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brown butter tea cakes

(1 rating)
Kitchen Crew
By Kitchen Crew

While many tea cakes traditionally lean towards lighter, more delicate flavors, these Brown Butter Tea Cakes are a purposeful departure. Bold teas can often overwhelm a lighter cake, but the warm, nutty taste of brown butter in these mini bundt cakes can complement even the strongest black teas, or provide the perfect contrast to a tart and refreshing iced tea. The optional splash of bourbon adds another dimension of warmth and subtle spice, but don’t worry if you don’t have a bottle on hand. The cakes will still be delicious without it!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Instead of creaming the butter and the sugar together, this cake uses the reverse creaming method, coating the dry ingredients with fat before adding the liquid, creating a slightly denser crumb without overworking the gluten. For the best results, the eggs and buttermilk should be room temperature. Don’t have a mini bundt pan? Use a cupcake pan for individual cakes using the same directions, or bake up a 9” round cake in about 25 - 30 minutes.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(1 rating)
yield 6 piece(s)
prep time 15 Min
cook time 15 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For brown butter tea cakes

  • 1/2 c
    unsalted butter
  • 3/4 c
    sugar
  • 1 c
    cake flour
  • 1/2 tsp
    baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp
    kosher salt
  • 1 lg
    egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp
    vanilla extract
  • 3/4 c
    buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp
    bourbon, optional
  • powdered sugar, for serving

How To Make brown butter tea cakes

  • melting butter on the stove
    1
    Brown the butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
  • brown butter
    2
    Continue cooking until the butter turns golden brown with a nutty aroma. (It's important to watch it constantly so it doesn't go over.) Remove from the heat and set aside to let cool. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a mini bundt pan with nonstick spray.
  • dry ingredients in the stand mixer
    3
    In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • 4
    In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and bourbon, if using). Set aside.
  • brown butter into dry ingredients
    5
    When the brown butter has cooled to soft consistency, combine the dry ingredients with the brown butter until it resembles coarse sand.
  • add the wet ingredients
    6
    Add the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • filling mini bundt pans
    7
    Using a portion scoop or spatula, fill your bundt pan about two-thirds of the way.
  • ready for baking
    8
    Bake the mini bundt cakes until a toothpick stuck into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean, around 15 minutes.
  • finished tea cakes
    9
    Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before turning the pan out onto a cooling rack. When the cakes are completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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