Mini Pumpkin, Sage and Brown Butter Cakes

A cake with the pairing of pumpkin and sage was new to me, so it became a must try. The sage compliments and slightly offsets the sometimes dominate pumpkin flavor, but still keeps a delicious balance. The brown butter? If you’ve ever tasted or made something with brown butter you’re either in love with it or not. It’s absolutely fantastic in these cakes…

The arrival of a new season has cooks and bakers gearing up in full force for familiar autumn flavors and comfort food. This recipe is from the Martha Stewart recipe collection and is also featured in the newer Martha Stewart Living Cakes: Bundts, Loaves, Layers, Coffee Cakes, and more (note: this is NOT a book review), that was released earlier this week.

I have a really older (maybe it’s called vintage, now) Wilton mini-loaf pan that has eight cavities. Each cavity is 4½x2½-inches. Adjustments were made and I made seven loaves, which didn’t quite give me the height or depth of the cakelets that I would’ve liked. So definitely, if your mini pans are this size, plan on making six small loaves to get a good height (or crown) on the bread.

Otherwise, the recipe called for eight 4×2½-inch loaf pans to yield you…eight.

A 9×5-inch loaf pan can be used to (increase bake time to “about” 40 minutes).

The combination of the pumpkin, sage and brown butter is really fantastic in these cakes. You’ll be working the brown butter with the sage cooking in it. Don’t be alarmed that the sage becomes crispy. It’s all good and you’re going to transfer that cooked sage in with the butter to the rest of the batter and ingredients.

If you’ve never browned butter before, it’s really quick-n-easy to do:

• Use a small saucepan that is NOT too dark or black (like cast-iron) on the inside because you want to see the color change.
• Continue to cook the butter on medium-to-low heat until the butter starts to turn a golden brown (and it smells wonderful!), about 5-10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool before using or continue on with your recipe’s method of using it.

I’d definitely make this recipe again in the smaller loaf pans. I’d also toast up either some pecans or walnuts, chop ’em up and add them to the batter. I’m not sure what that would do to the delicate balance of the pumpkin and sage pairing…but it’s something I would try. I’ll update this post when I do test it out.

A Teenie Tiny Healthful Modification:

The original recipe calls for ¾ cup (or 1½ sticks) of unsalted butter. I’ve modified it by adding slightly more than what would be a 1:1 swap and substituted a tad bit more than 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce. It was a good modification that did not sacrifice the moisture of the cakes -and- did not add any additional flavor (from the applesauce) with the substitution.

**Another modification I would make in the future is splitting the flour to use both all-purpose and whole-wheat flour (probably 1 cup of all-purpose and 2/3 cup whole wheat).**

My baking time was well less than the recipe’s original 30 minutes; watch your timing so you don’t dry out the little cakes (you’ll bake for “about” 40 minutes if baking in a 9×5-inch pan).

The sage compliments and slightly offsets the sometimes dominate pumpkin flavor, but still keeps a delicious balance in these little cakes.

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Mini Pumpkin, Sage and Brown Butter Cakes

Makes

• 8 4×2½-inch mini cakes -OR-
• 6 4½x2½-inch mini cakes -OR-
• 1 9×5-inch loaf

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup fresh sage, cut into thin strips, + additional for optional garnish
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, + additional for flouring pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup solid-pack pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking pans by spraying with non-stick spray and dusting with flour, taping out excess.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sage strips and cook until butter turns golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer the butter/sage mixture into a medium-sized heatproof bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Whisk together, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In the bowl with the butter/sage mixture whisk the applesauce, pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs. Add flour mixture in three batches and blend only until incorporated.

Divide batter evenly among pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. If your pans are individual small loaf pans, place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until tester comes out clean, about 24-30 minutes.

Transfer pans to a wire rack and allow to cool about 10-15 minutes before unmolding. Optional: Garnish with whole sage leaves before serving.

Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

source adapted from Martha Stewart.com

Cristina A-Moore | TeenieCakes.com

October 08, 2013