FULL TABLE

BROWN BUTTER CAKE + COFFEE BUTTERCREAM

Posted on by Abbye McGee


I am a BIG fan of DESSERT. A GINORMOUS FAN, YOU GUYS. More specifically… desserts made of CHOCOLATE. And I rarely deviate from this preference. However, I would make a daily exception for this cake. Because: COFFEE. BUTTERCREAM.

I made this cake for a friend’s 40th birthday party a few weeks ago. They asked for a plain vanilla cake with vanilla frosting but I ignored them and made this one instead. It was a calculated risk, but it paid off in spades.

The cake layers are ridiculously not dry, damp, dewy, humid, irriguous, rainy… {anything but THAT M WORD that no one wants me to use}. Nutty browned butter just adds that special something that drop kicks this cake right over the top. Trust me.

The icing is this perfect blend of butter, powdered sugar and strong coffee and I could not ask for a more perfect ANYthing. 



First let’s talk about brown butter. No, it’s not a specialty butter that you have to buy at a fancy market. It’s super simple to make (although maybe a tad bit messy if you don’t take the proper precautions) and really really versatile. It makes this cake over-the-top yummy but is also SO good in cookies {BLESS}, poured over pancakes {HELP} or poured over ravioli or gnocchi {I’M SO SORRY}.

Brown butter is simply butter that is heated until the milk solids begin to brown. There are methods floating around on the web using the microwave that are supposedly faster + easier but I found it to be really messy as the butter pops wildly while being heated in that manner. Even when you heat it with a weighted lid in place, that butter will find a way out and you will spend more time than you would like (and probably a few cuss words) trying to clean out your microwave afterwards. So let’s just NOT, ok?

What you need to do is take a stick of unsalted butter and place it in a cold saucepan. Put it over medium heat and allow the butter to melt and start to cook, swirling the pan around every minute or so. The butter will foam up and then settle back down. When the butter turns a golden brown color, it’s done… don’t allow it to burn or it will taste burned. DUH. When it has reached the desired color, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before using in the cake. {I let mine teeter right on the edge of brown and burned… because I like to tempt fate and dishes pushed to the edge ALWAYS taste better}

Here are all the nitty gritty details:

THIS CAKE! I love it so much. SO MUCH. I do hope you’ll make it soon.

WHAT YOU NEED (CAKE)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

3 tablespoons brown butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups cake flour (or All Purpose if you don’t have cake flour!)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

WHAT YOU DO (CAKE)

Active time: 20 minutes / Cook time 30-35 minutes

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with parchment paper (3) 9 inch round cake pans.

2. In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butters and sugars on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides.

3. Add the eggs and mix for another 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.

4. Mix the buttermilk, oil and vanilla in a measuring cup and stream in slowly with the mixer on low speed. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix for 6-8 minutes until completely incorporated, almost completely white and increased in volume.

5. On low speed, slowly mix in the flour, baking powder and salt for about 45 seconds, just until combined. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and mix for another 45 seconds.

6. Divide evenly into the three cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges are slightly puffed but the center doesn’t jiggle.

7. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

8. Run a small knife around the edge of each cake pan and flip over to remove from cake pans. Remove parchment paper from the bottom of each cake.

WHAT YOU NEED (COFFEE BUTTERCREAM)

4 sticks of room temperature

4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup whole milk

3 teaspoons instant espresso

1 teaspoon kosher salt

WHAT YOU DO (COFFEE BUTTERCREAM)

1. In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachement, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar.

2. In a glass measuring cup, mix together the milk, espresso powder and kosher salt.

3. Increase the speed to medium and slowly mix in small amounts (1 tablespoon at a time) of the coffee milk into the butter and sugar. Wait until fully combined before mixing in more each time. This process take a bit of patience. It will look weird and you will freak out. Stop freaking out… it will be fine.

4. Once all of the coffee milk is added in and fully combined, add in the rest of the sugar 1 cup at a time until you have reached your desired consistency.

CAKE ASSEMBLY

1. Place the first layer on a cake stand (preferably one that spins). Spread 1/4 of the frosting on the top of the layer and distribute evenly.

2. Place the second layer on top of the frosting and evenly spread another 1/4 on the top.

3. Place the last layer on top with the FLAT side facing up. Spread a THIN layer using another 1/4 of the icing over the entire cake. This is your crumb layer. Put the entire cake in the freezer if possible (or the fridge) and chill for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Spread the rest of the icing over the cake making it as smooth or swirly as your little heart desires. Sprinkle some finely ground coffee grounds on the top if you like {and you WILL like}.


All photos: Matthew Ray

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