LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Brighten Your Holidays with this Browned Butter Cake


Browned Butter Cake with Toffee-Whipped Cream Filling and Cocoa Frosting Photo Susie Iventosch

When I was looking for a new "yellow" cake recipe, I ran across this one and it is delicious. It called for a browned butter frosting, but we loved the chocolate frosting with this cake. We added the whipped cream-toffee filling, and it is a natural with the subtle browned butter flavor of the cake.

It seems a little labor intensive, because you first brown the butter for the cake, then chill again until solid in the refrigerator. At that point, you follow the usual process of softening the browned butter at room temperature, just as you would any normal stick of butter when baking a cake or cookies.

This cake is rich and toasty and perfect for the holidays.

To brown, heat butter in a heavy sauce pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Continue to cook, stirring often, until butter foams and then foam subsides. Butter will begin to take on a nutty aroma and the solids will become a light golden brown. This takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes, depending upon the heat.

When butter is browned, remove to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate until solid. This can be done a few days ahead of time. When ready to bake the cake, remove browned butter from refrigerator and bring to room temperature until soft enough to beat.

Browned Butter Cake

(Serves 8-10)

INGREDIENTS

3 sticks unsalted butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the softened browned butter with electric beaters or mixer, until soft and creamy. Add white and brown sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated and mixture looks fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat after each, scraping down bowl as needed.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside. Add to batter alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes, and then cover top loosely with foil, to keep from getting too browned. Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or so, until cake tester comes out clean. Check to make sure it is not getting too well done.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

When cooled, remove cake from pan and cut in half horizontally. Spread toffee-whipped cream filling evenly over bottom half. Place top half over the filling and refrigerate until cold.

Remove from refrigerator and frost tops and sides with cocoa frosting. Garnish with extra toffee bits.

Keep refrigerated and take out of refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving.

(You can also use two 8-inch round pans, but bake for a shorter time. This way you won't have to cut the cake horizontally, just spread filling in between layers before frosting.)

Toffee-Whipped Cream Filling

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 Heath Bars, or your favorite toffee, broken into small bits.

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in powdered sugar, vanilla and toffee bits. Refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made a couple of hours before assembling cake.

Cocoa Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Beat butter until soft and creamy. Slowly beat in cocoa powder. Then add powdered sugar, alternately with milk until desired creaminess. Stir in vanilla.