This brown butter brownie cake is a literal brownie in cake form, complete with luscious milk chocolate buttercream and lots of sprinkles. It’s indulgent, unique, and perfect for any celebration!
Brown butter—aka liquid gold—is my secret weapon as a pastry chef for elevating classic desserts to the next level.
I use it in everything, from my super fluffy cinnamon rolls with brown butter to my reader-favorite brown butter snickerdoodle cookies. And it is the star ingredient of this fudgy brownie cake!
Like my other brown butter recipes, it’s sure to steal the show—the ultimate bakery-worthy treat!
When you’re done making this cake, you’ll probably be hooked on brown butter, so you should make my easy chocolate chip blondies with brown butter next!
Table of Contents
How to Make It
1
Brown the butter. If this is your first time, my brown butter guide has tons of tips and tricks! Whisk in the chocolate and vanilla paste as soon as it’s ready.
2
Whisk the eggs and sugar together, then mix in the melted chocolate. This is best done in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or with a stand mixer!).
The mixture should be pale and fluffy before the butter is added.
3
Finish the brownie batter. Pour the batter into a greased and lined 9″ spring-form cake pan. If you don’t have one, you can line the bottom of a round cake pan with strips of parchment, like with my Oreo cookie cake.
4
Bake the cake. You’ll know it’s done baking when a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out covered in a few moist crumbs.
5
Make the milk chocolate frosting. Beat the frosting until it’s light and fluffy!
You could also omit the cocoa powder for a plain vanilla frosting!
6
Decorate the cake. Feel free to switch up the sprinkle colors—shades of pink for Valentine’s Day, rainbow sprinkles for birthdays, or other combinations for your special occasion!
Loving the flavor of brown butter? Same here! Its nutty richness adds a bakery-style twist to all kinds of recipes. You have to try my rice crispy treats with brown butter for a gooey, toasty spin on a childhood classic or my brown butter pumpkin cookies—they’re fan favorites year round!
3 Tips for a Fudgy Cake
Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is always my top recommendation for accurate results! Packing too much flour into a measuring cup can result in a dense and dry cake.
Don’t overbake it! If you want a super fudgy texture (especially with a gooey center), bake the cake until the edges are firm and the middle is set. You’ll know you baked it correctly if the center sinks just slightly after cooling!
Avoid making substitutions. Substituting ingredients can affect the texture and cause the cake to turn out drier or less dense than intended. Stick to the tested recipe for the best results!
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Brown Butter Brownie Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownie Cake Batter
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 7 ounces 70% dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, or extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, *See notes below for measuring!*
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Milk Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or extract
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Chocolate sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Generously butter a round 9” springform cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a stainless steel pan, cook the butter over medium heat until the bottom of the pan has brown bits of butter solids and it smells nutty. Scrape it into a separate bowl and whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Set aside.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 7 ounces (200 g) 70% dark chocolate bar, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Whisk the sugar and eggs in a stand mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Then, stream in the melted chocolate mixture.1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar, 3 (150 g) large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- Fold in the flour mixture until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out covered in moist crumbs.
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack. The cake needs to be completely cool before decorating!
- To make the frosting, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder until light and fluffy. Then mix in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons (25 g) heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, Pinch fine sea salt
- Pipe the frosting around the border of the brownie cake, decorate with sprinkles, and enjoy!Chocolate sprinkles
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
I had some last night and it was delicious! Couldnt stop eating it before my dinner!