbread pie crust with a light, fluffy coconut crumble on top. It comes out of the oven looking like snow, which makes it one of my favorite desserts for the holiday season.

Check out this recipe

Honeynut Cookies with Pistachio Chocolate and Cranberry Swirl

These cookies have a lengthy title – but they have a lot to give! Plus, the work is minimal for the cookie that you get. These cookies are soft and tender, with a tart cranberry swirl that perfectly matches the pistachio chocolate crumble that laces throughout the dough. You can use either honeynut purée or pumpkin purée – either is delicious and makes the cookie feel soft, festive and cozy.

Check out this recipe

Frangipane Pumpkin Pie with Rosemary Sugar

Pumpkin pie haters – I have found the cure! A frangipane + pumpkin pie hybrid makes a soft pumpkin-packed pie that is an homage to the original, but with a fudgier texture and a perfectly tender crust. The rosemary sugar on top doesn't hurt, either. If you want an elevated pumpkin dessert, I know this one is it.

Check out this recipe

Orange Rosemary Chocolate Cake

This cake is a rich, decadent, crusty-topped chocolate cake that is sprinkled with an orange rosemary sugar, my finest invention to date. What you are left with is a cake that tastes festive, but is supremely simple to make. The best part is it stays moist for days, although I'm sure it will be gone long before then.

Check out this recipe

And that’s everything for this Butternut Custard Cake!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Butternut Custard Cake

In this cake thin butternut slices turn into a soft, sweet and custardy Thanksgiving cake that is a perfect pairing to pumpkin pie. It tastes deeply autumnal, with a layered look that is sure to impress everyone (with barely any work!). You could also do this with fresh pumpkin, if you want it to rival any pumpkin pie on the table.

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Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butternut squash, custard cakes, layer cakes, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving desserts

Servings: 1 9-inch tart pan, 8-12 servings

Equipment

• 1 mandolin
• 2 sheets of parchment paper
• 1 9-inch tart pan

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash or a pumpkin pie pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons salted butter 48 grams
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 50 grams
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar 130 grams
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 140 grams
• 1/2 cup milk any kind, 120 grams
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the ginger syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 75 grams
• 2 teaspoons water

For topping

• Powdered sugar optional

Instructions

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F convection or 375°F standard.
• Peel the squash and use a mandolin to slice the pieces as thinly as possible. Add these slices to a large bowl.
• Place a small pan over medium heat, add the 3 tablespoons of butter and let the butter brown. Stirring occasionally while the butter foams until brown flakes form at the bottom of the pan, around 3-4 minutes.
• Add the brown butter to the squash, then squeeze in the juice from half a lemon. Add in 50 grams of brown sugar, 130 grams of granulated sugar, and mix until the squash is well coated. Set this aside.
• In another bowl, whisk together three eggs and 1/20 grams of milk. Add the 140 grams of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• Pour this over the butternut squash . Mix gently to combine.
• Line a tart pan with two pieces of parchment paper, making sure the paper comes all the way up the edges.
• Scoop the squash out of the bowl, shaking off any excess custard, and layer it into the pan. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but you want the squash pieces to be able to bake into nice layers. When all the squash is in the tart, pour any remaining custard batter over the top. You can reserve some squash slices to make a pattern on the top, but I like the rustic look of letting the squash be naturally arranged.
• Move the pan to a baking sheet to avoid any spilling. Give the sheet a few taps to let the batter settle.
• Bake at 350°F convection for 60-70 minutes, or until the edges are pulling away from the sides and the center is firm.
• When the cake is out of the oven, put it on a cooling rack.
• Now make the ginger simple syrup. Add 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 75 grams sugar, and 2 teaspoons water to a small pot. Place this over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts into a syrup. Pour directly over the cake. This will firm up into a sugar crust of sorts.
• Dust with powdered sugar if you like, then slice and serve!