Pumpkin spice poke cake

Step 1

Make the poke cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, 8 ounces of pumpkin purée, and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice blend until well combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.

Step 3

Bake the cake for 40–45 minutes, rotating 180° and covering with aluminum foil halfway (to keep the top of the cake soft) until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Step 4

While the cake is baking, make the filling: In a blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, remaining 7 ounces of pumpkin purée, the sweetened condensed milk, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice blend, and the salt. Blend until completely smooth.

Step 5

Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke about 16 holes in the cake, spacing evenly. Pour the filling over the warm cake and let it settle and absorb, shaking the baking dish as needed to encourage the filling to seep down. Let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour. (It is okay if some of the filling remains on top of the cake, it will create a layer between the cake and frosting.)

Step 6

While the cake cools, make the frosting: in a medium pot, gently melt 10 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids separate from the fat and sink to the bottom of the pot, 4–5 minutes. Once the milk solids begin to brown and smell nutty, swirl the pan a few times to distribute the heat and prevent burning. Remove the pot from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Let cool completely, but not to the point of hardening, about 40 minutes. If the brown butter does harden, microwave in 10-second intervals until just softened, but not warmed.

Step 7

Add the remaining ¾ cup butter to the bowl with the cooled brown butter and use a hand mixer on medium speed to whip until light and fluffy, 1–2 minutes. Sift in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and slt and whip until incorporated and the frosting is light and fluffy.

Step 8

Evenly spread the brown butter frosting over the cooled pumpkin cake. Dust the top with the remaining teaspoon of pumpkin spice blend.

Step 9

Cut into squares and serve.

Step 10

Enjoy!