Brown Butter Cake (Layer, Sheet Cake or Cupcakes)

This is the recipe used to make the 3-layer cake pictured on the cover of Southern Living's 2024 Christmas issue, beautifully decorated with whipped cream frosting and white chocolate candy leaves. The magazine was in my Christmas stocking this year. The batter will also make a 13x9 inch easily- transported sheet cake, or 3 dozen cupcakes.

The whipped cream frosting has chocolate pudding added to help stabilize the whipped cream and keep it fluffy. I'd like to try this because I sometimes find adding gelatin as a stabilizer to whipped cream a little tricky. (See my post on Stabilized Whipped Cream.)

The flavour of the cake depends on using high-quality butter, which is cooked to a golden brown nuttiness before mixing in the batter. 

Cake layers may be made ahead of time and frozen before filling and frosting. Wrap plain, cooled cake layers tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month. The cake should be assembled and decorated the day of serving. I haven't tried this recipe yet but will add some comments when I do.

• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2-2/3 cups white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp grated zest from 1 orange
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2-1/2 tsp. real vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/4 cups whole buttermilk at room temperature
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
• baking spray

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Prepare baking pans. For layer cake, coat three 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray, then line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. OR for cupcakes, spray three 12-cup muffin trays with baking spray and line with paper liners. OR for the sheet cake, coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with baking spray then line the bottom and sides of pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir butter until melted and golden brown, 5-8 minutes.
4. Transfer butter to your mixer bowl and place in freezer, uncovered, 20-30 minutes or until butter solidifies.
5. Meanwhile, zest the orange to make 1 tsp orange zest.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3-1/2 cups flour, 1-1/2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
7. Combine room temperature buttermilk and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream in another medium bowl and set aside.
8. Beat butter with electric mixer on medium-low speed until creamy, 1 minute.
9. Stop mixer to scrape down sides of bowl whenever needed, when adding the following ingredients.
10. Add orange zest and mix in 2-2/3 cups sugar, beating on medium speed until mixture is fluffy 3-4 minutes.
11. Add 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 2-1/2 tsps. vanilla, mixing until smooth.
12. Add 5 eggs 1 at a time, beating until combined after each addition.
13. With mixer on low speed, start adding flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture. Beat just until combined, 2-3 minutes.
14. Layer Cake: divide batter, portion about 2-1/3 cups batter in each prepared pan. If you have them, fasten moistened cake pan strips around the outer sides of each pan to prevent cakes from mounding in the middle as they bake. Cupcakes: spoon about 3 Tbsp batter into each cupcake liner. Sheet cake: spread all the batter evenly in the prepared 9 x 13 inch pan.
15. Spread batter evenly with a spatula. Tap pans gently on counter to release any air bubbles.
16. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean.
17. Baking time for layer cake: 30-32 minutes at 325 degrees F. For cupcakes: 16-22 minutes. For sheet cake: 50 to 55 minutes.
18. When layer cakes or cupcakes are done, remove from oven and let cool on wire racks 10 minutes, then remove cake from pans and let cool completely on wire racks. Let sheet cake cool in pan on a wire rack, 15 minutes. Then use the parchment paper overhangs to lift the sheet cake from the pan and let cake cool completely on wire rack.  Cake layers and sheet cake will cool in about 2 hours, cupcakes in about 1 hour. Center of sheet cake may dip slightly as it cools.

Cranberry-Orange Filling

• 2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 tsp. grated orange zest
• 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup white granulated sugar, divided
• 2-1/4 tsp. cornstarch
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/4 tsp real vanilla extract

1. Stir together 2-1/2 cups cranberries, 2 tsp. orange zest, 3 Tbsp orange juice, 1/8 tsp salt and 3/4 cup white sugar in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved and cranberries have mostly burst, 10-12 minutes.
3. Pour cranberry mixture into a blender and secure the lid, but remove center piece to let steam escape. Cover the opening with a clean towel. Process till smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Stir cranberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing firmly with back of a spoon to yield about 1-1/4 cups. Discard solids.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk in eggs and egg yolk.
6. Gradually whisk cranberry mixture into egg mixture until combined.
7. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low, whisking constantly, until bubbles just start to break the surface 7-12 minutes.
8. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens 3-4 minutes.
9. Remove from heat, whisk in 2 Tbsp butter and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.
10. Transfer cranberry mixture to a medium heatproof bowl and place plastic wrap directly on surface of mixture.
11. Chill until cooled and set, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.

Whipped Cream Frosting

Before whipping cream, I refrigerate the mixer bowl and whipping beaters so they are cold before I add the cold heavy cream.

• 3-3/4 cups cold heavy (whipping) cream
• 1 cup icing (powdered) sugar
• 1/3 cup white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixer bowl.
2. Beat on medium-low speed of electric mixer, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl often, about 5 minutes until mixture is smooth.
3. Increase speed to medium and beat until medium-stiff peaks form, 1-2 minutes more.
4. Frosting will continue to thicken slightly as it stands.
5. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days. Stir if needed before using.

Instructions for Filling and Frosting the Layer Cake

For best results, the cake should be assembled and decorated the day you plan to serve it.

Prepare the filling, frosting, white chocolate candy leaves, and purchase gold dragees (sugar pearls) for decoration.

1. Using a sharp serated knife, trim domed tops off cake layers, discard trimmings.
2. Remove and discard parchment paper.
3. Place 1 cake layer on a cake board or serving plate, trimmed side up.
4. Spread 1/4 cup frosting evenly over top.
5. Spoon 1-1/4 cups frosting into a piping bag or Ziplock plastic bag with a 1/2 inch hole in the tip or corner.
6. Pipe a 1/2 inch tall border of frosting around edge of cake. This prevents filling from spilling over sides of the cake.
7. Spread about 3/4 cup filling evenly within border.
8. Repeat layers once.
9. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down.
10. Spread a very thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake to form a crumb coat.
11. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes.
12. Spread remaining frosting in bowl or container over top and sides of cake using an offset spatula.
13. Using reserved piping bag, pipe 2 small mounds of frosting on top of cake, about 6 inches apart, to serve as bases for frosting flowers or poinsettias.
14. Tuck white chocolate candy leaves into mounds in a star shape, layering leaves and piping additional frosting on backs of leaves as needed.
15. Pipe a small dot of frosting in center of each poisettia; arrange gold dragees (sugar pearls) in centers.
16. If desired, tuck in fresh green bay leaves as colour contrast. Remove these and the gold dragees before serving.

Cupcake Filling and Frosting

1. Scoop out about 2 tsps. of cake from the center of each cooled cupcake, keeping pieces as intact as possible and reserving cake pieces. Spoon desired filling into a piping bag or plastic freezer bag with a small hole cut in the tip or corner and pipe the filling into the centers of cupcakes, then gently replace reserved cake pieces to cover filling.
2. Spoon frosting into a piping bag or ziplock plastic bag, cut a small hole in the tip or corner. Pipe frosting over tops of cupcakes in a swirled mound. Carefully insert candy leaves into frosting mound to create a star shape. Pipe more frosting in centre, if needed and add smaller leaves to create a layered bloom. Press gold dragees into the frosting at the center of the bloom. Dragees should be removed before eating.

Sheet Cake Filling and Frosting

To take the cake to a potluck party, remove the parchment paper and return the cake to the pan, ice and frost just the top, and use the pan to transport and serve the cake. You can buy disposable foil sheet cake pans.

1. If needed, use a long serrated knife to trim domed top off cake. Discard trimmings. Place cake on a cake board or serving plate, cut side down, discard parchment paper.
2. Spread 1/2 cup frosting in a thin layer on top.
3. Spoon 1/2 cup frosting into a piping bag or ziplock plastic bag, cut a 1/2 inch hole in the tip or corner.
4. Pipe a 12 inch tall border of frosting around sheet cake edge.
5. Dollop and spread filling evenly within border. Reserve 1/4 cup frosting to decorate sides of cake, if desired.
6. Pipe some of remaining frosting over the top of filling, smoothing as desired.
7. Pipe three small mounds of frosting on top of frosted cake, about 6 inches apart, to serve as bases for poinsettias.
8. Tuck candy leaves into mounds in a star shape, layering leaves and piping additional frosting on backs of leaves as needed. Pipe a small dot of frosting in center of each poinsettia, arrange dragees in centers. Tuck in fresh bay leaves as desired. Remove dragees and bay leaves before eating.