Maple Brown Butter Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Ingredients

- 12 servings +

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, (1.5 sticks) browned to nutty perfection, cooled
• 1 can pure pumpkin puree, (15 oz) not pumpkin pie mix
• ½ cup pure maple syrup, Grade A amber or dark
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract, divided (1 tsp cake, 1/2 tsp frosting)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 8 oz cream cheese, brick-style, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup unsalted butter, for frosting, softened to room temperature
• 2 ½ cups powdered confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, for frosting swirl
• ½ cup candied pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped, for topping