Beard House Recipe: Spiced Butternut Squash Cake with Brown Butter Caramel

Mid-Atlantic beachgoers revere the Delaware coast for its relaxed vibe, beautiful surf, and fresh seafood—perhaps the best of which can be found at SoDel’s empire of coastal-inspired kitchens, which dot the shoreline. At his recent Beard House dinner chef Doug Ruley cooked up a sumptuous spread of his signature “farmer-meets-fisherman” style, but when it came to the dessert course, Ruley revealed a decidedly terrestrial sweet tooth. The grand finale of the evening was this butternut squash cake, which adds a savory tinge of curry powder to the typical seasonal spice assortment of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Doused in a luscious brown butter caramel and served à la mode with apple–walnut ice cream (an optional but thoroughly recommended addition), baking up this over-the-top treat at home will make getting your daily vegetables anything but a chore.

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Maggie Borden is assistant editor at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Instagram.