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Brown Butter Caramel Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting Recipe

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This Brown Butter Caramel Cake is a decadent treat featuring rich browned butter in both the cake batter and creamy frosting, layered with a luscious homemade salted caramel sauce. With a tender, moist crumb and indulgent caramel notes throughout, this cake is perfect for special occasions or whenever you’re craving a truly irresistible dessert.

Ingredients

Brown Butter

  • 1 1/2 cups Unsalted butter

Cake

  • 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 cup Browned butter (prepared from above)
  • 2 tablespoons Oil (canola or vegetable oil)
  • 1 cup White granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla bean paste
  • 3/4 cup Sour cream (room temperature or Greek yogurt)
  • 3 Large eggs (room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup Buttermilk (room temperature)

Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups White granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup Unsalted butter (room temperature and cubed)
  • 3/4 cup Heavy cream (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Caramel Frosting

  • 3/4 cup Browned butter (chilled from above)
  • 4 oz Cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 3 cups Powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tablespoons Caramel sauce (from above)

Instructions

  1. Brown Butter: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter. Stir occasionally as it simmers, first bubbling then foaming. Once it starts to foam, stir consistently as milk solids separate and turn amber, indicating browned butter. This process takes about 10 minutes.
  2. Divide Brown Butter: Divide the browned butter into two portions: 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup, including milk solids evenly. Place the 3/4 cup portion in the fridge to chill and the 1/2 cup portion in the freezer to firm up.
  3. Chill Brown Butter for Cake: Let the butter for the cake (1/2 cup portion) chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until softened but resolidified, stirring halfway.
  4. Prepare Cake Pan and Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9×9-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray again.
  5. Sift Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  6. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl using a mixer, beat the softened browned butter, oil, and granulated sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
  7. Add More Wet Ingredients: Mix in vanilla bean paste, sour cream, and eggs on medium speed until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
  8. Combine Dry and Wet: On low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk until just combined, then finish mixing gently with a rubber spatula.
  9. Bake Cake: Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  10. Cool Cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.
  11. Make Salted Caramel Sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the granulated sugar while whisking occasionally until about 70% melted. Then whisk constantly until fully melted and amber colored (less than 30 seconds).
  12. Add Butter and Cream: Remove from heat, stir in cubed butter until melted. Gradually add heavy cream in two parts, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla bean paste and salt.
  13. Thicken Caramel: Return saucepan to heat and stir for 1 minute until slightly thickened. Pour caramel into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
  14. Prepare Frosting: Sift powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Soften the chilled 3/4 cup browned butter to room temperature if needed.
  15. Beat Frosting Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat browned butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat 1 minute until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix on low until combined.
  16. Add Flavor: Add vanilla bean paste and 2 tablespoons caramel sauce. Beat on high until smooth and fluffy.
  17. Poke Cake Holes: Use the bottom of a wooden spoon to poke holes evenly spaced about 1-2 inches apart on top of the cooled cake.
  18. Fill Holes with Caramel: Put half of the caramel sauce into a piping bag and pipe caramel into each hole. Let caramel sink for a few minutes, then refill holes to the top and spread evenly with an offset icing spatula.
  19. Frost Cake: Spread the brown butter cream cheese caramel frosting evenly over the cake surface.
  20. Decorate: Pour remaining caramel sauce into a piping bag and pipe decoratively on top of frosting. Use a spoon to gently swirl the caramel into the frosting without overmixing.
  21. Set and Serve: If serving immediately, freeze cake for 10 minutes to set frosting before cutting. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • Use room temperature ingredients for best mixing and texture.
  • Be careful while browning butter; it can go from browned to burnt quickly.
  • Chilling the browned butter before mixing into the batter is crucial for proper texture.
  • Line the cake pan with parchment paper to ensure easy removal of cake.
  • When making caramel, watch sugar closely as it melts and colors rapidly to avoid burning.
  • Handle the caramel sauce piping gently while decorating to avoid mixing it too much into the frosting.
  • Store the finished cake in the refrigerator to keep the frosting and caramel set.

Find it online: https://yumntasty.com/brown-butter-caramel-cake-with-salted-caramel-frosting-recipe/