Brown Butter Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Base Layer:

• 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter that will be browned
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated or cane sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Pumpkin Gooey Layer:

• 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup (240g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter that will be browned
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp nutmeg powder
• ¼ tsp cloves powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 ½ cups (420g) powdered sugar

1. Add 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter to a light-colored saucepan. Melt over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown with nutty aroma and brown specks (5–8 minutes). *Pour into a bowl to cool, about 15 minutes. *Weigh and portion: two-thirds for the crust about 188g and one-third for the filling about 94g. (you can also brown the butters separately!)
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line with parchment paper or lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.
3. Make the crust: In a large bowl, beat the browned butter that's reserved for the crust with sugar until combined (mixture will look grainy, not fluffy). Add egg and vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold dry ingredients into the wet and mix until a thick dough forms. Press evenly into a greased or parchment-lined 9x13-inch pan.
5. Make the pumpkin filling: In another large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and pumpkin purée until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and the rest of the browned butter. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
6. Gradually mix in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until filling is smooth and pourable.
7. Pour pumpkin filling over crust, spreading evenly. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 40–50 minutes, until edges are set but center still jiggles slightly.
8. Cool & slice: Let cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour (filling will firm up). Slice into squares. Optional: dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with brown butter maple glaze before serving.

*How to Brown Butter (Step-by-Step)

1. Melt: Place your butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. (A silver pan helps you see the color change better than a dark one.)
2. Foam: The butter will melt, then foam, then bubble. Stir often with a silicone spatula to prevent burning.
3. Speckles: After 5–7 minutes, golden brown speckles (milk solids) will form on the bottom. The butter will smell nutty, like toasted hazelnuts.
4. Done: Once the liquid is amber-golden and the speckles are a shade darker, remove from heat immediately — it can burn quickly at this stage.
5. Cool: Pour into a heatproof bowl to stop cooking.

Dividing the Brown Butter:

• You’ll need a total of 339g (1 1/2 cup) of unsalted butter for this recipe:
  • 226g (1 cup) for the cake base layer
  • 113g (1/2 cup) for the pumpkin gooey layer
• Brown all 339g of butter at once, then weigh or measure out into two bowls. Two-thirds go to the cake base layer and one-third goes to pumpkin gooey layer.  
  
  • I got a total of 282g of browned butter total. I used 188g for the cake base layer and 94g for the pumpkin gooey layer.