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Gingerbread Snack Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream

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  • Author: Nicole Triebe
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 9 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For Gingerbread Cake

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup Anchor Dairy butter, melted 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

For Brown Butter Buttercream 

12 oz softened Anchor Dairy butter, separated

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract


Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine melted Anchor Dairy butter, buttermilk, molasses, sugar and egg. Stir to combine.
  2. Add vanilla, spices, baking soda and powder and salt. Mix well.
  3. Add flour and mix until you can’t see any flour, using a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
  4. Prepare an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper, spraying the sides not covered with cooking spray. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  5. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for frosting.

To make the brown butter:

  1. Heat a thick-bottomed sauce pan on medium heat. Add cubed 4 oz butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter.
    Once melted the butter will foam up a bit, then subside. Watch carefully as lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma.
  2. Pour into a bowl immediately to stop the butter from cooking further and burning. Set aside until it cools to room temperature.

To make the buttercream:

  1. Combine sifted powdered sugar, browned butter, softened butter and milk in the bowl of your stand mixer.
  2. Using the paddle attachment, beat butter, powdered sugar and milk on low speed for 30 seconds and then high speed for 5 minutes.
  3. Add vanilla and turn mixer to low and mix for another 30 seconds.

Frost cake with buttercream and slice to serve. 


Notes

  • Don’t overmix! You don’t want to over work your batter, or your cake will be tough.
  • Keep Anchor Dairy butter at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients combine and homogenize best at room temperature, and provide an evenly textured bake. Additionally, if you use cold butter for buttercream, it will end up lumpy.