Barely Brown Butter Cake

Name: Barely Brown Butter Cake
Yield: Makes 1 quarter sheet pan
Ingredients: 55 g butter [4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)]; 40 g brown butter (see page 28) (2 tablespoons); 250 g granulated sugar (1 1/4 cups); 60 g light brown sugar (1/4 cup tightly packed); 3 eggs; 110 g buttermilk (1/2 cup); 65 g grapeseed oil (1/3 cup); 2 g vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon); 185 g cake flour (1 1/2 cups); 4 g baking powder (1 teaspoon); 4 g kosher salt (1 teaspoon); Pam or other nonstick cooking spray (optional)

December 14, 2011

Recipe information

Yield
Makes 1 quarter sheet pan

Ingredients

55 g butter [4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)]

40 g brown butter (see page 28) (2 tablespoons)

250 g granulated sugar (1 1/4 cups)

60 g light brown sugar (1/4 cup tightly packed)

3 eggs

110 g buttermilk (1/2 cup)

65 g grapeseed oil (1/3 cup)

2 g vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)

185 g cake flour (1 1/2 cups)

4 g baking powder (1 teaspoon)

4 g kosher salt (1 teaspoon)

Pam or other nonstick cooking spray (optional)

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2
Combine the butters and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs, and mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.
Step 3
Stream in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla while the paddle swirls on low speed. Increase the speed to medium-high and paddle 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your original fluffy butter-and-sugar mixture, and completely homogenous. You’re basically forcing too much liquid into an already fatty mixture that doesn’t want to make room for it, so if it doesn’t look right after 6 minutes, keep mixing. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Step 4
On very low speed, add the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until your batter comes together and any remnants of dry ingredients have been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed for another 45 seconds to ensure that any little lumps of cake flour are incorporated.
Step 5
Pam-spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment, or just line the pan with a Silpat. Using a spatula, spread the cake batter in an even layer in the pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake will rise and puff, doubling in size, but will remain slightly buttery and dense. At 30 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger: the cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. Leave the cake in the oven for an extra 3 to 5 minutes if it doesn’t pass these tests.
Step 6
Take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire rack or, in a pinch, in the fridge or freezer (don’t worry, it’s not cheating). The cooled cake can be stored in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.
notes
Step 7
There is a ton of liquid and fat in this amazing cake! If you do not do your due diligence to make sure that the batter is homogenous at each step (no streaks, discolorations, or other signs of separation/unincorporation), you’ll be sorry when your cake bakes out of its pan and all over the bottom of your oven.

Reprinted with permission from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi with Courtney McBroom. Copyright © 2011 by MomoMilk, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Christina Tosi is the chef and owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, called "one of the most exciting bakeries in the country" by Bon Appètit. As founder of the desserts programs at Momofuku, including Noodle Bar, Ssäat;m Bar, Ko and Má Pêche, Christina was most recently shortlisted for a James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award. Christina and her confections have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and Live! with Regis and Kelly, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her three dogs and eats an unconscionable amount of raw cookie dough every day.

TagsCake Dessert Buttermilk Dairy Vanilla Herbs & Spices Nut Free Make Ahead Baking Stand Mixer Cookbooks

Recipe information

Ingredients

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

notes

Step 7

Recipe notes