DISCLAIMER: In exchange for a discounted registration rate to attend IFBC 2015 I have agreed to write three blog posts of any topic from the conference, sponsors or anything about the host city of Seattle.
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| New fall harvest loaf pan from Sur la Table |
I am kinda on a brown butter kick lately. It started with ice cream I made for the state fair and this past weekend that was supposed to be rainy a perfect day to make a pound cake. It turns out it was a little overcast and warm so I made Browned Butter Pound Cake anyway! The windows were open so I hope the aroma of cake filled the neighborhood. And if that wasn’t enough I made apple cider caramel to make it even richer.
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| Brown butter batter ready for the pan |
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| Brown butter pound cake |
Well it turned out better than I had hoped! There is something extraordinary about that brown butter. Its nutty and rich in flavor so much so that you don’t need to add vanilla.
The pumpkin harvest pan was a gift from Sur la Table and part of a bag full of swag I received while attending the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle a week ago.
My obsession with browned butter continues… maybe icing for cupcakes or a cake? Cookies perhaps?
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| Brown butter pound cake with apple caramel sauce ready for eating. |
Note: I omitted the vanilla
The recipe is adapted from Brown Butter Pound Cake from Epicurious:
YIELD: Makes 1 (8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch) loaf
ACTIVE TIME: 25 min
TOTAL TIME: 3 1/2 hr (includes cooling)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle. Butter and lightly flour an 8 1/2-by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Heat butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until milk solids on bottom are a dark chocolate brown. Transfer to a shallow bowl and chill in freezer until just congealed, about 15 minutes.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat together brown butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated.
Transfer batter to pan, smoothing top, then rap pan on counter to settle batter. Bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
Cool in pan 30 minutes, then invert cake onto a rack and cool completely, right side up, 1 hour.
This caramel is adapted from Ina Garten’s Caramel Sauce. I added 2 tablespoons on boiled apple cider and omitted the vanilla.
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups sugar
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1/3 cup water
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1 1/4 cups heavy cream
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1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture.
Be careful – the mixture is extremely hot!
Watch the mixture very carefully at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. Don’t worry – the cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify.
Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes.
Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.