Brown Butter Cake
Brown butter cake is a moist, tender cake made with nutty brown butter. It's topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting! This easy one-layer cake is perfect for both weeknights and holidays!
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 496kcal
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cake
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter browned, cooled slightly, measure out 1/2 cup after browning, see recipe notes below
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
- 1⅓ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4½ ounces cream cheese full fat, brick style, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter browned then measure out 3 tablespoons then set aside til it's solid but room temperature* see notes about brown butter
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Brown Butter
- Brown the butter for both the batter and frosting together. Some of the water in butter evaporates when it browns, so we'll use a little extra butter to start with. Start with 13 tablespoons of butter then measure out what we need after browning.
- Melt all the butter in a medium, light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly as it foams and bubbles. Watch carefully — when it smells nutty and the bits on the bottom turn medium brown, remove from heat.
- Immediately pour the butter into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in all the browned bits. From this bowl, measure out ½ cup of the brown butter and pour it into a medium mixing bowl for the cake batter. Let it cool for about 10–15 minutes at room temperature, until it’s warm but not hot to the touch. It doesn’t need to firm up — just cool enough so it won’t cook the eggs when mixed in.
- Set aside 3 tablespoons of the remaining butter for the frosting. Let it cool at room temperature until soft but still firm. Stir occasionally so the brown bits are evenly distributed.
Brown Butter Cake
- Spray an 8 inch round cake pan with baking spray. Line with a round of parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, slightly cooled 1/2 cup of brown butter, vanilla, sour cream and milk.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions, gently, until just combined — do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.
- Place the cake pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. Once cooled, run a knife along the edge of the pan to make sure it is not sticking. Remove cake from pan. Make sure cake is completely cool before frosting.
Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and 3 tablespoons of room temperature brown butter on medium speed for one minute until creamed and combined. (The brown butter for the frosting shouldn't be liquid but should be softened room temperature).
- Add the brown sugar and mix on medium for another minute. Mix in the vanilla then turn the mixer on low and gradually mix in the powdered sugar.
- Place cake upside down on your serving board. (The bottom is smoother and more even).
- Use a spatula or an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the cake. Sprinkle with brown sugar before serving, if desired, for decoration.
Notes
Cream cheese: Use full fat, block-style, room temperature cream cheese.
Brown butter: Both the cake and frosting are made with brown butter. It's best to brown the butter for both together then measure out the butter after browning. The browning process causes some of the water to evaporate from the butter. We're starting out with more butter to make up for the evaporation. You may end up with a little extra brown butter. You can use it for something else or discard it. If you don't end up with enough brown butter, simply add extra melted or room temperature butter for either the batter or frosting.
Storage: Store the frosted cake covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving. Since the frosting is made with cream cheese, the cake should be stored in the refrigerator.
Baking pan: Use a round, metal 8-inch or 9-inch baking pan.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 791IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1mg
