brown butter frosting

This salted caramel popcorn cake will blow your mind and set off fireworks on your tastebuds. With pillowy soft peanut butter sponges, insanely delicious brown butter frosting, an overabundance of salted caramel and a small mountain of caramel popcorn. Plus, it’s gluten free. Sounds rather perfect, doesn’t it?

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake (Gluten Free)

+ 1 tbsp (190 mL) milk

eggs

(400 g) plain gluten free flour blend

tsp xanthan gum

tsp baking powder

+ 2 tbsp (375 g) white sugar

tsp salt

(113 g) unsalted butter, room temparature

(225 g) smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature/soft

unsalted butter

(350 g) powdered sugar

salt

(300 g) white sugar

+ 1 1/2 tbsp (105 g) unsalted butter

+ 1 1/2 tbsp (200 mL) double/heavy cream

- 1 tsp salt

(115 g) popcorn

(150 g) white sugar

water

tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter

tsp baking soda

Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line three 6 inch round cake baking tins with baking/greaseproof paper (see post).

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs until homogeneous.

In a separate larger bowl, sift together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Add the unsalted butter and peanut butter. Using a hand mixer, whisk the butter into the dry ingredients until you get small, pea-sized pieces.

Add the milk+egg mixture and, using a hand mixer, whisk until you get a smooth cake batter.

Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three lines cake tins and smooth out the tops.

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for 40 - 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the cakes are golden brown on top.

Leave the cakes to cool in the cake tins for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Once cool, level off the cakes if they have domed while baking (the cut-offs make for an excellent snack).

For 3 x 6 inch gluten free peanut butter sponges:

First, brown the butter by first melting it in a pot with tall sides&nbsp;and then cooking it for about 10 - 15 minutes with frequent stirring, until it goes a deep brown colour and starts smelling nutty. The butter will foam, so make sure you use a deep pot.Once the butter goes a dark brown butter, remove it from the heat immediately (otherwise it will burn) and pour it into a mixing bowl.I recommend using a pot with a light-coloured bottom so that you can follow the changing colour of the butter.

Allow the butter to cool at room temperature or in the fridge until it firms up but is still "spreadable" (see post).

Whisk the cooled and firmed-up brown butter until pale, fluffy and increased in volume.

Add the powdered sugar and whisk for a further 4 - 5 minutes until the frosting is smooth and super fluffy.

For brown butter frosting:

In a pot, melt the sugar on medium-high heat while constantly stirring, until it is a deep golden brown.

Add the butter, and mix well until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated into the caramel. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly on the addition of butter!) Allow to cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add the double/heavy cream in a slow stream, all the while mixing vigorously. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly and release steam on the addition of double cream!)

Spoon out a small amount of the caramel sauce, allow it to cool, and check its consistency. If it's too thick, you can add a bit more double/heavy cream, and repeat the process until you reach the desired consistency. (The salted caramel should be quite runny because it will be used for drizzling, but not too much otherwise it will drip all the way down the cake.)

After the final addition of the double/heavy cream, add the salt and allow the salted caramel to cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely.&nbsp;

For salted caramel:

Place the popcorn into a large bowl or onto a large baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminium foil.

In a pot, mix the sugar and water, and cook on medium-high heat while constantly stirring, until it is a light amber/golden&nbsp;colour. Don't let the sugar go all the way to a deep golden brown.The reason for adding the water here (unlike for the salted caramel sauce) is that we want a more controlled caramelisation of the sugar, as the caramel can burn quickly once the baking soda is added.

Add the butter, and mix well until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated into the caramel. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly on the addition of butter!) Allow to cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the baking soda and mix quickly – the mixture will bubble up so be careful not to burn yourself.

Quickly pour the bubbling caramel over the popcorn and quickly&nbsp;mix the popcorn + caramel together. Working fast is crucial at this stage, as the caramel gets hard very quickly, and we want all the popcorn covered in an even thin layer of caramel.

Allow the caramel covered popcorn to cool, then break it up into smaller pieces.

For caramel popcorn:

Assemble the cake by spreading a generous layer of brown butter frosting on top of a peanut butter sponge. Drizzle with some salted caramel. Then repeat with another layer (see post).

Place the third and final peanut butter sponge of top. Use the remainder of the brown butter frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Smooth out the frosting with an icing smoother.

Refrigerate the cake for about half an hour. This will firm up the frosting and ensure that it will stay neat once the salted caramel is drizzled on top.

Spread the salted caramel on top of the cake, and allow it to drip down the sides.

Pile the caramel popcorn on top of the cake. Use the salted caramel to stick the individual pieces together (to make it more stable).

That's it! Enjoy!

Assembling the cake:

The salted caramel peanut butter cake keeps well in the fridge in a closed container (or carefully wrapped in cling film) for 3 - 4 days.

Storage:

This Ultimate Banana Cake Recipe is made with walnuts and slathered with brown butter frosting. Enjoy on special occasions or just because!

Ultimate Banana Cake Recipe

flour

baking soda

baking powder

cinnamon

nutmeg

sugar

applesauce (unsweetened)

vanilla extract

bananas (mashed)

butter

heavy cream

walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8x8 square dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, excluding the sugar. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a different bowl, whip sugar, oil, and applesauce together. Stir in eggs, vanilla and mashed banana. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Pour into prepared dish and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool completely.

To make the frosting, place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just after the butter melts, start swirling the pan in small circles. After about 30 seconds or so, the butter should start foaming and will turn an amber color and smell nutty. Once this happens, remove from heat immediately and pour into a different container. Cool to room temperature.

Once butter has cooled, whip together with vanilla, powdered sugar and cream until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled cake and top with chopped walnuts, if desired. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Thick, moist and chewy Banana Bread Brownies are a delicious mash up between banana bread and a blondie-style brownie. Absolutely delicious and so easy!

Banana Bread Brownies

walnut halves*

banana (about 3 medium)

honey

brown sugar

all-purpose flour

white whole wheat flour (or swap additional all-purpose flour)

pure vanilla extract (divided)

Toast

Heat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, so that two opposite sides overhang like handles, then coat the paper with nonstick spray. Set aside. Spread the walnuts on an ungreased, rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven until fragrant and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.

Mash

In a large mixing bowl, mash your banana (double check to make sure you have 1 cup).

Brown

Brown the butter: Heat the butter in a small/medium light-colored saucepan over medium-low. This will take several minutes. Continue to heat until butter melts completely, foams and crackles, turns clear golden (the crackling will stop), then turns toasty brown, swirling the pan periodically. This entire process will take 3 to 5 minutes, depending upon your pan. Once the butter begins to smell lightly nutty, whisk it frequently, scraping up any browned bits from bottom. Watch the pan carefully in the last few minutes to ensure that the butter does not burn. As soon as the bits of butter in the bottom of the pan turn the color of a pecan, remove the butter from the heat and pour it immediately into the bowl with the banana to prevent the butter from burning, along with any toasted bits that are at the bottom. If you’ll be making the brown butter frosting, keep the pan handy.

Whisk

To the banana mixture, add the honey and brown sugar and whisk until smooth. At this point, the mixture should be cooled to lukewarm, but if it’s not, let it rest for a few minutes (or pop it into the fridge to cool it more quickly). Whisk in the egg and vanilla.

Stir

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the banana mixture. With a rubber spatula, gently and slowly fold just until the flour disappears. The batter will look lumpy. Fold in the walnuts.

Bake

Scrape the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with spatula. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack. Let cool in the pan completely if you will be frosting them. If not, wait at least 10 minutes before you lift the brownies from the pan using the parchment and cut them into squares. If they’re cool, the squares will be tidy; if they’re still warm, they’ll be messy. No one will mind.

Brown the butter in the same sauce pan you used previously (unless it is super tiny, in which case, switch to a larger one), following the directions in step 3 above (if there are any burned bits of butter on the pan, wash them out first. If your pan is relatively clean, no need to wash in between). As soon as the butter is browned, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately, begin to stir in the powdered sugar with a rubber spatula or whisk, 1/4 cup at a time. If at any point it becomes too thick to whisk (likely by the fourth or fifth addition of powdered sugar), switch to a rubber spatula and add 1 tablespoon of the cream, then continue adding the powdered sugar, until the frosting is thick but spreadable. Stir in the vanilla extract. If needed, continue adding cream, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency (the butter might look like it&#39;s separating but just keep stirring. As long as you combine everything well, it will all cool together beautifully as the bars sit). Frost the cooled bars. Slice and enjoy!

To Make the Frosting:

This Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting has a brown speckled appearance from the brown butter and the incredibly moist pumpkin cake is packed full of warm fall spices.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

salted butter (room temperature)

vegetable oil

brown sugar (packed)

pumpkin puree

pumpkin pie spice

cloves

ginger

milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8-inch pans with non-stick baking spray. Dust both pans with flour and tap out any excess. This is necessary so the cake doesn&#x27;t stick! Baking spray with flour works great as well.

In a large bowl, sift in pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Whisk until combined.

In a separate mixing bowl, add in the butter, oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add in the vanilla and the eggs one at a time and beat until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each egg.

Add in the pumpkin puree and mix until incorporated.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low just until the flour is worked into the batter. Don&#x27;t over mix!

Divide the cakes equally into the 2 8-inch pans.

Place into the oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until done. Place a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs, it's done!

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cake

In a saucepan over medium high heat, add in the butter. Let it melt and get a deep brown color. It still start to smell nutty. I cooked mine for 10 minutes.

As soon as the butter is brown, turn off the heat and without stirring at all, pour into a heat-safe dish. You can leave out any of the dark bits on the bottom of the pan, but I added them to the frosting for a more nutty flavor.

Let it cool down for 15 - 20 minutes in the fridge.

Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is mostly incorporated and then whip for 1 minute on high.

Frost the cooled cake. Cut and serve!

Frosting

This is crazy yummy!! I love how light it is!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Cane out perfect, I def had my doubt when I say the batter. 

My favorite part was the frosting. I had never done a browned butter frosting &amp; it was such a unique &amp; amazing flavor! 

I did have to add a little more milk , I’m still learning to frost so it being a little thinner helped me frost the cake

I just made this for our family birthday dinner and it was a HIT! So delicious! The cake is moist and the frosting stole the show! Brown butter all the butter!!!

Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made it today for our family Thanksgiving dinner and it was a huge hit!!!! I cannot wait to try other recipes from you

It tastes great, but the directions could have been more precise, especially when it comes to the brown buttercream. I followed to the "T" and ended up with a curdled consistency.

Turn cakes, cupcakes, cookies or brownies into something truly remarkable with this brown butter cream cheese frosting. This brown butter frosting is creamy, tangy, nutty and unbelievably delicious. It instantly transforms and enhances the deliciousness of any baked good it tops.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

tbsp (170 g) unsalted butter

(226 g) cream cheese, room temperature

tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract

Melt

In a sauce pan or pot, melt the butter on low heat until the butter to begins to foam. Once it starts to foam, whisk or stir the liquid butter frequently. The butter will begin to smell nutty and very fragrant. Once the foam has subsided, the butter should have some brown, lightly toasted bits floating at the bottom.

Cool

Pour the brown butter in a heat safe bowl to cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Transfer the butter to the fridge to solidify to a softened butter consistency. This takes about 60-90 minutes. Every 20-30 minutes, stir the butter. This helps ensure the bits of browned butter are distributed throughout the butter.

Cream

Cream together cooled and softened brown butter with the room temperature cream cheese until creamy and well combined, about 4-5 minutes on low speed. Stop and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. 

Beat

Mix in the sifted powdered sugar 1/2 cup (60 g) at a time, beating each addition of powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl as needed. 

Once all the sugar has been added, mix in the vanilla extract and salt. Beat on high until the browned butter buttercream is fully incorporated and your desired consistency. If the buttercream is too thick, add 1 - 2 tbsp (15 - 30 ml) milk of choice, beating until well incorporated.

Transfer the brown butter cream cheese frosting to an airtight container or use to top your favorite cake, cupcakes, cookies or brownies.

This Guinness chocolate cake is rich, fudgy, and perfectly balanced with nutty browned butter cream cheese frosting. The stout deepens the chocolate flavor, making it an easy, egg-free indulgence for any occasion.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Cooking spray or butter (for the pan)

table salt

dark stout (such as Guinness,

(4 oz) unsalted butter (cubed,

unsweetened cocoa powder

white vinegar

(4 oz) full-fat cream cheese (cold

confectioners’ sugar

lemon juice ((optional))

Heat

Crank the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9- to 10-inch (23- to 25-cm) springform pan with a parchment circle, spray or butter the parchment, and then lightly dust with cocoa powder. Wrap the outside of the pan tightly in foil to seal any gaps in the springform pan and prevent leaks.

Whisk the 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon table salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a small bowl.

Combine the 2 cups dark stout (or coffee) with the 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter cubes in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the butter has completely melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat.(If using vegetable oil instead of butter, simply stir it into the warm stout or coffee.)

Whisk the 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 cups granulated sugar into the liquid mixture until well combined.

Slowly add the 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, being mindful that the mixture can foam up. Add the flour mixture, and stir until smooth.

Pour

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. The batter may look foamy, but it will settle as it bakes.

Make

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool completely on a cooling rack. Once cooled, remove the sides of the springform pan.

Make the chocolate cake

Melt the 4 tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally as it begins to boil and crackle. Continue cooking and gently swirling until the butter turns a light golden color and releases a nutty aroma, 4 to 8 minutes.

Pour the butter into a large heatproof bowl and let it cool at room temperature until solid but still soft.

When the butter has cooled, use an electric hand mixer to beat in the 1/2 cup (4 oz) full-fat cream cheese. Gradually add the 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, beating until the frosting is smooth and thick, 2 to 3 minutes.

Beat in the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, if using. (If the frosting is too soft, chill it until thick enough to use.)

Frost

Slather the frosting on the cooled cake, making swoops and decorative swirls. Serve and enjoy!

Make the brown butter–cream cheese frosting

Using an unusual ingredient in my cooking is a pastime, and I honestly love keeping people guessing at what it is. I never have a lack of taste testers because they know I like to try unexpected things, and it’s become a friendly challenge for them to figure out what the secret ingredient is. 

This chocolate Guinness cake recipe caught my eye, and I have to admit I’m not a beer drinker, so I took this one in a different direction. The description indicated that it could be made non-alcoholic, but where’s the fun in that? I decided to substitute Merlot wine for part of the liquid, and included 1 teaspoon espresso powder with 1 cup water for the remainder of the liquid.

This took only 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to bake. During the bake time, I was able to prepare the frosting. The one thing I noticed about this recipe was that the cake did not get the traditional ‘mound’ in the center—it came out flat—no need to trim at all. For the cake batter, I used the butter instead of the oil, and Hershey’s regular cocoa. 

I was rewarded with nice rich flavor, with hints of merlot, and a very moist cake. For the frosting, I made 1.5 times the recipe, but did not increase the amount of lemon juice as I did not want any lemony aftertaste. That amount worked just fine.  The richer frosting complemented the cake perfectly without being too heavy.

This flavorful and super moist Carrot Cake recipe is the best, period. A two-layer beauty studded with fresh-grated carrots, chopped pecans, coconut flakes, and fragrant spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. There's not a dry crumb in sight, this cake is extra tender. It's finished with a swoon-worthy brown butter cream cheese frosting and is perfect for holiday gatherings or any other special occasion!

The BEST Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

cardamom

allspice

dark brown sugar

maple syrup

coconut flakes

carrots,

vanilla essence (I use vanilla bean paste)

buttermilk

pecans,

(1 stick) salted butter

block-style, full-fat cream cheese, softened

sugar,

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Then line each pan with a parchment paper round for good measure and spray the parchment paper as well, set baking pans aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. Whisk the dry ingredients well to combine and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut flakes, eggs, grated carrot, vanilla essence, and buttermilk. Whisk the wet ingredients well to thoroughly combine. Then add the flour mixture into the same bowl and use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined with all dry ingredients dissolved. Then fold the pecans into the batter until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between both pans and gently tap the pans on the counter to help release any air bubbles- use an offset spatula to smooth the top if needed. Let cakes sit on the counter while your oven preheats.

Bake the cakes at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully invert the cakes onto a wire rack to continue cooling. Let the cakes cool down completely before frosting (below).

In a small, light-colored (inside) saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will get foamy and you will hear it bubbling as it cooks. Then it will take on a clear, light golden color. Note: Do not leave the pot unattended for long during the browning process as it can burn very quickly. Stir the butter every so often, scraping up any bits as you stir, until it turns deep brown and has a nutty aroma with brown bits on the bottom. 

Once achieved, remove from heat. Transfer the browned butter to a small ramekin or bowl and leave it on the counter. We want this butter to cool down to room temperature and get firm to where it somewhat solidifies before the next step. To speed up the process, feel free to pop it in the freezer for a bit until it has solidified!

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the firm browned butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste (or extract), and starting on low speed and slowly increasing to high, continue beating until the frosting is well combined and free of any lumps, about 2-3 minutes.

Now let’s frost the cake! On a large plate or cake stand, spread a few tablespoons of the frosting onto the center of it and spread it out over a few inches (so the cake stays put on the vessel). Place one cooled cake on top of that frosting, add about ½ heaping cup of frosting on top of the cake and spread the frosting to the edges. Top with the other cooled cake, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Feel free to do a crumb coat: a thin layer of frosting along the outside of the cake then place it into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes to seal in before you finish frosting.

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Top 7 brown butter frosting recipes from across the web

The most viewed brown butter frosting recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake (Gluten...

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The most viewed brown butter frosting recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine