These spiced brown butter cakes are a gooey, melt in your mouth, warm butter cake topped with sweet and spiced apples. They're the perfect warm and cozy fall dessert.
Spiced brown butter cakes are the fall version of my Butter cakes with raspberry sauce that I made to recreate the Mastro's and Nick's butter cakes. The browned butter adds a great depth of flavor and the spice makes it even more warm and cozy. I absolutely love anything with apples, so I figured that made the perfect topping.
If you're an apple lover like me than I'd also suggest my simple apple buttermilk cake, my apple crumble for two, or my apple galette baked in a puff pastry.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Melts in Your Mouth: The gooey center of these cakes literally melts in your mouth.
- Easy to Make: These cakes only need a few ingredients and a few steps to make.
- Cooked Apples: I love how warm and sweet the sugary spiced apples are on top of the cake. And if you want to make extra you can make these Mummy Hand Pies with them.
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter: You will be browning the butter and then allowing it to completely cool before starting.
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat cream cheese to help these cakes stay extra moist.
- Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh so you get the rise in your cakes.
- Turbinado Sugar: Coating your ramekins in turbinado sugar will give your cake a nice exterior crunch.
- Apple: Whatever you have on hand is great. I love using envy, gala, or granny smith for an added tartness.
- Cornstarch: This is used to help the sugary sauce thicken. You can sub in flour if needed.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 325. Spray four 6 oz oven safe ramekins with cooking spray and sprinkle the bottoms and sides with turbinado sugar, set aside.
- Step 2: Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup (1 stick) of butter, and melt in a medium saucepan, continuing to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a cup or bowl and allow to cool. You can put it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to speed it up.
- Step 3: In a medium sized bowl beat together butter and cream cheese with a paddle attachment or electric beaters until completely smooth. Add in sugar, egg and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes until light in color. Slowly mix in baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and flour, being careful not to over mix, followed by buttermilk.
- Step 4: Scoop 6 tablespoons of batter into each sugared ramekin, or divide evenly among the four ramekins. Smooth out batter.
- Step 5: In a small bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. Mix in egg yolk.
- Step 6: Scoop 2 tablespoons of mixture on top of the cake batter.
- Step 7: Place 4 ramekins on a cookie sheet. Bake for 26-33 minutes, or until light golden brown along the outside. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 8: While butter cakes are baking you can cook the apples. Add butter to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Step 9: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Once done cooking, allow to cool and set up.
- Step 10: Turn the cake ramekin over onto a plate. Top with ice cream and apples with some sauce.
Expert Baking Tips
- Using room temperature ingredients will help your cake batter to mix properly, and will also help your cake to achieve it's highest rise.
- I don't mind skin on my cooked apples, but you can easily remove it before cooking if you prefer.
- Using the turbinado sugar in the ramekin will give the cake a little bit of a crunch on the outside. Don't skip this part.. it's so good!
- I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.
FAQ
Can I double this recipe?
Yes, if doubling you can use one whole egg in the cream cheese mixture instead of 2 egg yolks.
Why did my cakes stick to the ramekins?
You may not have sprayed your baking dishes well enough, or you may have overcooked the cakes slightly. To help release cakes, run a butter knife around the outside of the cakes before turning over.
Can I bake this in one giant pan?
I haven't tried this recipe as a large single cake.
Storing & Freezing
Spiced brown butter cakes may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days. The cooked apples should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
These cakes freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze individual cakes in ziplock bags for an easy and quick dessert.
Other Popular Recipes to Try
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do!
Spiced Brown Butter Cakes
These spiced brown butter cakes are a gooey, melt in your mouth, warm butter cake topped with sweet and spiced apples. They're the perfect warm and cozy fall dessert.
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- ½ cup (113.5 g) salted butter browned and cooled
- 1 oz (28.35 g) cream cheese room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) vanilla paste or extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) ground ginger
- ⅔ cup (93 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (60 g) buttermilk room temperature
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 2 oz (56.7 g) cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) cinnamon
- ¼ cup (50 g) turbinado sugar for sprinkling in ramekins
Apple Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large apple diced small
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) nutmeg
- splash of vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Spray four 6 oz oven safe ramekins with cooking spray and sprinkle the bottoms and sides with turbinado sugar, set aside.
Cake Batter
- Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup (1 stick) of butter, and melt in a medium saucepan, continuing to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a cup or bowl and allow to cool. You can put it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to speed it up.
- In a medium sized bowl beat together butter and cream cheese with a paddle attachment or electric beaters until completely smooth. Add in sugar, egg and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes until light in color. Slowly mix in baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and flour, being careful not to over mix, followed by buttermilk.
- Scoop 6 tablespoons of batter into each sugared ramekin, or divide evenly among the four ramekins. Smooth out batter.
Cream Cheese Mixture
- In a small bowl beat together the cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. Mix in egg yolk.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of mixture on top of the cake batter.
- Place 4 ramekins on a cookie sheet. Bake for 26-33 minutes, or until light golden brown along the outside. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Apple Topping
- While butter cakes are baking you can cook the apples. Add butter to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Once done cooking, allow to cool and set up.
- Turn the cake ramekin over onto a plate. Top with ice cream and apples with some sauce.
Notes
Using room temperature ingredients will help your cake batter to mix properly, and will also help your cake to achieve it's highest rise.
Using the turbinado sugar in the ramekin will give the cake a little bit of a crunch on the outside. Don't skip this part.. it's so good!
I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.
Nutrition
Calories: 646kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 7gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 656mgPotassium: 184mgFiber: 2gSugar: 57gVitamin A: 1268IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Jenn
Your butter cakes are mind blowing! It’s not often the dessert matches the exact description you give. They seriously melt in your mouth. These butter cakes are me and my husbands favorite dessert ever.
Alisa
THESE.WERE.INCREDIBLE.
Takes a little time to prep, but it tastes like a nice dessert at a nice restaurant that I would continue to think about about until I had it again...
One question - can you make the batter in advance, and store in fridge until ready to bake? If so, how long in advance would be ok?