brown butter frosting

This salted caramel popcorn cake will blow your mind and set off fireworks on your tastebuds. With pillowy soft peanut butter sponges, insanely delicious brown butter frosting, an overabundance of salted caramel and a small mountain of caramel popcorn. Plus, it’s gluten free. Sounds rather perfect, doesn’t it?

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake (Gluten Free)

+ 1 tbsp (190 mL) milk

eggs

(400 g) plain gluten free flour blend

tsp xanthan gum

tsp baking powder

+ 2 tbsp (375 g) white sugar

tsp salt

(113 g) unsalted butter, room temparature

(225 g) smooth natural peanut butter, room temperature/soft

unsalted butter

(350 g) powdered sugar

salt

(300 g) white sugar

+ 1 1/2 tbsp (105 g) unsalted butter

+ 1 1/2 tbsp (200 mL) double/heavy cream

- 1 tsp salt

(115 g) popcorn

(150 g) white sugar

water

tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter

tsp baking soda

Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line three 6 inch round cake baking tins with baking/greaseproof paper (see post).

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs until homogeneous.

In a separate larger bowl, sift together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Add the unsalted butter and peanut butter. Using a hand mixer, whisk the butter into the dry ingredients until you get small, pea-sized pieces.

Add the milk+egg mixture and, using a hand mixer, whisk until you get a smooth cake batter.

Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three lines cake tins and smooth out the tops.

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for 40 - 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the cakes are golden brown on top.

Leave the cakes to cool in the cake tins for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Once cool, level off the cakes if they have domed while baking (the cut-offs make for an excellent snack).

For 3 x 6 inch gluten free peanut butter sponges:

First, brown the butter by first melting it in a pot with tall sides&nbsp;and then cooking it for about 10 - 15 minutes with frequent stirring, until it goes a deep brown colour and starts smelling nutty. The butter will foam, so make sure you use a deep pot.Once the butter goes a dark brown butter, remove it from the heat immediately (otherwise it will burn) and pour it into a mixing bowl.I recommend using a pot with a light-coloured bottom so that you can follow the changing colour of the butter.

Allow the butter to cool at room temperature or in the fridge until it firms up but is still "spreadable" (see post).

Whisk the cooled and firmed-up brown butter until pale, fluffy and increased in volume.

Add the powdered sugar and whisk for a further 4 - 5 minutes until the frosting is smooth and super fluffy.

For brown butter frosting:

In a pot, melt the sugar on medium-high heat while constantly stirring, until it is a deep golden brown.

Add the butter, and mix well until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated into the caramel. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly on the addition of butter!) Allow to cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add the double/heavy cream in a slow stream, all the while mixing vigorously. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly and release steam on the addition of double cream!)

Spoon out a small amount of the caramel sauce, allow it to cool, and check its consistency. If it's too thick, you can add a bit more double/heavy cream, and repeat the process until you reach the desired consistency. (The salted caramel should be quite runny because it will be used for drizzling, but not too much otherwise it will drip all the way down the cake.)

After the final addition of the double/heavy cream, add the salt and allow the salted caramel to cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely.&nbsp;

For salted caramel:

Place the popcorn into a large bowl or onto a large baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminium foil.

In a pot, mix the sugar and water, and cook on medium-high heat while constantly stirring, until it is a light amber/golden&nbsp;colour. Don't let the sugar go all the way to a deep golden brown.The reason for adding the water here (unlike for the salted caramel sauce) is that we want a more controlled caramelisation of the sugar, as the caramel can burn quickly once the baking soda is added.

Add the butter, and mix well until the butter has melted and is fully incorporated into the caramel. (Be careful, as the caramel can bubble strongly on the addition of butter!) Allow to cook for about 30 seconds.

Add the baking soda and mix quickly – the mixture will bubble up so be careful not to burn yourself.

Quickly pour the bubbling caramel over the popcorn and quickly&nbsp;mix the popcorn + caramel together. Working fast is crucial at this stage, as the caramel gets hard very quickly, and we want all the popcorn covered in an even thin layer of caramel.

Allow the caramel covered popcorn to cool, then break it up into smaller pieces.

For caramel popcorn:

Assemble the cake by spreading a generous layer of brown butter frosting on top of a peanut butter sponge. Drizzle with some salted caramel. Then repeat with another layer (see post).

Place the third and final peanut butter sponge of top. Use the remainder of the brown butter frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Smooth out the frosting with an icing smoother.

Refrigerate the cake for about half an hour. This will firm up the frosting and ensure that it will stay neat once the salted caramel is drizzled on top.

Spread the salted caramel on top of the cake, and allow it to drip down the sides.

Pile the caramel popcorn on top of the cake. Use the salted caramel to stick the individual pieces together (to make it more stable).

That's it! Enjoy!

Assembling the cake:

The salted caramel peanut butter cake keeps well in the fridge in a closed container (or carefully wrapped in cling film) for 3 - 4 days.

Storage:

This Ultimate Banana Cake Recipe is made with walnuts and slathered with brown butter frosting. Enjoy on special occasions or just because!

Ultimate Banana Cake Recipe

flour

baking soda

baking powder

cinnamon

nutmeg

sugar

applesauce (unsweetened)

vanilla extract

bananas (mashed)

butter

heavy cream

walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8x8 square dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, excluding the sugar. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a different bowl, whip sugar, oil, and applesauce together. Stir in eggs, vanilla and mashed banana. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Pour into prepared dish and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool completely.

To make the frosting, place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just after the butter melts, start swirling the pan in small circles. After about 30 seconds or so, the butter should start foaming and will turn an amber color and smell nutty. Once this happens, remove from heat immediately and pour into a different container. Cool to room temperature.

Once butter has cooled, whip together with vanilla, powdered sugar and cream until smooth and creamy. Spread over cooled cake and top with chopped walnuts, if desired. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Thick, moist and chewy Banana Bread Brownies are a delicious mash up between banana bread and a blondie-style brownie. Absolutely delicious and so easy!

Banana Bread Brownies

walnut halves*

banana (about 3 medium)

honey

brown sugar

all-purpose flour

white whole wheat flour (or swap additional all-purpose flour)

pure vanilla extract (divided)

Toast

Heat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, so that two opposite sides overhang like handles, then coat the paper with nonstick spray. Set aside. Spread the walnuts on an ungreased, rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven until fragrant and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.

Mash

In a large mixing bowl, mash your banana (double check to make sure you have 1 cup).

Brown

Brown the butter: Heat the butter in a small/medium light-colored saucepan over medium-low. This will take several minutes. Continue to heat until butter melts completely, foams and crackles, turns clear golden (the crackling will stop), then turns toasty brown, swirling the pan periodically. This entire process will take 3 to 5 minutes, depending upon your pan. Once the butter begins to smell lightly nutty, whisk it frequently, scraping up any browned bits from bottom. Watch the pan carefully in the last few minutes to ensure that the butter does not burn. As soon as the bits of butter in the bottom of the pan turn the color of a pecan, remove the butter from the heat and pour it immediately into the bowl with the banana to prevent the butter from burning, along with any toasted bits that are at the bottom. If you’ll be making the brown butter frosting, keep the pan handy.

Whisk

To the banana mixture, add the honey and brown sugar and whisk until smooth. At this point, the mixture should be cooled to lukewarm, but if it’s not, let it rest for a few minutes (or pop it into the fridge to cool it more quickly). Whisk in the egg and vanilla.

Stir

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the banana mixture. With a rubber spatula, gently and slowly fold just until the flour disappears. The batter will look lumpy. Fold in the walnuts.

Bake

Scrape the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with spatula. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack. Let cool in the pan completely if you will be frosting them. If not, wait at least 10 minutes before you lift the brownies from the pan using the parchment and cut them into squares. If they’re cool, the squares will be tidy; if they’re still warm, they’ll be messy. No one will mind.

Brown the butter in the same sauce pan you used previously (unless it is super tiny, in which case, switch to a larger one), following the directions in step 3 above (if there are any burned bits of butter on the pan, wash them out first. If your pan is relatively clean, no need to wash in between). As soon as the butter is browned, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately, begin to stir in the powdered sugar with a rubber spatula or whisk, 1/4 cup at a time. If at any point it becomes too thick to whisk (likely by the fourth or fifth addition of powdered sugar), switch to a rubber spatula and add 1 tablespoon of the cream, then continue adding the powdered sugar, until the frosting is thick but spreadable. Stir in the vanilla extract. If needed, continue adding cream, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency (the butter might look like it&#39;s separating but just keep stirring. As long as you combine everything well, it will all cool together beautifully as the bars sit). Frost the cooled bars. Slice and enjoy!

To Make the Frosting:

This Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting has a brown speckled appearance from the brown butter and the incredibly moist pumpkin cake is packed full of warm fall spices.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

salted butter (room temperature)

vegetable oil

brown sugar (packed)

pumpkin puree

pumpkin pie spice

cloves

ginger

milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8-inch pans with non-stick baking spray. Dust both pans with flour and tap out any excess. This is necessary so the cake doesn&#x27;t stick! Baking spray with flour works great as well.

In a large bowl, sift in pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Whisk until combined.

In a separate mixing bowl, add in the butter, oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add in the vanilla and the eggs one at a time and beat until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each egg.

Add in the pumpkin puree and mix until incorporated.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low just until the flour is worked into the batter. Don&#x27;t over mix!

Divide the cakes equally into the 2 8-inch pans.

Place into the oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until done. Place a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs, it's done!

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cake

In a saucepan over medium high heat, add in the butter. Let it melt and get a deep brown color. It still start to smell nutty. I cooked mine for 10 minutes.

As soon as the butter is brown, turn off the heat and without stirring at all, pour into a heat-safe dish. You can leave out any of the dark bits on the bottom of the pan, but I added them to the frosting for a more nutty flavor.

Let it cool down for 15 - 20 minutes in the fridge.

Add in the vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is mostly incorporated and then whip for 1 minute on high.

Frost the cooled cake. Cut and serve!

Frosting

This is crazy yummy!! I love how light it is!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Cane out perfect, I def had my doubt when I say the batter. 

My favorite part was the frosting. I had never done a browned butter frosting &amp; it was such a unique &amp; amazing flavor! 

I did have to add a little more milk , I’m still learning to frost so it being a little thinner helped me frost the cake

I just made this for our family birthday dinner and it was a HIT! So delicious! The cake is moist and the frosting stole the show! Brown butter all the butter!!!

Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made it today for our family Thanksgiving dinner and it was a huge hit!!!! I cannot wait to try other recipes from you

It tastes great, but the directions could have been more precise, especially when it comes to the brown buttercream. I followed to the "T" and ended up with a curdled consistency.

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