Contributor Monte Mathews is constantly curating and cooking ideas for every occasion. This year, he listened to his Chewing the Fat readership and compiled their favorite top five recipes just in time for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Our HipSilver favorite dish is a delicious dessert cake called The Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake.

It combines all of our favorite ingredients: pecans, pumpkin, and brown butter frosting. Please see Monte and Andrew's recipe below to enjoy. 

For the Pumpkin Puree
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium-large Sugar Pie pumpkin, cut in half from stem to bottom and seeded. 
Looks a lot like homemade, doesn’t it?

Tip: Please substitute 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin purée for homemade, by all means.

Make the pumpkin purée…if you must.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Brush a 9×13-inch baking dish with the oil. Put the pumpkin halves in the dish cut side down and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Let cool. Peel the pumpkin and purée the flesh in a food processor until smooth. You’ll need 1-1/2 cups of the purée for the cake.

Refrigerate or freeze any remaining purée for another use.

For the cake
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter; more for the pans
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk

Make the cake
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans with removable bottoms (or butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, butter the parchment, and flour the pans).
Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 1-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes.
Pour into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not set, about 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves.
In a large bowl, whisk 1-1/2 cups of the pumpkin purée with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and buttermilk until very well blended.
With a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Gently whisk in the brown butter until completely incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake the cakes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
Turn the cakes out onto racks, remove the pan bottoms or parchment, and cool completely.

For the topping: 
1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2/3 cup pecans
1/2 cup unsalted, raw, hulled pepitas
2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. table salt
1-1/2 Tbs. chopped crystallized ginger

Tip: Monte's partner Andrew doubled the recipe to completely cover the cake with this crunchy delicious topping. You should too!

Make the topping
Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add the pecans and pepitas and cook until the pecans brown slightly and the pepitas begin to pop, about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle in the brown sugar and salt and stir until the sugar melts and the nuts are glazed, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the ginger. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool in the skillet.

For the frosting
4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 oz. (1-1/4 cups) confectioners’ sugar

Make the frosting
Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 1-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown, about 4 minutes.
Pour into a small bowl and let stand until the solids settle at the bottom of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
Carefully transfer the bowl to the freezer and chill until just firm, about 18 minutes.
Using a spoon, carefully scrape the butter from bowl, leaving the browned solids at the bottom; discard the solids.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and the brown sugar has dissolved, 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Assemble the cake
Put one cake layer on a cake plate.
Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting on the layer.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nut mixture over the frosting and top with the second layer.
Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Arrange the remaining topping in a ring 1-1/2 inches in from the edge of the cake and serve.
Serves 8 – 12.