Desserts · By TipTopChef

Brown butter cardamom apple cake

Name: Brown butter cardamom apple cake
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 140 g Unsalted butter, plus a little for the pan; 200 g All-purpose flour; 1.5 tsp Baking powder; 0.5 tsp Fine sea salt; 1.5 tsp Ground cardamom; 0.5 tsp Ground cinnamon; 2 whole Large eggs, at room temperature; 150 g Granulated sugar; 50 g Light brown sugar, packed; 120 ml Whole milk, at room temperature; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 3 medium Firm tart-sweet apples (about 550 g total); 1 tbsp Demerara or turbinado sugar, for the top

Photo of Brown butter cardamom apple cake shared by TipTopChef

A tender, not-too-sweet snacking cake made for apple season. Browning the butter gives the crumb a toasty, nutty flavour that pairs beautifully with cardamom and a little cinnamon. Diced apples are folded through the batter and more slices are fanned over the top with a crunchy demerara finish. Use firm, tart-sweet apples such as Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Jonagold so they hold their shape.

105 minutes · 10 servings

Community recipe · Not tested by TipTopChef

Ingredients

Unsalted butter, plus a little for the pan140 g
All-purpose flour200 g
Baking powder1.5 tsp
Fine sea salt0.5 tsp
Ground cardamom1.5 tsp
Ground cinnamon0.5 tsp
Large eggs, at room temperature2 whole
Granulated sugar150 g
Light brown sugar, packed50 g
Whole milk, at room temperature120 ml
Vanilla extract1 tsp
Firm tart-sweet apples (about 550 g total)3 medium
Demerara or turbinado sugar, for the top1 tbsp

Allergen notes

Contains wheat (gluten), eggs and milk (butter, whole milk). Made without nuts, but check flour and spice labels if baking for someone with a nut allergy.

Method

Brown the butter

Melt the butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat. Keep cooking, swirling the pan, for 4 to 6 minutes, until it foams, the milk solids turn hazelnut brown and it smells nutty. Pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping in the browned bits, and let it cool for 15 minutes so it is warm, not hot.

Prepare the oven and pan

Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) with a rack in the middle. Butter a 23 cm (9 inch) springform or round cake pan and line the base with parchment.

Prep the apples

Peel and core the apples. Cut two of them into 1 cm dice. Cut the third into thin slices, about 3 mm thick.

Mix the dry ingredients

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom and cinnamon.

Make the batter

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated and brown sugar for about 1 minute until slightly pale and thick. Whisk in the cooled brown butter, then the milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined, with no streaks of flour. Fold in the diced apples.

Assemble

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Fan the apple slices over the surface in overlapping circles and sprinkle evenly with the demerara sugar.

Bake

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a skewer inserted into the centre (through cake, not an apple piece) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.

Cool and serve

Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and release. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with whipped cream. Keeps covered at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 4.