The Best Brown Butter Cake
A fantastic brown butter cake with a moist crumb, excellent nutty vanilla flavor, and a fabulous coffee glaze. It keeps and freezes well.
Servings 10 slices
Ingredients
Brown butter cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Simple coffee glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons prepared coffee
Instructions
To make brown butter:
- Melt 1 cup unsalted 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.
- It will melt, bubble, and make a furious noise (this will be louder depending on how much water the butter has). Then, the bubbles will get smaller, gradually stop chirping (really, it's a chirping noise, you'll see), and foam quite a bit.
- Be careful as it will start browning underneath the foam. You will smell a nutty aroma. 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.
- Take it out and put it in a shallow pan, so it stops cooking. Allow to cool and refrigerate until cold. It doesn’t need to solidify completely; you want it softened.
For the cake:
- Sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Reserve. I measure the ingredients and sift them directly when adding them to the butter mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a large 10-cup bundt cake pan with soft shortening. Dust with flour, shaking off excess.
- In a large bowl, beat brown butter, gradually add 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, and beat for 3 minutes, until light and airy.
- Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with ¾ cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in 2 parts. Don't overbeat as it will make the cake tough. I like to use a silicon or rubber spatula at the end to make sure it's all well integrated and that no dry ingredients are left at the bottom of the bowl.
- Put the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack and carefully remove from the pan onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before glazing.
- Store leftovers wrapped in film or covered.
For the glaze:
- Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons prepared coffee until you have a spreadable, honey-like consistency.
- Pour over the cold cake and let it drip down the sides.
Notes
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 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, put it back in the fridge and simply use it as regular butter for whatever cake or cookie I'm making next.
Cake pans: bundt cakes are always a favorite, but you can also make two medium loaf cakes from this recipe.
Storage: If well wrapped, it keeps for 2-3 days at room temperature and up to 1 month in the freezer.
