Take classic vanilla cake to the next level with this Brown Butter Cake! A simple change for an intense nutty flavour.
This was my first time baking with brown butter and, quite frankly, I don’t know what took me so long!! Who knew that such a simple (and easy) change could have such an amazing impact on flavour. I specifically went brown butter all out (in the cake and frosting) because I really wanted the flavour to stand on it’s own. That being said, it would work wonderfully paired with almost any other flavour combination.
If you’ve never made brown butter, or even heard of it, let me give you a little overview.
What is Brown Butter?
Brown butter (or beurre noisette) is butter that is cooked until the milk solids turn brown. When you’re cooking the butter, it will separate into fat and milk solids. The longer you cook it, the darker the milk solids will become. Note that it doesn’t take a lot of time for the solids to go from brown to black (aka burnt) so you really need to watch it when you’re cooking.
How do you make Brown Butter?
To make brown butter, you place the butter in a light colored pan and cook it over med-low heat. The light pan is important (white or stainless steel) so that you can see the color of the butter. You won’t be able to tell if it’s in a dark teflon or casto iron pan, so make sure to use something light.
The butter will foam up a lot when it’s cooking, which can make it difficult to see the color of the solids, so I would stir it often or scrape some of the foam to the side to see how the solids were doing.
When the butter is reaching the right point or browning, it will also start to smell differently (amazingly!!). Most people say that it smells nutty (hence the beurre “noisette”) , but to me it smelled almost caramel-like. It smelled delicious, at any rate.
Once the butter is properly browned, remove it from heat immediately and transfer it to a heatproof bowl (I used a large measuring cup for ease for the next step). Make sure to scrape in all of those delicious brown bits as that’s where the flavour is!
Since we’re using it in the cake and frosting, you need to divide the brown butter. Once the butter is slightly cooled, give it a good stir to jostle the brown bits and separate it into into 3/4 cup and 1 1/2 cup portions. You may have a bit left over which you can save to use as a sauce on steamed veggies or a variety of meat dishes.
You need the butter to be solid and at room temperature before using it in the cake and frosting. I popped mine in the fridge overnight and then placed it on the counter for a few hours in the morning to come to room temperature.
The flavour of this Brown Butter Cake is truly amazing. To be honest, doing the brown butter in both cake and frosting was a bit of a test. I wanted to see if it would really make a difference in the flavour, and wow, did it ever! This is such a simple change but it really does make for a unique nutty, buttery, caramelly, delicious cake!
Tips for this Brown Butter Cake:
- Use a light colored pan to brown the butter so that you can actually see it getting brown. I used stainless steel.
- The butter will go from brown to burnt very fast, so work quickly to get it off the heat and transferred to a heatproof bowl or measuring cup.
- Allow the butter to cool and completely solidify before using in the recipes.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Brown Butter Cake
Take classic vanilla cake to the next level with this Brown Butter Cake! A simple change for an intense nutty flavour.
INGREDIENTS
Brown Butter:
- 2 cups unsalted butter *
Brown Butter Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup brown butter room temperature, solid
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup milk room temperature
Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- 3/4 cup brown butter room temperature, solid
- 1 tsp vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
Brown Butter:
Place 2 cups butter into a large, shallow, light colored saucepan. Cook over med-low heat, stirring frequently until the butter starts to brown and smell nutty.**
Immediately transfer to bowl or large measuring cup. Be sure to scrape in the brown bits. Measure out two separate 3/4 cup portions into separate containers for the cake and frosting respectively. Let cool to room temperature and solidify.***
Brown Butter Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream browned butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
Bake for 45mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.
Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.****
- Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add all of the regular butter and then the browned butter 1 Tbsp at a time and mix until smooth.*****
- Add vanilla and whip until smooth.
Assembly:
Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 1 cup buttercream and spread evenly.
- Place second cake layer on top and apply a thin coat of frosting all over to crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
Frost & smooth the top and sides of the cake. Pipe rosettes on top using a 1M tip if desired.
NOTES
*3 cups butter is more than you will need, but I always like to make more than less as some evaporates. Any extra can be used as a sauce for meant or vegetables.
** Be careful not to burn it. It will go from brown to black very quickly.
*** Once the butter is at room temperature, you can place it in the fridge to speed up the solidifying process. Be sure to bring it to room temperature before using in the cake and frosting recipes.
**** Ensure there is NO trace of egg yolks in your whites and that your mixer bowl and whisk is completely grease free or your meringue won't stiffen.
***** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
NOTE: The Brown Butter Swiss Meringue buttercream recipe has been revised to add in more regular butter.
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.
I made only the Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream portion of this recipe. And I made it based on the original recipe, where all of the Butter was browned (the recipe has since been changed to be part Brown Butter and part regular [non-brown] Butter).
I browned the Butter the day before, poured it into a glass storage container, put it in the refrigerator overnight, and took it out the next morning and allowed it to sit at room temperature.
When I added the Brown Butter to my stiff meringue, the smell was amazing! I added all of the browned bits and pieces, which really gave it a neat look!
The buttercream became very loose after adding the Brown Butter, so I stuck it in the freezer for 10 minutes and tried to rewhip it. I could never get it to stiffen up properly. I went ahead and frosted my cake and was able to get somewhat smooth sides. I put the cake in the refrigerator overnight. Even after being overnight in the refrigerator, the next day it was still tacky and sticky to the touch and would become melty if taken out of the refrigerator for even a short amount of time.
I ended up scraping off the Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream and instead made Olivia’s Brown *Sugar* Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which is heavenly and one of my favorites!
I will say that the Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream that I made was absolutely delicious in taste! The best way I can describe the flavor was that it tasted how a donut shop smells. It was strangely much sweeter than traditional Swiss Meringue Buttercream – I would say at least as sweet as American Buttercream. But the texture (in the original recipe) was more like a pâté, was sticky, and was not the traditional silky-smoothness that Swiss Meringue Buttercream is associated with.
Very long story short, I am excited to try out this recipe with the changes Olivia has made! She was a gem trying to help me troubleshoot the issues I was having and with immediately changed the recipe when I told her of my issues!
Thanks so much for the detailed feedback Jennifer! I’m so glad you messaged me so I could help troubelshoot. I’m really sorry you had so much trouble with it!! I’m going to have to retest my original recipe and try to figure out why it worked for me but not for everyone. It was definitely softer than a regular SMBC, but shouldn’t have gotten a weird texture like that. Glad you liked the flavour though 🙂
Hi Olivia!
Saturday is my grandmother’s birthday lunch, and I want to make her a layer cake inspired by her classic toffee bars.
I’m thinking about making this recipe with smooth chocolate ganache on the outside and toffee bits all over the top – maybe a layer of whipped ganache and toffee bits in between the layers.
What do you think – would this cake work for that? I know what brown butter looks and smells like, but have never baked with it.
Either way, I know I’m going to try this recipe at some point: just looking at it makes my mouth water!
Hi Rachael! I think this cake would be delicious with a chocolate frosting/ganache. The brown butter has a bit of a nutty flavour, so I think it will pair perfectly with chocolate. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Thank you for the quick response, Liv!
I made the cake – used the ganache recipe below to frost it (whipped version inside, poured version over the top) and covered the top with a lot of Heath Bits o’ Brickle.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/33647/chocolate-ganache/
It was absolutely delicious and got rave reviews from all my family.
Side note: I forgot to let the brown butter cool before using it to make the cake – just poured it in hot. I also used 9″ pans and dark brown sugar, because that’s all I had to work with. The cake still turned out wonderfully.
Awesome, thanks so much for the update! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Hello Olivia,
I too am going to try this as cupcakes. Just wondering, how many do they yield? Does the batter need to go into the oven at once, e.g. once the baking powder becomes wet? I am wondering whether to get more cupcake tins. 🙂
Hi Valerie! Ideally you’d bake them as soon as the batter is done. I’m not totally sure but I’d guess it would make 18 or so cupcakes +/- depending on size.
Hi Olivia,
I went ahead and backed them — and yes, the yield is 18 (in case anyone else is wondering). They will cool overnight, and I will ice them tomorrow. I just did a basic buttercream icing though (with the brown butter). I am really looking forward to how these turn out, and will let you know!!
P.S. the dough for this recipe is so super-fluffy and beautiful, and the icing is so silky awesome (mouth watering in anticipation).
Cheers,
Valerie 🙂
*baked lol 😉
Oh, excellent, thank you for the update! Please let me know how you like them 🙂
I would like to add caramel in some way. What would you suggest? I can’t wait to try. Also what do you think about a thin layer of Nutella in between layers?
Hi Robin! You can add it to the buttercream, but I think that would take away from the flavour a bit. How about just on top of the buttercream between the layers? Then they’re still distinct, and maybe a caramel drip on top? I think Nutella would work great as the brown butter has a nuttier flavour already.
Thank you Olivia. One quick question. Will the frosting hold over night for a luncheon tomorrow?
Hi! Yes, it should be fine 🙂
Hi there! How much more frosting would I need if I wanted to cover the whole cake in rosettes?
Hi Jo! I’m not totally sure as I’ve never tried that. I would 1.5x the recipe, maybe more.
Hi there! Thanks for the recipe! Would this cake be ok to be carved and covered in fondant?
Hi Isabel! I think it would work fine for that.
Liv…do you think I could make this cake and use a simple apple compote in between the layers? I could stack and ice it the day of my event. Just wondering if it would hold up? Thanks!
Hi Melimel! It should hold up just fine. I would pipe a dam of buttercream as a border to hold in the compote.
One of the few recipes I’ve found online that have succeeded beautifully on the first try. Tasted fantastic and the texture was great! Added blackberries for kicks and that tasted great as well.
So happy to hear that Oli!
Hi Olivia! It looks like you have something in between your cake layers and your frosting filling. What is it? Extra brown butter or..? 🙂 Katie
Hi Katie! There’s nothing else in there actually, it’s just the crust from the cake layers since I don’t trim mine 🙂
I love this cake recipe and I am planning to make it for my daughter’s first birthday in cupcake form. Any ideas for a filling?
Hi Miranda! I think a caramel would be delicious as a filling!
I’ve made 3 of your cakes so far and gotten rave reviews for all, but this was the recipe I made for my own birthday. It was perfect!
Yay! So happy to hear that Carol. Happy belated birthday!
So I made this today….delicious! But I was having some issues with my buttercream. The butter was a little too warm when I mixed it, so I used your trick of cooling it down. I ended up having to use my freezer, and whenever I would begin working with it for awhile it would just start melting again. Is this just a hazard with warm temps and buttercream, or did I mess something up? I had stiff peaks before I added the butter. Thanks for any feedback!
Hi Meghan! If your meringue was nice and stiff before you added the butter then it’s just a matter of temperature. Next time try it with butter that is still very slightly cool/firm and make sure the meringue is completely cool. The buttercream may curdle due to the colder butter, but I find that easier to deal with (aka fix – just keep whipping it until it comes together) than a soupy buttercream.
Thank you!
Can I make this cake in 1 tall cake round rather than 2 separate — bake it at a lower temperature?
Then cut the cake in half and put it back “together” with a layer of frosting.
Thanks in advance
Hi Goldi! You can give it a try, but it would take a much longer time to bake due to the height and could dry out along the edges.
Hi! Is there a suitable substitute for egg whites or would regular buttercream work instead of Swiss buttercream? Thanks!
Hi Sapna! Regular buttercream would work just fine. You need the egg whites for the meringue buttercream.
I just realized that the butter that I browned is salted. Can I still use it? Will it ruin my cake????
Hi Nedra! You can leave the salt out of the cake if you used salted butter. As for the frosting though, this will really come down to taste. Some people don’t mind this, but I prefer unsalted butter.
Thank you for your reply. I made it anyways. It was delicious! I even made it gluten free. I have also made your chocolate cake with mint frosting GF. Both delicious. Thank you for the wonderful recipes.
So happy to hear that you liked them! 🙂
This looks amazing!!! I’ve recently become obsessed with brown butter. I was wondering what other flavors you would pair with this cake and how you would incorporate them?
Hi Celine! Brown butter is so versatile, I think it could work with anything — caramel, chocolate, apples, etc.
The most amazing cake recipe ever! I had never heard of brown butter cake before and I decided to give it a try. My husband and I loved it! I am a newlywed and am always looking for new recipes to try. It is not overpowering, it is just perfect! It pairs perfect with a cup of coffee. Thank you for this recipe!
Thanks so much Stephanie! I’m so happy to hear that you both liked it 🙂
Hello! What altitude are you at? I’m planning on baking this for a birthday and we’re just over 5500 feet here. I am contemplating how much to adjust the recipe. Thanks!
Hi Alia! I’m at sea level here 🙂
I there. I want to make this cake for a friend’s birthday, which falls on a Thursday. As I am often pressed for time on week nights, do you think this cake would still come out OK if I made the browned butter in advance (Sunday) and kept it refrigerated until Wednesday?
Another time saving question: Would it be detrimental to make the Swiss Meringue Tuesday and refrigerate it until assembly, Wednesday?
Hi Regina! You can totally make the brown butter in advance — that’s what I do! Cool it to room temp and stick it in the fridge in an airtight container. Then bring to room temp again before using.
The cake layers can be baked in advance too, I do this all the time — cool completely, wrap twice in plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw for 2-3 hours before assembling the cake.
The frosting can be made in advance too, but can act up a bit once brought to room temp again. Make sure it’s brought to room temp and rewhip it. If it looks off for any reason it can be saved! Mine looked like cottage cheese soup once because it was still a bit too cold when I rewhipped it. I used my hair dryer (true story) to heat the side of the bowl while whipping and it came together beautifully.
For ease, I would make the cake layers and brown butter in advance and the buttercream on the day of to avoid having to “fix” it if needed. I hope that helps!
Arrggh, this is the third time I have made Swiss buttercream. One time it was gloriously perfect and the other two times it was so runny I could pour it! I am following the recipe exactly and can’t figure out where I am going wrong!
Hi Melissa! For the other two times, was the meringue stiff before you added the butter? If not, grease or stray egg yolk could be the culprit. If it was stiff, then it sounds like either the butter was too soft or the meringue was still warm when you added it. If that’s the case, it’s totally saveable! Just stick the whole bowl into the fridge for 20mins and re-whip. Keep doing that until it comes together properly. I hope that helps!
hi, so i’ve never baked before, and for some reason i’ve been put in charge of christmas dinner dessert. i was gonna just buy a cake from the local french bakery, but happened upon this recipe and i actually wanna try it out. looks gorg and sounds delish. would it be a big deal to turn this recipe into cupcakes? what would i need to do? bake a shorter time?
Hi Teddy! You could totally do this as cupcakes. All you need to adjust is the baking time! Start checking them at 15mins or so. Let me know how they turn out!
Hiya, I forgot to respond with how the recipe turned out as cupcakes. GREAT! omg. brown butter everything!
Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂 Brown butter everything, indeed! I can’t believe it took me so long to try it!
Loved this cake so much I gave it a shout out on my blog. I made it for my mom’s birthday and it was a huge hit. I had never used brown butter before, boy was I missing out. Thanks for always having clear instructions and amazing recipes!
https://themillennialglow.com/2017/11/10/on-my-radar/
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it and that you found the recipe easy to follow 🙂 Brown butter is amazing, right?? How did we not have it in our lives this long??
Do you think brown butter would go well with a caramel filling?
Hi Ina! I think that sounds like an amazing combo!
Oh my goodness, this looks out of this world delicious. I know what you mean about brown butter. I made chocolate chip cookies with brown butter for the first time last year, and was amazed how much flavor it added to the cookie. Can’t wait to try this cake!
It was SO good. I seriously need to try brown butter in everything now. Chocolate chip cookies will be next I think! Thanks Melinda! 🙂
I’ve started experimenting with brown butter myself, I can imagine how insanely good this is!! I’m going to try this frosting with some cupcakes this weekend.
It’s SO good right?? Thanks so much Dana, I hope you like it! 🙂
Browned butter is totally my weakness. This cake is beautiful!
Thanks so much Jessica!
What a beautiful cake! And I love the brown butter bits in the frosting. Gives it a rustic look.
I love it too! Thank you Cindy <3 xo