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Wood table with several slices of glazed vanilla bundt cake with rest of cake in the background.

The Best Brown Butter Cake

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5 from 2 reviews

This is the most wonderful plain bundt cake ever. It has a moist crumb, excellent nutty vanilla flavor from the brown butter, and a fabulous coffee glaze that adds another layer of sweetness. It keeps well and can be frozen. 

  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 10 slices

Ingredients

Units

For the cake:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups cake or all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar (I use light brown sometimes)
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of strong prepared coffee

Instructions

To make brown butter:

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan with tall sides (a few inches or so depending on the amount of butter you're browning) over medium heat.
  2. It will melt, bubble, and make a furious noise (this will be louder depending on how much water the butter has).
  3. Then, the bubbles will become smaller, gradually stop chirping (really, it's a chirping noise, you'll see), and foam quite a bit.
  4. Be careful as it will start browning underneath the foam. You will smell a nutty aroma.
  5. It's very important that you split the foam with the spoon or spatula you're using and see that it doesn’t burn. You want it to be an amber color. Like caramel, it goes from amber to burned in a short moment, so be careful.
  6. Take it out and put it in a shallow pan, so it stops cooking.
  7. Allow to cool and refrigerate until cold. It doesn’t need to solidify completely; you want it soft.

For the cake:

  1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Reserve. I measure the ingredients and sift them directly when adding them to the butter mixture.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Butter or spray a large bundt cake pan. Dust with flour or fine breadcrumbs. If using one of the intricate patterned new bundt pans, the best way is to use baking spray, which comes with flour. If not, butter it carefully with a brush (every angle, every corner, dust with flour shaking off excess, and put it in the fridge while you make the batter. Pour the batter into the cold pan and bake. 
  3. In a large bowl, beat brown butter, add the sugar gradually, and beat for 3 minutes, until light and airy.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla in 2 parts. Don't overbeat as it will make the cake tough.
  6. Put the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack and carefully remove from the pan onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before glazing.
  8. Store leftovers wrapped in film or covered.

For the glaze:

  1. Mix powdered sugar and coffee until you have a spreadable, honey-like consistency. Pour over the cold cake and let it drip down the sides.

Notes

  • Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
  • Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
  • Brown butter: you can make it in advance. I am so in love with it, that I usually brown a pound of it, put it back in the fridge and simply use it as regular butter for whatever cake/cookie/shortbread I'm making next.
  • Cake pans: bundt cakes are always a favorite, but you can also make two medium loaf cakes from this recipe.
  • How long does it keep: If well wrapped, it keeps a few days at room temperature (not scorching, obviously) and up to 1 month in the freezer.
  • Gift giving: this is a great cake to give as a gift because it's simple yet has a sensational vanilla flavor, and it's hard to find someone who doesn't like it. I like making small loaf cakes (this recipe yields 4).
  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/10
  • Calories: 445
  • Sugar: 40.8 g
  • Sodium: 96.2 mg
  • Fat: 20.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 62.9 g
  • Fiber: 0.5 g
  • Protein: 4.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 88 mg

Find it online: https://vintagekitchennotes.com/brown-butter-cake-coffee-glaze/