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Can I use brown butter to make a cake?

We all know browned butter is delicious in cookies.
So just suppose I brown some butter, then let it set back to room temperature and use it in my cake recipe.
Would that be so wrong? Would it make too strong a flavor? Or would there be textural issues with melting butter and then letting it re-set?
Baking is fussy.

Thanks all.

Misty Brown asked in Just Desserts about 1 year ago | Report

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3 Answers

  • Michaelnatkin_small
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    You can absolutely do this. I do it in cornbread, which not much different than a simple cake, and it turns out great. You can make it even more flavorful by adding a few tablespoons of nonfat milk solids to the butter while it is browning. The flavor of brown buttter comes from the Maillard reactions that the proteins undergo. More protein, more flavor.

    Michael @ Herbivoracious.com answered in Just Desserts about 1 year ago | Report
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  • 49143_1080352492_1421411_n_small
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    If you're cake depends on creaming the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then it's better to stay with that technique. The creaming contributes to the leavening and helps the cake rise. But there are plenty of cakes that use oil or melted butter and those are perfect for substituting brown butter. Financier is the most popular one - a simple french cake make from brown butter, almond flour, wheat flour, egg whites and sugar.

    Laurie Pfalzer answered in Just Desserts about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Flaming_arrow_small
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    I've done so in pound cake and it was very tasty indeed. The only other flavorings were a bit of vanilla and the tiniest scraping of lemon zest. Rich and lovely overall; no textural issues whatsoever.

    Jill Lightner answered in Just Desserts about 1 year ago | Report
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