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    Home » Recipes » Cakes, Cupcakes & Cheesecakes

    Published: Mar 30, 2019 · Modified: Nov 4, 2020 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliate links 2 Comments

    Glazed Brown Butter Coffee Cake

    Jump to Recipe
    Brown butter coffeecake pinterest banner
    Brown text on close up of glazed loaf coffee cake
    Double image collage of glazed coffee cake loaf, brown text overlay
    White brown text on the side of sliced loaf cake with glaze
    Close up of loaf cake with glaze being poured on a wooden board

    A fantastic coffee cake recipe, it comes together fairly quickly, is dense and delicious and has a crunchy topping and glaze. Besides, it contains the magic words brown butter, so it really is a cake you should make now and keep on making whenever you need a hug.

    Glaze pouring over coffee cake loaf on a wooden board, metal rack

    At a time when the world is adjusting and we're wondering how much it will change and how quickly, this coffee cake will make your sunny day even better or your cloudy day brighter. A win-win situation if you ask me. The recipe hails from Tessa's blog, Handle the Heat, and it's what she chose for this month's baking challenge.

    I don't know about you, but coffee cakes in general, and brown butter, in particular, make me think of happy moments, very cheesy but so true. So yes, I associate the smell of brown butter with cozy hugs. Whatever.

    Let's get into the recipe details.

    Brown butter coffee cake on wire rack, hand on red bowl, spoon dripping glaze
    Table of Contents Hide
    Ingredients
    What is brown butter?
    Making brown butter
    Glazes
    My top tips
    Related recipes you might like:
    Glazed Brown Butter Coffee Cake

    Ingredients

    It's a simple cake, with everyday ingredients, and the list seems long but you probably have most (if not all) of them already.

    • Butter: use unsalted and the best one you can afford. It's a major component in this recipe.
    • Sugars: both white and brown sugars are used, giving it sweetness as well as a caramel undertone that is fantastic with the brown butter.
    • Cinnamon: again, the best quality you can buy is the way to go.
    • Sour cream: it adds a lot of moisture to this cake and an unmistakable dense crumb that is so particular with coffee cakes.
    Image with text, coffee cake ingredients

    What is brown butter?

    Brown butter, or beurre noisette in French, literally translates to hazelnut butter, and is regular butter that has been cooked for a few minutes and stripped out of some of its water. Yeah, butter has water, sometimes a lot.

    As this happens, the solids in the butter begin to brown and that amazing nutty smell begins to appear; hence the word hazelnut mentioned above. It gives regular baked goods (especially vanilla based) a deep, nutty flavor, almost sweetly smoked, that is so amazing you can only understand it if you try it.

    It's like smoked vanilla x ten. Or so I think. Truly remarkable.

    Making brown butter

    Simple really. And there's a step-by-step brown butter post here in case you need it. It is worth the extra step. Trust me on this one.

    Just heat butter until it starts to foam, then sputter with large bubbles while chirping like a parrot (really, it chirps, you'll understand when you make it, especially if it's butter with high water content), until finally the noise and bubbles subside, the foam goes up again and beneath it, all the butter is browning and starting to smell beyond amazing.

    I usually make a large batch, like say, half a pound of brown butter, keep it in the fridge for a few days, and use it for whatever baked cakes or cookies I'm making.

    Metal rack with glazed coffee cake loaf on a wooden board, pink napkin beside it

    Glazes

    Coffee cakes are traditionally sweet cakes - usually vanilla flavored - with cinnamon and maybe add-ons like crumble, nuts and cinnamon sugar.

    Time has produced a million recipes and variations, but I think the most common ones involve sour cream (instead of milk) and cinnamon streusel in the batter and on top of it. Paradise with a cup of coffee or tea. Golden or matcha latte maybe if you're into trends. Who knows, I'm generation X, haha.

    It is usually glazed with that wonderful combination of confectioners' sugar and liquid (milk, cream, lemon juice, or dark coffee which is my personal favorite and I use for the popular Brown Butter Bundt Cake) and it is the finishing touch that brings it all together. A slice of warm glazed coffee cake is truly a thing you remember.

    Woman with pink shirt and brown apron glazing loaf coffee cake, prop library as background

    My top tips

    • Ingredients: use the best quality you can afford. This cake relies on simple ones, such as butter, for flavor, so the best ones will render the best results.
    • Serving: a glazed coffee cake is always my first choice, but this one can be served plain.
    • Storing: it keeps well for a few days at room temperature and it can be frozen for a month, well wrapped.
    • Flavorings: feel free to add other flavorings that complement the cinnamon, such as orange zest. Or try a new one, like ground cardamom.

    This one checks all the boxes, the brown butter takes it up a notch, and - and this is a big and - the recipe uses melted butter, so no creaming. How's that for easiness? Worth every calorie and minute you spend making it.

    Top view of loaf cake drenched in sugar glaze, metal rack on white surface, red bowl

    Related recipes you might like:

    • Wood table with several slices of glazed vanilla bundt cake with rest of cake in the background.
      Brown Butter Bundt Cake
    • Square of pumpkin cake with apples and crumble, white greyish surface
      Pumpkin Apple Cake
    • Slices of swirl bread on wooden table, crumbs around
      Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread
    • Front view of half walnut loaf with glaze and nuts on top. Grey surface and background.
      Walnut Bread (quick)

    Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

    If you like the recipes in this blog, consider subscribing and getting all new posts by email. As a thank you, we'll also send you a FREE recipe e-book and our Guide to Freezer Baking!

    Print
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    On a wooden board over a metal rack, glaze poured on top of loaf cake

    Glazed Brown Butter Coffee Cake

    Print Recipe
    Save Recipe Recipe Saved

    A fantastic coffee cake recipe, it comes together fairly quickly, is dense and delicious and has a crunchy topping and glaze. Besides, it contains the magic words brown butter, so it really is a cake you should make now and keep on making whenever you need a hug.

    • Total Time: 65 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings

    Ingredients

    For the streusel

    • ¾  cup  (150g) light brown sugar
    • â…“  cup  (45g) all-purpose flour
    • 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
    • 4  tablespoons  (60g) unsalted butter, melted

    For the coffee cake

    • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
    • 2  cups  (280g) all-purpose flour
    • 1  teaspoon  baking powder
    • ½  teaspoon  baking soda
    • ½  teaspoon  salt
    • ¼  cup  (50g) granulated sugar
    • ½  cup  (100g) packed light brown sugar
    • ¼  cup  whole milk (at room temperature)
    • 2  large eggs (at room temperature)
    • 8  ounces  (225g) sour cream, at room temperature

    For the glaze

    • ½  cup  (65g) powdered sugar
    • 1  tablespoon  milk or lemon juice

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
    2. Butter or spray a 9x4-inch loaf pan or a 9-inch square pan.
    3. Line with parchment paper if wanted.

    For the streusel

    1. In a small bowl mix all ingredients together until the mixture resembles wet sand. Reserve.

    For the cake

    1. Melt butter in a saucepan with high sides, at medium heat, until it begins to foam.
    2. Bubbles will appear and a chirping noise will begin. Let it boil away until the bubbles and noise subside and the surface covers with foam.
    3. Lower the heat and watch carefully, twirling the pan a few times until a nutty smell appears and, beneath the foam, the butter is amber colored. Be careful not to burn it!.
    4. You have brown butter now. Transfer it to a medium bowl and let cool slightly.
    5. Add the milk (first to lower the temperature), the eggs, and sour cream to the warm butter and mix lightly.
    6. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add both sugars and mix to combine.
    7. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients.
    8. Mix with a spatula until combined, like you would a muffin mix, but careful not to overmix.
    9. Spoon half of this batter in the prepared pan.
    10. Sprinkle with half the streusel mixture.
    11. Cover with the other half of the batter and end with the remaining streusel.
    12. Bake for 40-45 minutes, depending on the pan you use until a tester comes out clean.
    13. The loaf pan might take a bit more.
    14. Let cool for 10 on a wire rack and carefully unmold. Some sugar might be stuck to the sides.

    For the glaze

    1. Mix sugar and liquid until creamy and lump free.
    2. Drizzle over the cake.
    3. Keep wrapped at room temperature for a few days.

    Notes

    • Pans: this cake was both great as a loaf and as a small sheet cake.
    • Sugars: both white and brown sugars are used, giving it sweetness as well as a caramel undertone that is fantastic with the brown butter.
    • Sour cream: it adds a lot of moisture to this cake and an unmistakable dense crumb that is so particular with coffee cakes. 
    • Ingredients: use the best quality you can afford. This cake relies on simple ones, such as butter, for flavor, so the best ones will render the best results.
    • Serving: a glazed coffee cake is always my first choice, but this one can be served plain.
    • Storing: it keeps well for a few days at room temperature and it can be frozen for a month, well wrapped.
    • Flavorings: feel free to add other flavorings that complement the cinnamon, such as orange zest. Or try a new one, like ground cardamom. 
    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 45 minutes
    • Category: Breakfast / Brunch
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: brown butter coffee cake

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vintagekitchenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagekitchenblog

    Recipe from Handle the Heat for her monthly challenge.

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    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    1. Easyfoodsmith says

      March 31, 2019 at 2:42 pm

      What a lovely first shot! The cinnamon streusel sounds so good.

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        April 01, 2019 at 8:30 am

        Thanks so much!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Paula!

    A baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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