Name: Pumpkin Poke Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: Boxed yellow cake mix; 1 can pumpkin puree, 1/4 reserved for the drizzle; 4 eggs; 1 stick salted butter, melted; 1/4 cup milk; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 can sweetened condensed milk; 1/4 cup pumpkin puree; 1/2 cup salted butter, browned; 8oz block cream cheese; 3 cups powdered sugar

Rating

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This cake is everything we love for fall baking – pumpkin, brown butter, cream cheese – it all comes together so well in this delicious and rich pumpkin dessert!

Why you’ll love this cake

The base of this pumpkin cake it a boxed cake mix, which not only makes this cake delicious but also simple!
There are three components to this cake – the cake, the condensed milk drizzle, and the cream cheese frosting. You can easily use whichever parts of this recipe you’d like and adapt it to your needs- pumpkin cupcakes, a basic pumpkin cake, store bought frosting? Sure!
The brown butter cream cheese frosting really adds a nutty, toffee flavor to this cake that takes the flavor profile to the next level.

Recipe Notes

This recipe uses brown butter in the cream cheese frosting. If you’ve never browned butter before – it’s simple! Just melt butter on low-medium heat, and continue cooking until butter turns brown and has a nutty, toffee scent to it. Allow this to cool completely before using it in the frosting.
The sweetened condensed milk drizzle adds so much flavor and moisture to the pumpkin cake. After mixing the sweetened condensed milk with the pumpkin puree, I used about 2/3 of the mixture. You can use all of it, or you can use less. Pour this a little bit at a time to preference.

Ingredients

Cake

Boxed yellow cake mix
1 can pumpkin puree, 1/4 reserved for the drizzle
4 eggs
1 stick salted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon

Drizzle

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Frosting

1/2 cup salted butter, browned
8oz block cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 rectangle cake pan with either butter or nonstick cook spray
Using a microwave safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup salted butter.
Once melted, add in pumpkin puree (reserving 1/4 cup for the condensed milk drizzle), eggs, milk. Mix until combined, then add in sugar and mix again until combined.
Add in yellow cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon, mix until combined.
Pour cake mix into greased cake pan and bake for 25-28 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
While cake is baking, brown your butter. Allow butter to cool until it is semi-solid again.
Allow cake to cool. Once cooled, use the handle of a wooden spoon or a large straw to poke holes throughout cake. This will allow the condensed milk drizzle to be soaked up by the cake.
Mix can of sweetened condense milk with 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree. Pour over cake. I only used about 2/3 of the sweetened condensed milk, so add this to your preference and discard the rest.
Using an electric mixer, cream together 8 oz block of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of browned butter.
Once combined, slowly add in 3 cups of powdered sugar, mixing until combined and fluffy.
Spread cream cheese frosting on cake.
Enjoy!