Brown Butter Spice Cake (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Spice Cake
01 -
1/4 tsp cloves
02 -
1/2 tsp nutmeg
03 -
1 tsp baking soda
04 -
1 tsp cardamom
05 -
3/4 cup (200g) sour cream, at room temperature
06 -
1 tbsp cinnamon
07 -
1 cup (235g) unsweetened applesauce
08 -
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
09 -
1 cup (200ml) vegetable oil or canola oil
10 -
4 large eggs, at room temperature
11 -
2 cups (380g) light brown sugar, packed tightly
12 -
3 tsp vanilla extract
13 -
1/2 tsp salt
14 -
2 3/4 cups (350g) all-purpose flour
15 -
1 tsp ginger
→ Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
16 -
5 cups (600g) powdered sugar
17 -
16 oz cream cheese, softened
18 -
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
19 -
1 cup (220g) unsalted butter
→ Decorations
20 -
Candied nuts (half a recipe)
21 -
Cinnamon sticks
# Instructions:
01 -
Turn the oven on to 350°F. Use nonstick spray to coat two 8-inch round cake pans, and line their bottoms with parchment circles. If you’ve got cake strips, wrap those around the pans.
02 -
Using a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all the spices (cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg).
03 -
In a bigger bowl, stir together the applesauce, oil, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla last.
04 -
Stir half of the dry mixture into the wet mix. Once that's combined, add the sour cream. Then, mix in the remaining dry ingredients. The batter should be quite thin.
05 -
Split the batter between the pans so they're about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
06 -
While the cakes are baking, melt the butter in a pan on medium heat. Let it cook until it turns an amber color. Cool it down until it’s solid enough to spread.
07 -
Beat the browned butter together with the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar slowly, and throw in the vanilla. Keep mixing until you reach the texture you like.
08 -
When the cakes are totally cool, trim the tops and slice each into two layers. Stack the layers with frosting in between. Spread a crumb-coating layer all over, chill for 20-30 minutes, then finish with the final frosting and some decorations.
# Notes:
01 -
You can bake this using three 6-inch pans or two 9-inch pans instead. Just adjust the baking time.
02 -
If cardamom isn’t stocked in your kitchen, switch it up with 1/4 tsp more of ginger and cinnamon, or use a pumpkin spice blend.