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Brown Butter Salted Caramel Cake

This brown butter salted caramel cake combined soft brown butter cake layers with homemade salted caramel and a light whipped caramel frosting for an elegant yet comforting dessert. The nutty richness of the browned butter perfectly complements the deep caramel flavor, while the whipped frosting keeps every bite light, smooth and beautifully balanced. Whether you’re baking for a birthday, holiday, or special celebration, this bakery-style layer cake is guaranteed to impress.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 22 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients
  

SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

  • 420 g granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoon water
  • 120 g butter
  • 450 g heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • Big pinch of salt

BROWN BUTTER CAKE LAYERS

  • 125 g butter room temperature
  • 255 g all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 225 g granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 120 g Greek yogurt room temperature
  • 60 g whole milk
  • 60 g vegetable oil e.g. canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CARAMEL FROSTING

  • 130 g butter room temperature

Instructions
 

SALTED CARAMEL

  • In a medium sized saucepan, add the granulated sugar and water and stir it together so all of the sugar is wet. Flatten it out into an even layer, so it melts evenly. Melt it over medium/high heat until golden brown. Once you can see it starts slightly brown, give it a stir once in a while so it all melts evenly.
    4 tablespoon water, 420 g granulated sugar
  • Once the caramel is golden brown, reduce the heat to medium heat and stir in the butter until it has melted into the caramel. Then add the heavy cream, a little at a time, stirring in each addition until incorporated. It will bubble up strongly so be careful of your fingers. Stir constantly until it has gathered.
    120 g butter, 450 g heavy cream
  • Turn off the heat and add a pinch of salt and stir it in. Transfer it to a shallow bowl, so it can cool down faster, and let it cool down in the fridge. It takes about 30-60 minutes to become room temperature.
    2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, Big pinch of salt

BROWN BUTTER CAKE LAYERS

  • Preheat the oven at 170ºC/ 340ºF conventional oven and prepare a 2x 20 cm (8 inch) cake pans lined with parchment paper.
  • Start by browning the butter, over medium heat in a frying pan. Once browned, pour it into a bowl and let it cool down while preparing the other ingredients.
    125 g butter
  • In a large mixing bowl, sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then add granulated sugar and mix it together so everything has been combined. Set it aside.
    255 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 225 g granulated sugar
  • In the bowl with the browned butter, add the eggs, Greek yogurt, milk, oil and vanilla extract and with a hand mixer mix it all together until smooth.
    3 large eggs, 120 g Greek yogurt, 60 g whole milk, 60 g vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give the cake batter a final mix so everything has been incorporated.
  • Pour the batter in the baking pan and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cakes from the cake tins and let the cakes cool down completely.

CARAMEL FROSTING

  • Add 570 g (2 cups) of the caramel into a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow the caramel to come to room temperature.
  • Once at room temperature, add the room temperature butter and whip it on high speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
    130 g butter

ASSEMBLING

  • Place the first cake layer on your serving dish. Add 2 big scoops of frosting and with an offset spatula, even it out. Then add 2-3 tablespoon of caramel and even it out. Leave the outer edge of the cake free so the caramel doesn’t spill out. Add the second cake layer and cover the whole cake in the frosting.
  • Finally, add as much of the caramel on top of the cake as you’d like.

Notes

(frosting inspired by King Arthurs https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/whipped-caramel-frosting-recipe)

Nutrition

Carbohydrates: 72gProtein: 6gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 394mgPotassium: 104mgFiber: 1gSugar: 56gVitamin A: 1400IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 1mg
Keyword brown butter, caramel, caramel frosting
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