Caramel Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

May 9, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Oh blessed pound cake recipe, is there no end to your possibilities?

Here’s my latest attempt, a caramel cake with browned butter frosting. I baked it in a Wilton bundt pan, but given that the frosting was quite stiff and the batter reasonably sticky, it probably would have worked better in a 20cm (8″) springform pan.

Cake batter:

250g (8oz) unsalted butter
250g (8oz) dark brown sugar
175g (5½oz) self raising flour
75g (2½oz) blanched almond meal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used homemade)
4 large (59g) free range eggs

Icing:

100g (3½oz) unsalted butter
150g (5¼oz) icing sugar mixture (confectioner’s sugar)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Please have a look at our original food processor pound cake post here.

1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature before starting. Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) with fan. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan was oil, or grease and line a 20cm (8″) round springform tin.

2. Using a coarse sieve, sift together the almond meal and flour.

3. In the large bowl of the food processor, pulse together the butter and sugar until well combined and light in colour. Scrape down the bowl.

4. Add the vanilla extract, followed by the eggs one at a time. Continue pulsing to combine. Add a spoonful of the flour mixture each time (if required) to stop the batter from curdling. Then add the remaining flour and almond meal, pulsing until just combined (do not overmix).

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin. If using the bundt pan, bake for about 50 minutes; the springform tin will probably take about an hour (start checking at the 50 minute mark). The cake is cooked when it has shrunken in from the sides slightly, and a cake tester inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out cleanly. Allow to rest in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Icing: In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it browns – be careful not to burn it. Allow to cool. Sift the icing sugar mixture, then gradually whisk it into the butter to form a thick frosting. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Add more icing sugar if needed. Spread the frosting over the cake and allow to set before serving.

I wanted to take a pretty picture of the whole cake for you, but this is what it looked like when I got up the next morning…

And here’s a close-up of the frosting – I love the specks of browned butter in it!

Posted in Recipes | 71 Comments

71 Responses

on May 9, 2012 at 12:06 am niasunset

Almond and vanilia… how much I love them… Wonderful recipe. Thank you dear Celia, with my love, nia
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:46 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Nia! It was particularly popular with the neighbours! :)
on May 9, 2012 at 12:14 am Emily Franklin

Caramel and cake in the same sentence? Delicious!
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:47 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Emily, my Pete would agree with you! :)
on May 9, 2012 at 12:39 am zestybeandog

Browned butter frosting sounds amazing!
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:48 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Jen, the frosting was the best bit! There was a battle over the leftovers in the bowl.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 3:12 am Sally

Great flavours together. I must get into this brown butter thing.
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:48 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Sally, I’d never tried browned butter in something sweet before – we usually only do it when we’re making sage sauce for pasta..
on May 9, 2012 at 3:12 am Norma Chang

The photo with a wedge missing allows one to see how moist the cake is, a whole cake would not convey that message. That frosting looks sinfully delicious.
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:49 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Norma, I must admit that wasn’t the first thing I thought when I got up in the morning and found a huge slab of the cake missing. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 3:32 am ceciliag

Divine, i use pound cake a lot too as a base. This one is a great variation! c
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:51 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Celi, it’s wonderful how flexible the recipe is! I’ve been throwing in all sorts of things.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 3:36 am Choc Chip Uru

This is such a dense crumby and deliciously flavoured cake :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:51 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thank you! It was very moist…
on May 9, 2012 at 4:49 am heidiannie

Mmm! I want this cake.
I’m making it! :)
Thanks Celia!
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:53 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Heidi, I hope the tribe enjoy it! It’s very simple to make, and I find myself putting almond meal into almost all the pound cakes these days – I love the moistness it adds to the crumb…
on May 9, 2012 at 4:49 am bakecakecrumbs

Hee hee, I suppose you should know better than to leave cake unattended overnight! It looks no less beautiful or enticing for not being whole though. Love the crumb there – it looks both moist and dense (in the nicest possible way – I don’t like eating cakes that are too airy) and that icing sounds lovely.
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:54 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Caroline, I was up really early – before 6 – and when I saw the cake, I just had to laugh. I think both Pete and Big Boy had some, although it’s entirely possible it was just Big Boy on his own.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 5:21 am Sawsan@ Chef in disguise

Brown butter frosting sounds heavenly! I love the picture with the cut cake, you can see how moist and tempting it is
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:55 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thank you! I think you’re all being lovely and trying to save my family from a scolding.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 5:22 am Just A Smidgen

I’ve been seeing lots of recipes using browned butter lately.. must be “trending” as they say in twitter, lol.. I can understand why, it must have given your icing such a rich full flavor. Beautiful cake as always. I made a 1-2-3-4 cake and I had to come here because I thought they might be similar. They’re not, but similar in how you can remember then because they’re so simple:)
xo Smidge
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:57 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Smidge, I’ve heard a lot about the 1-2-3-4 cake, but I’ve never tried it! Have you blogged about it?
  - on May 10, 2012 at 9:35 am Just A Smidgen
    
    Tomorrow it will be ready:)
on May 9, 2012 at 5:58 am Kitchen Butterfly

Yay for ‘go-to’ recipes. I like the sound of the frosting – nutty and fragrant. Give it some fancy french name please like frosting a la beurre noisette :-)
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:58 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Ha! Yes, we should have done that, Oz! :)
on May 9, 2012 at 6:22 am teawithhazel

your cake looks so good celia..i’ve not used browned butter in an icing but i can imagine how flavourful it would be because it adds such an interesting dimension to anything i’ve used it in..
- on May 10, 2012 at 5:59 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Jane, we were really chuffed with how well the icing turned out!
on May 9, 2012 at 6:31 am Lizzy (Good Things)

Caramel and butter, delicious, especially browned butter. Yummy Celia!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:00 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Lizzy! Everyone has their favourite now – little D down the road loved this so much that he asked me to make him another one a few days later!
on May 9, 2012 at 7:04 am mykitchenstories

oh yes a pound of caramel. I just love a good recipe!
http://www.mykitchenstories.com.au
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:00 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Yes, there was quite a lot of sugar, let’s not talk about it, Tania.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 7:14 am Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

Heehee don’t you love it when the mice cut such straight lines! :P Sounds delicious!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:00 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  We have very big mice here.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 7:52 am cityhippyfarmgirl

Celia that’s too funny… I wonder which mouse it was?
It would have been mighty hard to resist cutting into it, I’m sure they tried ;-)
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:01 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Oh, I know which mouse it was, Brydie. I’m pretty sure it was the 19 year old one who raids the kitchen around 1am with the nibblies. Makes me feel like such a granny – I’m in bed before 10! :)
on May 9, 2012 at 8:26 am Vicki Langston-Hill

Thanks for this Celia. Bet your boys think they live in heaven. x
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:03 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Vicki, they’re such a joy to have around, it’s hard to complain when they love my cooking! :)
on May 9, 2012 at 8:37 am lambsearsandhoney

What nice, neat cake thieves you have in your house. Not too greedy either – mine would have eaten at least half!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:03 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Amanda, I think there’s something in teenagers which makes them absolutely starving at the strangest hours.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 8:39 am frugalfeeding

Right! I’m biting the bullet and getting myself a bundt pan, I can wait no longer. What a beautiful cake…
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:07 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Nick, there are so many lovely ones! My recommendation from experience is to avoid the asymmetrical ones, and also the ones with too many narrow grooves, as the cakes can tend to get stuck in them. Over the years, this Wilton one has turned out to be my favourite – I love the way it gives even wedges for slicing..
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/10/21/cool-thing-10-bundt-pans/
on May 9, 2012 at 12:27 pm hotlyspiced

I love caramel cake and what a fabulous icing. I’ll have to take your word on what the cake looks like as I’m insisting on doing my computer time out in the sun today (seeing it’s 26C and so much warmer than any day we had in summer) and the sun’s so bright I can barely see the screen. No doubt your cake is perfect Celia xx
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:09 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Charlie, wasn’t the weather amazing yesterday? We were out and about in tshirts! Hard to believe we’re just three weeks off winter!!
on May 9, 2012 at 1:06 pm Jane @ Shady Baker

Mmm…caramel cake, I would love a piece with my afternoon cup of tea Celia. The frosting looks good enough to eat on its own!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:10 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Jane, there was a bit of a battle over the frosting bowl.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 2:00 pm Liz

From the size and neat cut of missing piece, I think a whole family of very considerate mice must have had the mid-night munchies at your house. Brown butter and caramel, yum, yum, yum!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:11 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Liz, they’re very considerate. They didn’t want to wake me up to ask if it would be alright to cut the cake.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 4:04 pm Marilyn Scott-Waters

Oooh! i want it! I want it! I want it!

Note to self, aquire a bundt pan. :-)
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:11 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Maz, you don’t have a bundt pan? You NEED one! Problem will be which one to choose! :) Here is the post I wrote about them ages ago..
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/10/21/cool-thing-10-bundt-pans/
on May 9, 2012 at 4:14 pm SarahKate

Browned butter frosting sounds like pretty much the best thing you could ever make. Ever. I love everything about this recipe… except the fact that I’m not eating a slice right now!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:12 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  SK, the frosting was pretty amazing. I think it might well become out standard “white” icing!
on May 9, 2012 at 4:44 pm theintolerantchef

Oh so Yummy indeed Celia! Almond, vanilla, brown butter- swoon! No wonder the cake fairies couldn’t resist :)
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:15 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Becca, you’re kind, thank you! Ha! Cake fairies indeed, more like cake wolves.. ;-)
on May 9, 2012 at 7:58 pm Sophie33

Waw! That cake with the browned butter frosting just looks amazing, fantastic & apart too! A huge cake: rich & so flavourfull too! :) MMMMMMMMM,…!!!!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:31 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Sophie, thank you! It was really big – it fed the whole neighbourhood!
on May 9, 2012 at 9:03 pm Tandy

I wish it had been me who snuck in to your kitchen overnight and had a slice of that!
- on May 10, 2012 at 6:33 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Tandy, you wouldn’t need to sneak in, there’s always a slice here for you! :)
on May 10, 2012 at 8:16 am promenadeplantings

if there is any left count me in for a slice! I like the simplicity of this recipe Celia :)
- on May 10, 2012 at 12:03 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Claire! I’m thinking of trying it with Muscovado sugar…
on May 10, 2012 at 10:56 am Healthy cooking Blog

I would be very generous to myself and cut a big piece if that cake. I like that you used those healthy ingredients and unique shape of bundt pan. Love it.
- on May 10, 2012 at 12:04 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thank you! Don’t know how healthy they were exactly, but at least they were all real ingredients! :)
on May 10, 2012 at 4:00 pm Zoe

I have tried baking with fig jam before and this cake looks really great. Will love to check more of your baking in the future :D
- on May 17, 2012 at 6:40 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Zoe! :)
on May 11, 2012 at 2:53 am Choclette

Oh what a delicious looking cake, it looks pretty enough to me. Haven’t made brown butter icing for years. Doesn’t it just smell wonderful as the butter is browning? No wonder this was popular with your neighbours.
- on May 17, 2012 at 6:40 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Choclette, I’m notorious for burning butter whenever I try something like this, and then we refer to it as “burnt butter icing”.. ;-)
on May 11, 2012 at 9:00 am Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

You make some great cakes. Love the idea of brown butter.
- on May 17, 2012 at 6:40 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Greg! x
on May 12, 2012 at 12:53 pm Nic@diningwithastud

Oh the frosting looks fab!
- on May 17, 2012 at 6:41 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Nic, the cake on its own was nice, but the frosting made it special (as it so often does!). :)
on May 16, 2012 at 2:10 am Amber

What a fantastic cake! I will have to try this recipe out myself the next time I get to make a birthday cake. :)
- on May 17, 2012 at 6:42 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Amber, thank you! I think the frosting is set to become our standard white icing…