brown sugar pound cake with brown butter glaze

Big, multi-layered, eyes-bigger-than-your-belly cakes with mounds of frosting and extravagant pipe work are a passion of mine.  I get a rush when I present a gargantuan tower of moist cake rich from pounds of butter and dozens of eggs, topped with sugar-high-inducing frosting that satisfies even the most ravenous sweet tooth.

But I am not going to tell you about the cake I wanted to make. Instead I will tell you about the small little pound cake that was surprisingly decadent. Though desperately trying to find an excuse to make a more elaborate cake, I knew we would be too full for something extraordinarily sweet and rich after feasting on Easter ham, pineapple stuffing, green beans and other various side dishes. Only having two days to figure out what cake I should bring, I finally settled on a pound cake with, drum roll please…a brown butter glaze. It didn’t dawn on me until it was cooling on my counter that pound cakes are, in fact, by definition, heavy and rich.

Even so, this cake proved it could be up to snuff without being overly sweet, heavy and  rich.  The brown sugar gave it a subtle caramel undertone while contributing to the moistness of the cake. And, though complimenting the caramel flavors, the brown butter glaze was both my favorite and least favorite part of the whole ensemble. The love-hate relationship goes like this: it’s brown butter and brown butter can never go wrong — it is pure magic in your mouth. It was, however, very sweet. I added less than half the required amount of sugar and it still turned out too sweet for my taste. The cake did its part by being elegant and simple; the glaze also tasted wonderful but could also satisfy your sugar cravings for the next 6 months.

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Brown Butter Glaze
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

Makes 1 bundt cake or 28 cupcakes

Glaze:
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325°F.* Butter and flour a bundt pan – you could also use a loaf pan or cake pans, but the bake time will vary. If making cupcakes, line muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, add butter and brown sugar and mix together until pale and fluffy. At the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is thoroughly mixed into the batter. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk. Beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour batter into prepared pan. If making cupcakes, divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling them 3/4 full. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. For a bundt cake it will be 45 to 60 minutes. For cupcakes it will be about 25 minutes. Once baked, let it sit for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

* I used a dark coated bundt pan, which caused the outside of the cake to brown faster than the inside could cook. About the last fifteen minutes I reduced the heat to 300°F and let the cake finish baking. If you are using a dark pan I would say bake from start to finish at 300°F, if not using dark coating, bake at the regular 325°F.

Glaze:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar*
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk, plus extra if needed

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until brown in color and smells nutty, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into medium bowl. Discard any burnt sediment from the butter.

Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth. If necessary add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have reached the desired consistency.

Once the cake has cooled drizzle over cake. Reserve extra glaze for a second round, once the first coat has dried. If making cupcakes, spread icing over cupcakes. Serve.

* I halved the sugar and found 1 cup to be too sweet. I would start with 1/2 cup and add until you reach desired sweetness.