This great little cake would look wonderful on your holiday buffet table.
It is a Browned Butter Cranberry and Apple Cake.
The browned butter is a genius addition to the cake. The whole cranberries in the cake give a surprise burst of tart flavor to each bite.
This recipe is from Yossy Arefi’s cookbook Snacking Cakes. Run (don’t walk) to your local bookstore to buy a copy of this cookbook. The collection of cakes in the book is spot on. So is the book’s concept: Developing a repertoire of easy-to-make little cakes with seemingly-endless variations.
Browned Butter Cranberry and Apple Cake
November 20, 2021
Ingredients
- 1/2 C. unsalted butter
- 1/2 C. light brown sugar
- 1/4 C. maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 C. sour cream
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/2 t. kosher salt
- A few grates of nutmeg
- 1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. baking soda
- 1 C. peeled and finely-chopped apple
- 1 C. fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 C. chopped walnuts
- 1 T. turbinado sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by spraying it generously with cooking spray and lining the bottom of the pan with parchment.
- Step 2 Brown the butter in a light-colored saucepan, stirring occasionally for about 3 or 4 minutes until the butter turns a golden brown and smells nutty. Remove from the heat, pour the butter into a medium-sized glass bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Step 3 Once the browned butter has cooled a bit, whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup and eggs. Whisk this mixture until it is well combined and smooth.
- Step 4 Whisk the sour cream, vanilla, salt and nutmeg into the butter mixture. Whisk until this mixture is well-mixed and the mixture is emulsified.
- Step 5 Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Whisk the sifted flour into the butter mixture until the mixture is well-mixed and smooth. Fold in the chopped apple and cranberries.
- Step 6 Spoon the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter. Sprinkle the batter with the chopped walnuts. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the chopped walnuts. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven. When it is done, your cake will be puffed and the top will be a golden brown. Your cake is done when you can pierce the center of the cake with a wooden skewer and the skewer comes out clean. Cool the cake before cutting.
Yossy Arefi’s cookbook Snacking Cakes is available through your local bookstore on on Amazon here.
