Butternut Squash Cake with Clementine Glaze Recipe
This Butternut Squash Cake is super moist thanks to olive oil and the zesty clementine glaze is a real game changer.
Servings: 10 Servings
Calories: 417kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup butternut squash puree from a small roasted butternut squash
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar light will work best
Glaze:
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar or icing sugar
- ¼ cup milk or water
- ¼ cup clementine juice + 2 tablespoons
- 1 tbsp clementine zest optional, grated
Instructions
Butternut Squash Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking pan or bundt liberally with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves until incorporated. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, add the squash puree, eggs, and olive oil, mix well to combine. Add the white sugar and brown sugar, mix to incorporate.
- Add the spiced flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated, don't over mix.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake 40-50 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center. Remove and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack before inverting to cool completely.
Clementine Glaze:
- Add all glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle over the cooled cake and serve.
Notes
Substitution Ideas
Butternut Squash Purée- Pumpkin Puree – A 1:1 substitute. It’s slightly earthier but still gives a moist, spiced cake texture.
- Sweet Potato Puree – Adds richness and sweetness. Just be sure it's smooth and well-mashed.
- Carrot Purée – Boil or steam carrots until soft and blend into a purée for a similar result with a slightly lighter flavor.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – Use a 1:1 baking blend that contains xanthan gum to keep the texture close to traditional.
- Whole Wheat Flour – Sub up to half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat for a heartier, slightly nuttier cake.
- Spelt Flour – Offers a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. Use in place of all-purpose for a more rustic, wholesome twist.
- Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil - Use a light oil for the best tasting cake.
- Coconut Oil – A great dairy-free option with a mild flavor. Just make sure it's melted and cooled slightly before mixing.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – Replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with 1½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice blend for convenience.
- Cardamom – Adds a beautiful floral spice note—use sparingly (about ⅛ teaspoon) in place of cloves or nutmeg.
- Ground Ginger - add 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger to give this delicious cake even more flavor.
- Orange Juice – A great alternative with a slightly bolder citrus note.
- Lemon Juice – For a tangier glaze, use lemon juice—but reduce the quantity to taste so it doesn’t overpower the cake.
- Milk or Cream – If you're out of citrus, use a few teaspoons of milk or cream for a simple vanilla glaze and add ¼ tsp vanilla extract.
- Cream Cheese Icing - this moist cake will hold up great to a smooth cream cheese icing. Use your favorite recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 3882IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
