Indulge in the Best Brown Butter Cake: A Decadent, Nutty, and Moist Layer Cake Recipe

Prepare to elevate your baking experience with this extraordinary Brown Butter Cake. Crafted with the finest browned butter and rich dark brown sugar, this cake delivers an unparalleled depth of flavor that is both nutty and beautifully caramel-like. Each tender, moist slice is then generously enrobed in a creamy, irresistible Brown Butter Buttercream, transforming a simple dessert into an entirely new level of gourmet delight. The magical touch of browned butter truly makes every bite an experience to savor.

Browned butter, often referred to as ‘beurre noisette’, is a culinary game-changer, renowned for its ability to enhance the flavor of any dish, sweet or savory. It introduces a complex, toasty note that makes desserts taste infinitely better! It’s the secret ingredient behind many of my personal favorites, including my exquisite Butterscotch Cake, the delightful Cookie Dough Cake, and my famously chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Once you experience the rich, deep flavor brown butter imparts, you’ll want to use it in everything!

Why This Brown Butter Cake Recipe Works Wonders

• Achieves a Perfectly Tender and Moist Crumb: This brown butter cake is exceptionally soft, light, and tender, dissolving beautifully in your mouth. This exquisite texture is no accident; it’s a careful combination of key ingredients. We use cake flour, with its lower protein content and finer milling, to create a delicate and fine crumb. Buttermilk adds crucial moisture and a subtle tang, reacting with leavening agents for a soft rise. And finally, a touch of vegetable oil ensures a luscious moistness that persists, keeping the cake fresh and delicious for longer.
• An Abundance of Irresistible Brown Butter Flavor: Prepare for a true brown butter celebration! Not only is the cake batter deeply infused with the rich, nutty notes of browned butter, but the luxurious buttercream frosting also features this golden ingredient. This double dose guarantees that the signature flavor shines through, offering a complex profile that is deliciously nutty, subtly sweet with caramel undertones, and wonderfully toasty. It’s a flavor experience that stands out from typical vanilla cakes, offering sophisticated warmth and depth.
• Effortlessly Easy to Master: Despite its gourmet taste and impressive appearance, this brown butter cake recipe (also known as beurre noisette cake) is surprisingly simple to make. The steps are straightforward, designed to guide even novice bakers to success. You’ll be rewarded with an amazing brown butter cake flavor and texture that tastes like it came from a high-end bakery, all from the comfort of your own kitchen.

Essential Ingredient Notes for the Best Brown Butter Cake

• Cake Flour: This isn’t just any flour; cake flour is specifically chosen for its lower protein content and ultra-fine milling. This characteristic is crucial for inhibiting excessive gluten development, resulting in a cake that is exceptionally soft, light, and boasts a truly delicate, fine crumb. It’s key to that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Dark Brown Sugar: While granulated sugar provides sweetness, dark brown sugar is the secret to enhancing the rich, caramel-like notes that perfectly complement the browned butter. Its higher molasses content contributes to a deeper, more complex flavor profile and also adds moisture, ensuring a wonderfully tender cake.
• Buttermilk: Always opt for room temperature buttermilk. The acidity in buttermilk tenderizes the cake crumb, creating an incredibly soft texture. Additionally, it reacts with the baking soda to provide lift, ensuring a light and airy result while also imparting a subtle, pleasing tang.
• Brown Butter: This is the star ingredient! You’ll need about 20 tablespoons (2 ½ sticks) of unsalted butter to yield approximately 8 oz of browned butter for the cake. The browning process concentrates the butter’s flavor, transforming it into a nutty, toasty, and utterly irresistible essence. For detailed instructions, expert tips, and FAQs on achieving perfectly browned butter every time, be sure to consult my comprehensive guide on How to Brown Butter.
• Vegetable Oil: Even with the rich flavor from brown butter, adding vegetable oil is essential for achieving that signature moist cake texture often associated with oil-based cakes. It contributes to the cake’s tenderness and keeps it moist for days, without diluting the glorious nutty notes of the browned butter.
• Unsalted Butter (for Frosting): This butter is distinct from the one you’ll brown for the cake. It forms the luscious base for our Brown Butter Buttercream. Using unsalted butter gives you control over the overall saltiness of your frosting, allowing the rich brown butter flavor to truly shine.

Step-by-Step Instructions: Crafting Your Decadent Brown Butter Cake

Make the Brown Butter Cake Layers

1. Brown the Butter: Begin by placing 20 tablespoons (1 1/4 cups) of unsalted butter into a light-colored saucepan or skillet. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to ensure even browning and prevent scorching. The butter will foam and sizzle as the water content evaporates. Soon, milk solids will separate and settle at the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring until these milk solids turn a beautiful golden brown and a rich, nutty aroma fills your kitchen – this typically takes about 8 minutes from the time the butter has melted. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and transfer the browned butter, including all the precious brown bits at the bottom, into a heatproof bowl to halt the cooking process. Allow it to cool to room temperature until it solidifies again (you can speed this up by placing it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes). Never burn the butter; golden brown is the goal. For a more detailed guide, refer to my How to Brown Butter post.
2. Prepare Buttermilk Mixtures: In a small bowl or container, combine 4 oz of room temperature buttermilk with the vegetable oil. Whisk until fully incorporated and set this mixture aside. In a separate container, whisk together the remaining 6 oz of room temperature buttermilk, the large eggs, and the vanilla extract until smooth. Set this second mixture aside as well.
3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cake flour, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds until all the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined and no lumps remain.

4. Incorporate Brown Butter and Oil Mixture: Add the cooled, solidified browned butter to the dry flour mixture in the stand mixer. Mix on low speed for about 15-20 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand. Next, pour in the buttermilk and vegetable oil mixture. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. The batter will visibly thicken and lighten in color. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl thoroughly with a rubber spatula, and then mix for another minute on medium speed to ensure everything is well combined and aerated.
5. Stream in Remaining Wet Ingredients: Reduce the mixing speed to low. Slowly and steadily stream in the second buttermilk, vanilla, and egg mixture into the batter. Mix only until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Overmixing can lead to a tough cake. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure all ingredients are incorporated without overworking the gluten.

6. Bake the Brown Butter Cake Layers: Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by generously spraying them with nonstick baking spray (preferably one that contains flour). Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper, and then spray again for extra non-stick insurance. This ensures your cakes release perfectly. Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared pans. For consistently level layers, I recommend weighing the batter in each pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 335°F (168°C) for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake layers are set, spring back slightly when gently touched, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Avoid overbaking, which can dry out the cake. Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 5 minutes before carefully inverting them onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely to room temperature.

Prepare the Brown Butter Buttercream and Assemble Your Cake

1. Brown the Butter for Frosting: You’ll need to brown 19 tablespoons (1 cup + 3 tablespoons) of unsalted butter for the buttercream. Follow the same detailed instructions for browning butter as outlined in step 1 under “Make the Brown Butter Cake,” or refer directly to my dedicated Brown Butter Recipe. Ensure the browned butter cools completely to room temperature until it becomes solid again before proceeding.
2. Cream the Butters: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the remaining 13 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter and the cooled, solidified 19 tablespoons of browned butter. Beat on medium-high speed for several minutes until the mixture is incredibly smooth, light in texture, and pale in color. This creaming process is essential for a fluffy buttercream.
3. Add Remaining Ingredients: Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Frequently scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all sugar is mixed in and prevent lumps. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Finally, add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition, until your brown butter buttercream frosting reaches your desired smooth and spreadable consistency.
4. Layer the Cake: Place one completely cooled cake layer on a cake board or your chosen cake stand. Using an offset spatula or a piping bag, apply a generous and even layer of brown butter buttercream over the top. Carefully place the second cake layer on top and repeat the frosting process. Finish by topping with the third cake layer.
5. Frost the Cake: Using an offset spatula, apply a thin layer of brown butter frosting over the entire cake – this is called a “crumb coat” and helps to trap any loose crumbs. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until the crumb coat is firm. Once chilled, apply the remaining brown butter frosting, smoothing it out or creating a rustic pattern as desired. Slice, serve, and savor every exquisite bite!

Expert Tips for a Flawless Brown Butter Cake

Pan Size Variations: For even thicker, more dramatic cake layers, you have the option to bake this brown butter cake recipe in three 6-inch round pans. Alternatively, if you prefer a two-layer cake, you can use two 9-inch pans, though baking times may need slight adjustment. Always keep an eye on doneness cues.

Achieve Even Layers: To ensure each cake layer is perfectly uniform in thickness, I highly recommend weighing the cake batter as you distribute it into each prepared pan. This simple step guarantees a beautifully balanced and professional-looking finished cake.

Mastering Brown Butter: When browning butter, constant stirring is your best friend. It helps the butter melt evenly, prevents milk solids from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pan, and allows you to monitor the browning process effectively. The transformation from melted to perfectly golden, nutty brown butter typically takes around 8 minutes. Don’t rush it, but don’t walk away!

Why More Butter at the Start? You might notice the recipe calls for more unsalted butter than the final quantity of browned butter needed. This is because butter loses some of its water content during the browning process, reducing its overall weight. Starting with a slightly larger amount ensures you have enough flavorful browned butter for the recipe.

Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: For a smooth, emulsified batter and an even bake, ensure all your wet ingredients – buttermilk, eggs, and even the solidified brown butter – are at room temperature. This allows them to incorporate seamlessly, preventing separation and creating a superior cake texture.

The Magic of a Crumb Coat: For a pristine final frosting, consider applying a crumb coat. This is a thin layer of buttercream spread over the entire cake. Once applied, chill the cake in the fridge or freezer until the crumb coat is firm. This step effectively locks in any loose cake crumbs, ensuring they don’t mix into your beautiful final layer of brown butter buttercream as you finish frosting.

Prevent Burning Your Butter: The line between perfectly browned and burnt butter is incredibly fine. Once the milk solids start turning golden brown and a nutty aroma develops, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Promptly transfer the browned butter to a separate heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Leaving it in the hot pan, even off the burner, can cause it to continue cooking and quickly burn, resulting in a bitter flavor you don’t want in your cake.

Don’t Waste the Good Stuff: After browning, make sure to use a rubber spatula to scrape every last bit of that flavorful browned butter out of the pan and into your cooling bowl. The delicious, toasted milk solids, which hold much of the nutty flavor, tend to settle at the bottom, and you definitely want them in your recipe!

For more details on how to brown butter, along with FAQs and tips, check out my How to Brown Butter post!

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Your Brown Butter Cake

Storing Frosted Cake: Once frosted, this brown butter cake should be stored covered or in an airtight cake container in the refrigerator. It will maintain its delicious flavor and texture for 5-6 days. Bring it to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving for the best experience.

Make-Ahead Cake Layers: For convenient planning, you can bake the cake layers ahead of time. Once they are completely cooled, double-wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before you plan to frost and serve. If you need to prepare them further in advance, wrap the plastic-wrapped layers again with a layer of aluminum foil, and then freeze them for up to 2 months. When ready to use, thaw frozen cake layers overnight in the refrigerator, then remove them and let them come to room temperature before frosting.

Buttercream Storage: Leftover brown butter buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To use, thaw frozen buttercream overnight in the fridge, then let it come to room temperature. Re-whip it in your stand mixer for a few minutes until it returns to its original fluffy and light texture before using.

My How to Store and Freeze Cakes guide offers comprehensive advice on proper storage and freezing techniques for various cakes, including individual cake layers, buttercream, and even fully decorated cakes.

Brown Butter Cake: Your Questions Answered

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