When fall rolls around, pumpkin tends to steal the spotlight, but it’s not the only squash that deserves dessert glory. This Butternut Squash Cake proves that any sweet winter squash can be transformed into something spectacular. Moist, warmly spiced, and finished with a rich silky toffee sauce, it’s a showstopper you’ll want to serve all season long.
If you’ve already tried my Pumpkin Chai Mini Cakes with Salted Ganache, this recipe is right up your alley — a little more rustic, but still absolutely perfect for feeding a crowd.
Recipe highlights
- Any squash goes. A reminder that butternut, kabocha, or any sweet winter squash can shine just as brightly in fall baking as pumpkin can.
- Pound cake-like texture. The squash puree makes this cake soft, tender, moist, and beautifully dense.
- Spiced to perfection. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves bring a warm and aromatic flavor profile that complements the natural sweetness of the squash.
- Silky smooth toffee glaze. Buttery, spiced, and luxuriously shiny — similar to salted caramel but with a darker, nuttier flavor. (And so easy to make!)
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: ~10 min • Bake: ~1 hr • Total: 1-2 hrs with cooling time
🍴 Yield: Makes one bundt cake, serves 12-16 people
💪 Skill level: Beginner. Simple cake, easy glaze!
Making the squash puree
This cake is a great way to use leftover cooked (unseasoned) squash. You could also substitute pumpkin puree from a can for this, or make your own pumpkin puree.
If you don’t have any leftover or canned squash, you’ll want to prep this first. Simply roast or steam diced butternut squash until soft, then puree until smooth using a food processor or emulsion blender. Allow puree to cool before using in the cake batter.
How to make butternut squash cake
Here’s a quick overview on how to make this cake. For full recipe details, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Mix the batter: Whisk together eggs, melted butter, sour cream, sugars, vanilla, and squash puree, then fold in the dry ingredients and spices.
- Bake the cake: Pour into a well-greased bundt pan and bake until set and golden.
- Make the toffee sauce: Combine butter, brown sugar, cream, and spices in a saucepan, then simmer until thickened and glossy.
- Serve: Drizzle the warm sauce over the cake and serve.
Top tips
Mix the cake batter gently. Once you add the dry ingredients, fold just until combined to keep the cake tender.
Use a digital thermometer. To know when the cake is baked perfectly, test for doneness by inserting a thermometer in the center. It will read between 200-210° F when done. This ensures the cake comes out moist and tender.
Don’t stir the sauce (much). Give the sauce a stir or two, but let it do its thing. Over-mixing can cause the sauce to become grainy.
Warm sauce = best sauce. Drizzle the toffee sauce over the cake right before serving so you can serve it up glossy and luscious. The glaze will eventually harden slightly and lose its shine.
Substitutions & variations
Use any sweet winter squash: Butternut is my favorite, but you can swap in pumpkin, kabocha, honeynut, or acorn squash for a slightly different flavor. You could even use pureed cooked sweet potato!
Make it nutty: Add toasted pecans or walnuts to the batter for some crunch. Yum!
Drizzle in caramel: Swap the spiced toffee glaze for salted caramel sauce. For a really fun twist, drizzle the squash cake with Candy Cap Caramel!
Turn into cupcakes: Divide the batter into lined cupcake tins and bake for 20–22 minutes for individual desserts. Decorate with maple cream cheese frosting (double the frosting recipe here), vanilla coffee whipped cream, or caramel buttercream.
Serving & storing
Serve slices of butternut squash cake at room temperature, with the toffee sauce freshly drizzled on top. Store at room temperature, tightly wrapped or sealed in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.
If you make this Butternut Squash Cake, please let me know what you think! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card.
Butternut Squash Cake with Spiced Toffee Sauce
Equipment
- 10-inch bundt pan
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Cake
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 eggs
- 6 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sour cream or whole milk plain yogurt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash purée
Spiced Toffee Sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or half & half
- 2 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1 tablespoon rum or bourbon, optional
Instructions
For the butternut squash cake:
- Butter a 10-cup bundt pan generously and stick it in the freezer while you prepare the cake batter (this will help the cake release from the pan easier later). Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, spices, salt, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, sour cream, sugars, vanilla, and squash purée.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a silicone spatula, mixing just until combined. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and smooth it out until batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until golden brown, baked through, and cake starts to pull away from the edges of the pan slightly, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Once cool, invert cake onto a plate and remove pan.
For the spiced toffee sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring only once or twice (too much stirring can make the sauce grainy).
- Allow sauce to cool and thicken slightly, about 5 minutes, then drizzle over cake.
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
