Brown Butter Apple Cake - Recipe Winners (2024)

Brown Butter Apple Cake

is rustic, delicious and packed with chunks of sweet apple, swathed in a glorious, brown butter batter. The recipe is made in one bowl and can definitely be made without electric beaters.

We are huge fans of apple desserts and this new recipe has absolutely scored a place in our dessert repertoire. The cake is incredibly moist with an airy, and tender crumb. It’s not a sweet cake with the apples bringing the sweetness. The brown butter adds a toffee, caramel note to the batter, which of course is a perfect marriage with apple.

brown butter

Brown butter is easily made. It’s a golden elixir that makes everything taste better. You can use brown butter anyway you would use regular butter. Trust us, you are going to want brown butter in your fridge all the time.

It will take about 5 minutes to melt and brown the butter. It’s a little sweet and savoury, with a heady caramel aroma. Cooked just long enough to toast the milk solids, they’re the bits at the bottom of the pan that turn brown and pack all of the flavour, so scrape every last bit from the pan. This creates a magical nutty, caramel flavour.

You will need a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Add the butter, and as it melts continuously swirl the pan until it is a deep golden brown colour. The butter will bubble and splutter which is the water evaporating from the butter.

As soon as the butter stops spluttering (love that word), it will turn into a delicate light foam, and the colour will change to a deep, golden brown.

As soon as the butter is golden brown pour it into a bowl as it will continue to cook and darken if left in the pan.

Brown butter can be refrigerated and used for

• fried or scrambled eggs
• tossed through popcorn
• added to pancake or waffle mix
• toasting a grilled cheese sandwich, or any other sandwich
• tossed through pasta with capers, anchovies and parmesan
• poured over fish
• stirred through your mashed potatoes
• over steamed veggies
• stirred into soups
• toasting off your breadcrumbs
• you get the picture, almost everywhere you use normal butter you can use brown butter……

apple varieties

Designer apples are apparently countering the decline in apple consumption and taking over from older once popular varieties. We are really spoilt for choice and love it when a new variety hits the shelves.

We’ve used a mix of four different apple varieties to up the apple flavour in this Brown Butter Apple Cake.

• Jazz – is a cross between Royal Gala and Braeburn apples and is crunchy, with a tangy sweet flavour
• Pink Lady – also known as Cripps Pink has a crunchy texture and tart taste, with a sweet finish
• Fuji – are predominately sweet, crisp and juicy, with a distinctive honey-sweet flavour
• Kanzi – is another hybrid of Braeburn and Gala varieties with a tangy taste, and crisp bite

Watch How to Make Brown Butter Apple Cake

Scroll down to the bottom for the Brown Butter Apple Cake recipe.

check out some more winning apple desserts

click on the link for the recipe…..Sicilian Apple Cake

click on the link for the recipe…..French Apple Cake

click on the link for the recipe…..Apple Frangipane Tart

click on the link for the recipe…..German Apple and Pecan Crumble Cake

click on the link for the recipe…..Apple Blueberry Cake with Crumble and Almonds

What’s your favourite apple cake recipe? We would love to hear from you in the comments below about how you enjoyed this brown butter apple cake.

Yield: 8-10 serves

Brown Butter Apple Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Brown butter apple cake is easily made in one bowl. It's laden with apples, very moist and not overly sweet.

Ingredients

• 110g (3/4 cup) plain (all purpose) flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 large apples - we used a mix of Fuji, Pink Lady, Jazz and Kanzi, but use whatever apples you like
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 150g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons of brandy or rum - we used brandy (if you don't want to use alcohol just up the vanilla to 3-4 teaspoons)
• 115g (4 ounces) butter - melted and browned (see heading above)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• icing sugar to dust
• extra butter to grease the pan

Instructions

• melt butter in a small saucepan over low-medium heat
• swirl the pan as the butter melts and starts to turn the milk solids brown - see 'brown butter' heading above
• when the butter turns a deep golden brown colour pour it into a bowl to stop the butter from cooking further
• allow butter to cool
• preheat oven to 190c (375f) on bake, not fan
• lightly grease a 23cm (9 inch) springform or push pan with butter
• in a large bowl add eggs and whisk lightly
• add sugar, vanilla, brandy and whisk together (for a minute)
• add flour, baking powder, salt and brown butter and whisk for another minute, scraping the side of the bowl to incorporate any flour
• tumble in apple and toss until all pieces are covered in the batter
• pour into pan and smooth the top with a spatula
• tap pan on bench several times to settle apple pieces
• place on centre shelf of oven and bake for 45-50 minutes - you may need to foil the pan to prevent it getting too dark on the top of the cake
• cake is ready when a skewer comes away clean
• remove cake from oven and place tin on a cake rack
• after 5 minutes gently run a knife around the edge of the pan to release any bits they may be stuck
• allow cake to cool, then release cake from tin and dust with icing sugar
• serve and enjoy!

Notes

• cake is best kept covered on the bench
• cake is best eaten within 2 days

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving Calories 0Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 0mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 0g

See Also

15-minute Turkish Eggs Recipe (Cilbir)