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This moist and fluffy Brown Butter Snack Cake topped with a creamy Brown Butter Frosting is the perfect way to take the classic vanilla cake to the next level.
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Brown Butter Snack Cake
This brown butter snack cake is super light, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. And the brown butter frosting is *truly* the icing on top. (Lol, get it?) Brown butter is one of those magical ingredients that honestly takes any baked good to the next level. I'm not exaggerating; make this cake and find out for yourself!
Ingredients for Brown Butter Snack Cake
This brown butter snack cake doesn’t require a ton of ingredients; here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter: For both the cake and the brown butter buttercream, of course
- Sour cream: This helps give the cake a slightly tangy flavor and keeps the cake nice and moist. You can use an equal amount of Greek yogurt if that's all you have on hand!
- Milk: Whole milk is best, but you can use a low-fat or dairy-free alternative as well!
- Egg whites: Using only egg whites helps keep this cake light and tender.
- Vanilla: I use both vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste for a super flavorful cake; generally speaking, they can be used interchangeably though, so if you only have one of these ingredients on hand, use 1½ tablespoons of whatever you have.
- Granulated sugar: To sweeten the cake; using all granulated sugar helps keep the brown butter flavor as the star of the show.
- All-purpose flour: I tested this cake with both all-purpose flour and cake flour and found that all-purpose consistently leads to the best results.
- Baking soda & baking powder: For a little leavening action.
- Fine sea salt: Desserts without salt can taste a little plain, so don’t forget it!
- Powdered sugar: For our frosting!
- Heavy cream: Also for our frosting! You can also just use an equal amount of milk.
What is Brown Butter?
Before we get into how to make brown butter, let’s talk about what brown butter actually is. Brown butter comes from the term beurre noisette which in French actually means “hazelnut butter,” and once you make brown butter, you will understand exactly why it has this name.
When butter melts, the butterfat and the milk solids separate. Because the milk solids are heavier than the fat, they sink down to the bottom of the pan and after some time they begin to brown. As the butter browns, it takes on a whole new flavor profile; it becomes nutty and rich and takes on a golden brown hue. You’ll begin to smell it very distinctly once the butter is beginning to brown. In fact, I rely heavily on the smell of the butter to know when it is done.
How to Make Brown Butter
Browning butter is an easy process that only takes a couple of minutes to complete. All you need is your unsalted butter, a saucepan (light-colored makes it easier to see when the milk solids are browning), and a utensil to stir the butter as it browns (I like to use a silicone spatula).
- Melt butter in the pan. Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium-low to medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Stir. Once the butter is melted and begins to bubble and foam, stir continuously to ensure none of the milk solids—those little brown bits that appear as the butter melts—burn as they settle on the bottom of the pan.
- Wait for the color change. Lower heat if necessary, and wait for the butter to become a warm shade of golden brown, with an undeniably nutty aroma. Remove from heat immediately.
- Transfer and cool. Transfer the brown butter to a heatproof bowl. Allow the butter to cool almost to room temperature before using in the cake. For the frosting, you'll need to re-solidify the brown butter and then bring it back to room temperature. I like to speed this up by placing the butter in the freezer and giving it a stir every 10 minutes or so.
Brown Butter Snack Cake Recipe Troubleshooting & FAQ
BROWN BUTTER SNACK CAKE: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you store this brown butter snack cake?
I recommend storing this snack cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days (assuming it lasts that long!). Just let it sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it’s the most accurate way to bake and it’s how I develop them; cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide! In any event, if you look at the recipe card underneath the ingredients list, you can click “US Customary” and it’ll convert to the less accurate volume measures.
BROWN BUTTER SNACK CAKE: TROUBLESHOOTING
Help! My cake is dry! What did I do wrong?
This cake is anything but dry! If yours turns out as such, you likely either added too much flour or you overbaked it! It could also be a combination of the two! For the best results, use a scale to make this recipe and keep a close eye on it in the oven!
Help! My cake sunk in the middle! What did I do wrong?
A little bit of sinking when cooling is natural, but if the cake completely sinks to the point where the edges of the cake are higher than the middle, then something went wrong! It’s possible that you underbaked the cake and removed it from the oven before the middle got a chance to finish baking. Adding too much leavener could also cause the cake to rapid rise while baking and then collapse while cooling.
Brown Butter Snack Cake
Ingredients
For the Brown Butter Snack Cake:
- 126 g unsalted butter
- 90 g sour cream room temperature
- 90 g milk room temperature
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 226 g granulated sugar
- 158 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Brown Butter Buttercream:
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 270 g powdered sugar
- 45 g heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- fine sea salt to taste
- food coloring optional
Instructions
For the Brown Butter Snack Cake:
- Cube the butter and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring. After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browning; you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and you'll begin to smell a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
- While the brown butter cools, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease an 8×8-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To the brown butter (which should still be liquified), add the sour cream, milk, egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste and whisk until well combined. Add the sugar and whisk again until combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth out evenly with a spatula. Bake the cake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and relatively crumb-free. Remove cake from oven and let cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
To Make the Brown Butter Frosting:
- Cube the butter and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring. After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browning; you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and you'll begin to smell a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and freeze until solidified, about 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the solidified brown butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
- Frost cooled cake however you’d like. I used different sized open-starred piping tips for the pictured cake.
Nutrition
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Laura Davis
Holy cow, this is a great cake! Easy to make and the flavor was simultaneously complex and simple. I made it to use up some leftover strawberry frosting and it was a beautiful pairing. So delicious. You're a genius -- thank you for sharing!