Brown Butter Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

BBs, I was born in the 70s, grew up in the 80s, and came of age in the 90s. And there was one through line that existed at every birthday party during those years: Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting. Like, there might or might not be a piñata. There might or might not be Red Rover. There might or might not be a trampoline. And the birthday party itself might or might not be at a local McDonalds. These were all variables. One thing never varied, however, and that thing was VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING. And after the interminable present-opening festivities, where the birthday kid ripped through every gift with fervor whilst their parents oohed and aahed at every gift (which was so annoying), that chocolate-wrapped cake was the gift that we could all enjoy.

this recipe

Fast forward to 2024: my good friend Britney gently reminded me that I own a whole baking website, and I lacked a basic birthday cake (mon dieu!). Immediately after she said that, the only cake that came to mind was – you guessed it – Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting. But it had to be a BwB cake, so I added a few fun touches to make it truly sing. And sing it does. BB, the brown butter gives the very special vanilla cake a nutty, caramel flavor that is impossible to ignore. Then, there’s the perfectly chocolatey, rich frosting that pulls it together. And, for the ultimate rich auntie effect, there’s an optional chocolate ganache drip around the sides.

And sprinkles for whimsy. 😊

In this Post:

Ingredients in this Brown Butter Vanilla Cake

All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour provides structure and texture to the cake, thanks to its higher level of protein. We’re using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour in this special cake to achieve the tender, dense, moist texture of a classic yellow cake. Cake flour has a lower protein content, which would result in a delicate, tender crumb, but we want the slightly heartier texture of a traditional yellow cake. All-purpose flour delivers just that, while still providing a tender and fine-grained crumb.

Cornstarch: This sneaky addition is a master of moisture control, absorbing excess liquid and ensuring our cake stays tender, not soggy. It’s like a tiny sponge, soaking up the extra wetness and keeping things just right! Additionally, cornstarch helps to reduce gluten formation just enough, so that we can still get those delicate moist crumbs on with each beautiful bite.

Baking soda: This cake uses buttermilk, so baking soda is the appropriate leavening. (Want to know more about leavening? Check out this BwB article!)

Kosher Salt: Salt is very important in any dessert; it balances the sugar and keeps the dessert from becoming cloyingly sweet. If using table salt for this recipe, cut the amount in half. Using salt in this recipe is particularly important, as the salt cuts the richness of all of the chocolate as well!

Brown butter: Brown butter sounds like an impossible ingredient but it’s not! Brown butter is simply what happens when butter meets sustained heat, transforming into a rich, aromatic delight with beautifully caramelized milk solids at the bottom. Don’t worry; I’ll tell you how to make it and use it in this recipe!

Granulated sugar: Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar gives our cake the sweetness that it needs, but did you know that granulated sugar is also responsible for caramelization too? In this cake, the granulated sugar actually enhances the brown butter effect, creating a deep, rich flavor profile. As the sugar caramelizes, it develops a golden-brown color and a nutty, toasted flavor that perfectly complements the brown butter in the finished cake. The caramelized sugar and brown butter truly create an unforgettable taste experience!

Eggs: The protein in the eggs adds structure to the cake, while the fatty yolk adds delicious flavor. This recipe calls for four eggs, which might seem like a lot. Trust me, it’s perfection.

Pure vanilla extract: The vanilla part of our vanilla cake! I tested both vanilla beans and pure vanilla extract, and landed on pure vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract much more accessible than vanilla beans, and I felt that using vanilla extract would be more true to the classic dessert. If you want to take it up a notch, scrunch a vanilla bean in with your sugar and cream it with your brown butter! It’s heaven.

Buttermilk: This tangy, creamy dream adds moisture, tenderness, and a hint of acidity – all while reacting with our baking soda and creating a tender crumb! Make sure to use room temperature buttermilk, as this allows it to mix seamlessly with the other ingredients and creates a smooth, even batter. Cold buttermilk can lead to a dense or lumpy texture, so take the time to let it come to room temperature before using!

About Brown Butter

In this cake, we do a special process with the butter. We create brown butter. Then, we refrigerate it to allow it to re-solidify, and we allow it to come to room temperature again with our buttermilk and eggs to make an incredible dessert.

But let’s address the “what” and “why” of brown butter.

Brown butter is simply butter, heated over medium heat for an extended period of time. During the heating period, the butter will go through phases. First, the butter will melt and become the silky smooth butter that’s perfect for popcorn (yum). Next, as the milk solids in the butter start to separate from the water, you’ll see lots and lots of bubbles. This is when you want to start stirring and don’t stop.

As you continue to gently stir while the butter is working over medium heat, you’ll notice that the bubbles begin to reduce. This, Friend, is where brown butter can become very tricky. Because as soon as the milk solids caramelize (turn brown), that’s when you want to stop. You can expect the brown milk solids before the bubbles are completely eliminated. But, as you continue to gently stir, you’ll see them: beautiful brown bits in the bottom of your stainless steel pan.

Why do you want to use brown butter? Well, brown butter adds a deep, irreplaceable flavor to anything it touches. It’s nutty and caramel-y and rich. And that only comes with this special ingredient. While using it can be a touch tricky at times, it is always worth the effort.

How to Brown Butter: A Photo Tutorial

The process of browning butter is actually quite simple. You just need to remember to go slowly and stir once the butter has melted.

First, you’ll place the amount of butter that you need in a small saucepan. Use the best butter that you can source for this adventure!

Place the saucepan on a stovetop over medium heat. Leave it alone for a few minutes while it melts. You don’t have to stir at this point; you’d only be stirring solid butter anyway. 😂

Once the butter melts completely, you’ll need to start stirring. You do want to stir regularly, but you don’t have to stir constantly. The reason for stirring is this: the milk solids that are part of the butter will separate from the water and fat in the butter and those milk solids will go to the bottom of the pot and stay there (and burn!) if they’re not stirred on a regular basis. If that happens, the milk solids will burn before the rest of the butter gets to be a gorgeous amber color.

As it cooks (and you’re stirring), the brown butter will change color; it will go from light yellow (melted) to golden, to an amber hue with the butter solids at the bottom. During this process, you’ll also notice that the top of the butter gets very bubbly!

The bubbles can actually make it difficult to see what’s going on underneath. Pro tip: I look at the milk solids on the side of my pot, because those will loosely inform me when the milk solids underneath are done!

You’ll know you’re done with this step when you smell positively gorgeous nutty, caramel-y scent in your kitchen. Once you’re done, remove the brown butter from your heat immediately to a heat proof container.

Allow the brown butter to cool to room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator until an hour before baking. In this recipe, we’ll be creaming brown butter with sugar to make the most delicious base for our vanilla cake! So the brown butter needs to be cooled and brought to room temperature for baking. 😊

Congratulations! You’ve made brown butter! Now you can use it in literally everything, because it is truly the best butter ever.

Beginners Start Here

If you’re new to baking, or if you want to learn how to do some of the more tricky baking techniques, here are a couple of super helpful articles from the BwB site that will help you get set up for success with this amazing Brown Butter Vanilla Cake.

• Meet Your Kitchen BFF–Your Digital Kitchen Scale!
• How to Cream Butter and Sugar (With New Video!)
• Baking 101: How to Measure Ingredients
• Knowing When to Stop a Technique
• Sifting: Quick Technique. Huge Impact.
• Three Tips for Amazing Home Cooks Who Want to be Amazing Bakers
• Do I Need Baking Powder or Baking Soda?
• The Basics of Butter

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey, and specifically with this special cake. Happy Reading!

Important Tools Used in this Brown Butter Vanilla Cake

I am so happy to announce that Begin with Butter has its own Amazon Storefront, where you can find all of the amazing equipment that I used in this Brown Butter Vanilla Cake! Want even more specific links? Check out the recommendations, below.

I do get paid a commission when you purchase, but these are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

If you have these tools already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this recipe!

• My Favorite 8″ Layer Cake Pans
• Oven Thermometer
• Digital Food Scale
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• OXO Spatula Set
• Sifter
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Cake Decorating Turntable

I do love this take on the classic cake, BB. I hope you enjoy making it, and that it becomes a favorite in your household like it has in mine. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @beginwithbutter so that I can shout out your success!

Brown Butter Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting

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Elevate the classic vanilla cake with brown butter and chocolate frosting. This childhood favorite now has a grown-up glow up!

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

For the Cake:

• 320 g (2.5 c) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 280 g (20 tbsp) brown butter, cooled and re-solidified in the refrigerator
• 300 g (1.5 c) granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 250 g (1 c) buttermilk

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

• 345 g (1.5 cups) butter, room temperature
• 630 g (5.75 c) confectioner’s sugar
• 84 g (1 c) natural cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp whole milk
• 1–2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Ganache:

• 170 g (1 c) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 125 g (1/2 c) heavy cream, shaken

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Instructions

To Make the Brown Butter:

1. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. A light-colored saucepan will allow you to better see when the butter is complete.
2. Allow the butter to melt fully, then begin gently stirring. Stir frequently to ensure that the browned butter bits don’t stick to the pan.
3. The butter will go through stages. At first, it will simply look like melted butter. Continue stirring.
4. The next step of brown butter is the foamy step. This is the longest part of the brown butter process. Continue stirring.
5. The foamy brown butter will lessen (but not eliminate entirely), and you’ll start to notice browned bits on the bottom of your saucepan as you stir. These are browned milk solids, and this is the objective!
6. Once you see the browned bits on the bottom of your saucepan, remove the brown butter to a heat-proof bowl to cool completely. If you allow the brown butter to remain in the saucepan, it will burn.
7. Once the brown butter has come to room temperature, allow it to chill in the refrigerator until 45 minutes to an hour before your baking time. We are going to cream this butter!

To Make the Cake:

1. Set your oven to a true 325°F.  An oven thermometer is very useful to help you determine whether your oven is at the correct temperature.
2. Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Add room-temperature brown butter to a large mixing bowl, or to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix until combined.  Add the sugar and cream the brown butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl regularly to ensure even mixing.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time.  Add the next egg only once the previous egg has been fully incorporated.
5. Add the pure vanilla extract and mix thoroughly to combine.  Scrape the bowl regularly to ensure even mixing.
6. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until nearly combined.
7. Add all of the sour cream and mix until nearly combined.
8. Add the other half of the flour mixture and mix until nearly combined.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then gently fold the mixture together until it is fully combined.
9. Prep three 8” cake pans equally. I prefer butter and flour to prep my pans.
10. Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 205°F in the center of the cakes. 
11. Allow the cakes to cool on cooling racks for 5-7 minutes, then turn place the cakes onto cooling racks to finish cooling.

To Make the Chocolate Frosting:

1. Make sure that butter is room temperature.  This is the single most important step.  Butter that is too cold won’t mix properly and the frosting might break.
2. Place butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Using the paddle attachment, mix the butter until it is completely smooth.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure that there’s no unmixed butter. 
3. Sift together the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and the fine sea salt.
4. Add the confectioner’s sugar mixture, 1/2-1 cup at a time, mixing on lowest speed until the powdery texture is no longer visible.  Then mix on medium high speed until the mixture is smooth.
5. Repeat step 4 until half of the confectioner’s sugar mix has been added to the mixture.
6. Add 4 tbsp of whole milk, 1 tbsp of heavy cream, and vanilla.  Mix on low speed until you can no longer see the milk liquids, then on medium high speed until the mixture is completely smooth. 
7. Repeat step 4 once again, adding confectioner’s sugar until you reach the end.  Mix thoroughly to ensure that all of the confectioner’s sugar is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Scrape the bowl as necessary to ensure even mixing.
8. If needed, add additional heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time.  Mix on low speed until you can no longer see the heavy cream, then on medium high speed until the buttercream is rich and creamy.

To Make the Chocolate Ganache:

1. Place the chocolate chips and fine sea salt n a heat-proof bowl.  Set aside.
2. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan and heat on a stovetop until you see heatwaves off of the top of the heavy cream surface.
3. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and cover with plastic wrap.  Do not stir yet!
4. Allow the heavy cream to melt the chocolate for 5 minutes.  Stir with a small whisk to combine.  If the chocolate does not melt, place in the microwave at 5-second intervals, stirring in between intervals, until the mixture is completely smooth.
5. Allow the ganache to cool slightly (~5 minutes) before using.  If you wait too long, the ganache will thicken and will not pour easily over the cake.
6. Pour the ganache over the cake using a spouted measuring cup, a squeeze bottle, or a spoon.

• Author: Shani