Cardamom Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
The least fussy (and most delicious) layer cake you'll ever meet
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If you're into brown butter, we have a feeling you'll be instantly smitten with this simple layered stunner from Brooke Bell's new book Cake, which is coated in a nutty, creamy brown butter frosting. Cardamom brings the perfect amount of nuanced spice to the cake itself, which gets split in half horizontally to create a layer cake that only has the illusion of being difficult to make.
Recipe adapted from "Cake," by Brooke Bell
Cardamom Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
Learn how to make brown butter, then turn it into a frosting for this simple cardamom layer cake recipe, from a new cookbook all about cake.
Prep Time
15
minutes
Cook Time
55
minutes
Servings
9
cake
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Ingredients
- For the Browned Butter Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- One 16-ounce package confectioners' sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- For the Cake
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Browned Butter Frosting
Directions
- Make the frosting: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter turns a medium-brown color and has a nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat browned butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, cream, and salt, beating until well combined, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add almond extract, and beat for 30 seconds. Add flour, sour cream, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, beating until smooth. (Batter will be thick.) Spread batter in prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 minutes more. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally. Spread frosting between layers and on top of cake.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 732 |
| Total Fat | 38.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 1.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 180.3 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 95.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 72.6 g |
| Sodium | 376.0 mg |
| Protein | 5.1 g |
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
