Brown Butter Pound Cake
Brown Butter Pound Cake is three loaves of rich, buttery vanilla pound cakes with a nutty, caramelized flavor from browned butter. I like to add a drizzle of extra brown butter on top for even more flavor, but the cake stands beautifully (and tastes wonderful) on its own, too!
Servings: 3 loaves
Calories: 330kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups (4 sticks / 454 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (163 g) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- browned butter, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
Brown Butter
- In a medium saucepan (or another light-bottomed pan) over medium-high heat, melt the butter, swirling the pan occasionally. The butter will begin to foam, which signals the water in the butter is boiling off. (Watch closely at this stage; browned butter and burnt butter are within seconds of each other.) Tiny brown specs of milk solids will begin to appear at the bottom of the pan; constantly stir and scrape these off using a spatula so they don't stick.
- As soon as the butter turns chestnut brown and smells nutty, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the browned butter into a large, heat-safe bowl, making sure to get all the browned bits. Chill the brown butter in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
- Once the brown butter has chilled completely, remove it from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before making the pound cake.
Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 3, 8×4-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray, followed by lining each with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the brown butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, making sure each one has been incorporated before adding the next one. Add vanilla and mix to combine, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Alternating between the flour and milk, add each to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just combined, making sure not to overmix.
- Divide batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans (about 2 ½ cups of batter per pan). Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely on wire racks.
- Drizzle with extra brown butter for serving (optional).
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 330kcal