Brown Butter Maple Pound Cake

In April, we drill taps into 125 maple trees near our little log cabin, and gather the dripping sap on warm spring days that follow cool nights. Once we’ve boiled the sap into gallons of maple syrup (it takes around 40 gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup), I pull out my favorite maple recipes (poor man’s pudding is one of my go-tos) and start looking for new ideas. That’s why I was so excited to stumble across this brown butter maple pound cake from Alex Bala.

I love the rich flavor of browned butter in baked goods, and the combo of nutty butter and sweet maple syrup is just perfect. This pound cake recipe has a lengthy ingredient list and several steps, so save it for when you’re not feeling rushed. It’s a wonderful dessert to pull out at the end of a dinner party, but it’s also a scrumptious weekday snacking cake.

Ingredients for Brown Butter Maple Pound Cake

• Butter: Using unsalted butter gives you control over the salt level in the recipe. You’ll need a few tablespoons of softened butter to brush inside the fluted tube pan so the cake releases cleanly. Make sure to pull it out of the fridge before starting the batter.
• All-purpose flour: For best results, weigh the flour using the gram amount listed, rather than scooping it into cups. Depending on how you scoop, each cup could weigh more or less than the next. All-purpose flour will give the cake enough structure without making it dense or chewy.
• Maple syrup: You want pure maple syrup for this recipe, preferably from a sugarmaker near you if you live in the northern United States. Pancake syrup and maple syrup are not the same. Grade A Dark Robust will give you the best maple bang for your buck.
• Sugar: There are two types of sugar in this recipe. You’ll use granulated sugar in the cake batter and in a simple syrup that will drench the bundt to keep it extra moist. Later on, when making the frosting, you’ll use confectioners’ sugar.
• Vanilla: You can use vanilla bean paste or extract in the cake, though extract works better in the syrup and frosting. The former, which is thicker and flecked with bits of vanilla bean seeds, is a bit more floral and bold, so use it if you can find it. Look for them in the baking or spice aisle.
• Eggs: Why warm up the eggs before mixing them into the cake batter? Because baking with room temperature eggs ensures a smooth batter that mixes easily. It’s a good idea to crack eggs into a separate container rather than directly into the batter, in case you need to remove shell pieces.
• Baking soda: This cake is barely leavened, but a small amount of baking soda gives it just a hint of rise. The eggs do the rest of the lifting.
• Salt: Kosher salt and sea salt, both used in this recipe, are often preferred by chefs over table salt because they don’t have iodine or anti-caking agents. If you only have kosher salt, you may want to add an extra pinch to the simple syrup, as its bigger crystals don’t fill up a teaspoon in the same way that fine salt does. On the flip side, you can use sea salt across the board, but use a little less than the recipe calls for.
• Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream is the right choice here. It adds moisture and a tangy flavor, and helps keep the crumb tender.
• Cream cheese: Cream cheese is used in the frosting for a slightly tangy flavor that complements the sour cream-laced cake. Use a room-temperature block-style cream cheese for best results.
• Heavy whipping cream: Beating heavy cream into the frosting loosens the texture so it’s easy to drizzle over the cake and so it cuts through the sweet sugar.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the pan

Spread softened butter into a 10-inch fluted tube pan with a brush. Sprinkle flour evenly over top, turn the pan upside down and gently tap it to remove loose and excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Step 2: Brown the butter

In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Heat it until it’s golden brown, stirring constantly, for five to seven minutes. Transfer the browned butter to a small bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the maple syrup until the two are combined. Refrigerate the mixture until it’s chilled, about one hour.

Editor’s Tip: Once the butter begins to brown, it goes quickly, so keep a close eye on the pot, and make sure that you’re ready to transfer the butter to a bowl as soon as it’s ready.

Step 3: Make the batter

Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, beat the browned butter mixture and the sugar until they’re light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating for about 45 seconds after each addition. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat it into the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream until they’re combined.

Step 4: Bake the cake

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65 to 75 minutes. Cool the cake for 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: If you have trouble getting your Bundt cakes to turn out in one piece, try this Bundt cake steam trick—it’s amazing!

Step 5: Simmer a simple syrup

Meanwhile, for the simple syrup, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the syrup from the heat and add the vanilla and salt. Let it cool to room temperature. Drizzle or brush the syrup over the cake while it’s still slightly warm.

Step 6: Make the frosting

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and salt, and mix until they’re well combined. Add the heavy whipping cream by tablespoonfuls until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle the frosting over the cake.

Brown Butter Maple Pound Cake Variations

• Beat in some bourbon: In the batter, replace a tablespoon of maple syrup with a tablespoon of bourbon, and add another spoonful of bourbon to the simple syrup. You could do the same with other brown liquors, such as rye whiskey or dark rum.
• Spice it up: The flavors in this cake pair beautifully with warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg. You could use one or all of them. For a ready-to-go blend, use homemade pumpkin pie spice.
• Add nuts: Walnuts are a classic pairing with maple, and would be delicious chopped up and mixed into the cake. Almonds and hazelnuts would be equally wonderful.
• Change the topping: Instead of the cream cheese frosting, you could use something lighter, like a lemon glaze.

How to Store Brown Butter Maple Pound Cake

Since the glaze contains cream cheese, you should store the brown butter maple pound cake in the refrigerator, where it will stay good for up to one week. You can store the cake whole if you have a large container, or you can slice it first. You can also freeze the cake for up to three months. Make sure to wrap it tightly to prevent freezer burn. However you store it, be sure to bring it to room temperature before eating it, as cold dulls flavor.

Brown Butter Maple Pound Cake Tips

Can you bake brown butter maple pound cake in a loaf pan?

You can divide the batter for this cake (a 10-inch bundt pan typically holds around 10 cups of batter) between two 9×5-inch loaf pans. You’ll want to prepare the pans as directed in this recipe with softened butter and flour. Start checking the loaves after 45 minutes, but expect them to need about 55 to 65 minutes in the oven.