Butternut Squash Olive Oil Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
If you have never roasted a butternut squash before, it’s super easy. If you have one, a melon baller is the perfect tool to get the seeds and stringy parts out of the butternut squash as the sharp edge will help cut through the strings. But a regular spoon works as well! Any leftover squash can be frozen in a freezer ziplock bag and used at a later date for another recipe. Just allow plenty of time to roast the squash and cool it. You can also roast the squash the day before and then puree it and store in the fridge to use the next day for the cake.
Make the butternut squash puree by preheating the oven to 400°F and lining a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out with a spoon or melon baller (see headnote).
Drizzle half the Lindsay Buttery California Extra Virgin Oil over the cut side of the butternut squash. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the aluminum foil. Place the butternut squash flat side down on the baking sheet. Roast for 1 hour until the flesh of the squash is soft. Let cool.
Once the squash is cool, scoop the flesh out of the skin with a regular spoon and place in a food processor or blender. Process until a smooth puree forms. Measure out 2 cups and reserve the rest for another purpose.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Drizzle a little Lindsay Buttery California Extra Virgin Oil inside a 10-cup bundt pan. Brush the pan all over, making sure to coat the entire pan with the oil.
Dust with all-purpose flour, making sure to knock out any excess flour. The oil will make the flour stick. If there are any empty spot, brush a little more olive oil over that spot and dust again.
Make the batter by placing both sugars, olive oil, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until blended. Add the eggs, one a time, making sure to mix each egg into the batter until it’s incorporated, before adding the next one.
Add 1 cup of the flour and mix to incorporate. Add 1 cup of the butternut squash puree and mix to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining flour and puree, alternating with each and ending with the flour.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake in the oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Once done, let the cake rest in the pan on a wire rack, for 30 to 45 minutes or until the pan is just cool enough to handle, but still warm to the touch. Unmold on a wire rack and let cool completely.
Once the cake is cooled completely, place all the glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and let the glaze cook uncovered for 15 to 17 minutes. The glaze should thicken up and be the consistency of turkey gravy. Turn the heat off and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cinnamon sticks and spoon the glaze over the cake letting it drizzle down over the sides.