WAIT! Before you jump to the recipe for this butternut squash cake be sure to check out the tips for cooking with butternut squash and how you can make this cake even if you don't have a whole squash (it's easier, anyways!)
This homemade cake recipe will surprise you with its sweet flavor and healthy ingredients. This butternut squash cake recipe is chock full of nutritious squash, natural sweeteners, and delicious flavor. You'll be making this lovely cake with naturally sweetened cream cheese frosting on a regular basis for your family!
It is basically a squash spice cake with cream cheese frosting, let's be honest. But a butternut squash dessert is sooo much cooler than an everyday spice cake, amiright.
This Butternut cake recipe and frostingusesmaple syrup to sweeten it. Only maple syrup. And, if you are lucky enough to have a local supply (like we are)...you are excited right about now, aren't you! You understand the amazingness that means! Recipes using natural sweeteners are my favorite, for sure!
Be warned: if you are interested in Pinterest/Instagram perfect cakes and desserts you can move right along from this recipe. This recipe is about crazy tasty, make your belly happy, and feel like home kind of food.
Okay, most of our recipes aren't built for pretty. But this one, especially. But it's so darn good.
Butternut Squash Cake (naturally sweetened)
This cake and the frosting are naturally sweetened, easy to make, and delicious! A recipe you'll make again and again!
Do I have to use freshly roasted Butternut Squash?
No, for sure not. It's fairly easy to roast up a squash and use the leftover butternut squash from other recipes but, I often will take shortcuts to make this quick and easy...
The easiest way to use butternut squash is to get it pre-cut in bags from your grocery store (found in the produce section). If you don't have access to that and don't want to go through the trouble of preparing a butternut squash, you can use canned pumpkin puree instead. Â Just make sure you use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie puree. Â Pumpkin pie puree already has a bunch of spices and sweeteners added to it, so your butternut squash cake will taste wonky.
Another great trick... the baby food aisle. It sounds strange but you can get already pureed butternut squash in the baby food section. So, if you are looking to save some time, shop the baby section.
Quick trick for this butternut squash cake: line your pan with parchment paper, spray and flour the parchment paper, and then when the cake is done pick up the paper edges, flip it over (be sure to let it cool a couple of minutes!), and voila!...no dishes!
Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Frosting
The frosting for this cake is also naturally-sweetened and utterly divine. You'll be eating it by the spoonful! There have been a few readers that commented and let us know that it works great to sub out honey for the maple syrup, if you prefer. If you do so, decrease the amount of honey by half and then add it back as needed.
Cake for YOU. Cake for YOU. And cake for YOU.
This butternut cake recipe is a great way to introduce veggies to your kids in a new way! Ask them if they can taste the squash in the cake? We bet they will say no!
This squash cake is delicious. Not, oh my gosh call Mom delicious. (that would be my homemade chocolate cake recipe) But, really, really good. Truly! The kind of cake you could make every single day and not feel one bit bad about. The kind of cake you make for company. Or for Sunday brunch. Or because you had a bad day. It is just that versatile, easy, and delicious.
Lives in Minnesota with her husband, 2 kids, and 2 dogs. Loves coffee, cocktails, books, paddleboarding, and gardening. Oldest of 10 kids, grew up in MN, spent years and years in WI, die-hard Viking fan.
Author of Creative Gift Ideas: 52 Unique Gift Sets for under $20 available on Amazon.
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63 thoughts on “Butternut Squash Cake Recipe (naturally sweetened)”
Alicja bo
I made it with more spice and added some currants, walnuts and orange zest. My frosting failed, I wanted to be creative and added butter, orange zest and vanilla extract and it curdled. My own doing with experimenting too much. Great recipe that works and is delicious 😋 thank you for posting :)
Amazing and super yummy . It is my favorite to bake . Fun to prepare as it is like silky mix and yummy to eat and healthy.
Thank you so much for sharing
I cannot properly express how phenomenal this cake is! I made it with oat flour and extra cinnamon, and it came out so fluffy, moist, and tender, everything a cake should be. My brother and I finished it in a few days, and he never enjoys my healthier baking, so this is a big win!
I made it with more spice and added some currants, walnuts and orange zest. My frosting failed, I wanted to be creative and added butter, orange zest and vanilla extract and it curdled. My own doing with experimenting too much. Great recipe that works and is delicious 😋 thank you for posting :)
I love those additions and might have to try that myself ;). Too bad about the frosting! But, it's always good to try new things. That's how we learn.
Amazing and super yummy . It is my favorite to bake . Fun to prepare as it is like silky mix and yummy to eat and healthy.
Thank you so much for sharing
I cannot properly express how phenomenal this cake is! I made it with oat flour and extra cinnamon, and it came out so fluffy, moist, and tender, everything a cake should be. My brother and I finished it in a few days, and he never enjoys my healthier baking, so this is a big win!
3/4 T of nutmeg is a crazy huge amount? Is this a mistake?
Actually, no. But always add in what you prefer. Nutmeg is a strong flavor that might not be your thing. Go ahead and halfsies that amount.