Brown Butter Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Update may 2025: In honor of the blog’s 7th birthday, I have given this recipe a much needed remake. The original cake was two tiers of brown butter layer cake with a chocolate swiss meringue buttercream (photos are at the bottom). It’s now been scaled up to share with more loved ones; has a new filling of chocolate mousse, and the buttercream is now a brown butter swiss meringue to match the cake =) 

Recipe Origins 

Cake: The original recipe was one I had adapted from this golden vanilla cake. Initially to make the layers brown butter I had simply increased the amount of brown butter. For this newer version, I did do a little of that but I’m also supplementing the cake’s moisture with sour cream. Also, I am forever married to the fact that cake flour is 100x better for layer cakes than all purpose, so that is what I use. 

Buttercream: this is adapted from my favorite iconic baker, Stella Parks. Instead of plain vanilla, I brown the butter, chill it then add it to the meringue. 

Mousse: there are various recipes online for a ‘two ingredient’ mousse using chocolate and heavy cream. With some of the cream you make a ganache, the rest becomes whipped cream and you combine them together. That’s all I’ve done here.

Recipe Ingredients 

Butter: unsalted or salted, if using salted adjust the salt amount added to the recipe. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. 

Salt: fine sea salt. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. If you like you can slice a vanilla bean and add it to the butter as it browns. 

Cake flour: milled from a softer wheat and finer, cake flour is best for light layer cakes. 

Milk: whole milk. If you are making this dairy free, a full fat nut milk would likely work. 

Eggs: whole eggs for the cake and egg whites only (no yolk at all in them) for the buttercream. 

Cream of tartar: this helps stabilize a meringue. 

Sour cream: this replaces some of the moisture lost in the browning process. 

How to make Brown Butter Cake with Brown Butter Swiss Meringue

Recipe Origins 

Cake: The original recipe was one I had adapted from this golden vanilla cake. Initially to make the layers brown butter I had simply increased the amount of brown butter. For this newer version, I did do a little of that but I’m also supplementing the cake’s moisture with sour cream. Also, I am forever married to the fact that cake flour is 100x better for layer cakes than all purpose, so that is what I use. 

Buttercream: this is adapted from my favorite iconic baker, Stella Parks. Instead of plain vanilla, I brown the butter, chill it then add it to the meringue. 

Mousse: there are various recipes online for a ‘two ingredient’ mousse using chocolate and heavy cream. With some of the cream you make a ganache, the rest becomes whipped cream and you combine them together. That’s all I’ve done here.

Recipe Ingredients 

Butter: unsalted or salted, if using salted adjust the salt amount added to the recipe. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. 

Salt: fine sea salt. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. If you like you can slice a vanilla bean and add it to the butter as it browns. 

Cake flour: milled from a softer wheat and finer, cake flour is best for light layer cakes. 

Milk: whole milk. If you are making this dairy free, a full fat nut milk would likely work. 

Eggs: whole eggs for the cake and egg whites only (no yolk at all in them) for the buttercream. 

Cream of tartar: this helps stabilize a meringue. 

Sour cream: this replaces some of the moisture lost in the browning process. 

How to make Brown Butter Cake with Brown Butter Swiss Meringue

Start by browning the butter, first for the cake then for the buttercream. I do these separately so I can keep track of how much is needed for both, without having to separate them later and try to equally divide the brown butter bits.

Once the butters are cooled and creamy, it’s important to stir them so the toasted milk solids disperse into the butter (and are not all concentrated at the bottom of the bowl)

p.s. If you were wondering about the color of the butter in the photos below the smaller bowl has european butter (high butterfat) and the bigger has american style (less butterfat, more water). American butter will chill faster because of this.

For the cake layers

We’ll make the cake first: add the sugar, vanilla, salt and brown butter for the cake to the bowl of a stand mixer

Whip until very light and creamy, this will take a few minutes

Add the sour cream and beat well

One by one, add the eggs – beating well after each one is added. Once all the eggs are in, scrape the bowl and beat again to ensure it’s all well combined

Sift in the cake flour and baking powder.

Once the batter is fully mixed, divide it between two cake pans (metal, 8″ inches round) that have been buttered or floured (or use a baking spray that has oil and flour in it)

Bake the cakes until a cake tester comes out clean or the tops spring back; about 30 minutes. Let cool fully before making the buttercream and mousse.

For the buttercream 

Fill a pot a few inches full with water and set over medium heat. Find a heatproof bowl that can sit on top of the pot without the bottom touching the water. Heat to a simmer.

Set the egg whites and sugar in the bowl and whisk very well. Set the bowl on top of the pot and stir as it warms.

We’re warming it so the sugar granules can dissolve, once you can lift some of the mix and pinch it and detect no sugar granules – it can be taken off the heat.

Set it in the bowl of the (clean and dry!) stand mixer and affix the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and begin whipping.

Once you have stiff peaks (i.e. you can lift the whisk and the meringue holds shape), add the vanilla and salt.

The butter should be at a solid but soft room temperature. Start adding it to the meringue slowly, one spoonful at a time.

Once all the butter is in, it should turn thick and creamy – if not, the butter might have been too warm. Set the bowl in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes, then whip again until thick.

Frost the cake, adding the filling between the two cake layers.

More filling options

Initially I was going to make this raspberry curd for the filling, but I didn’t have enough raspberries on hand. Blueberry curd would work too, or blackberry curd.

Whipped cream would also work and even more buttercream. But this cake is nutty and sweet and I think something that offsets that would lead to much tastier bites!

Brown Butter Cake with Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Recipe

Brown Butter Cake with Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Yields: 2 eight inch cakes

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

Brown Butter Cake Layers

• 170g or ¾ cups unsalted butter cold is fine
• 300g or 1 ½ cups fine granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 300g cake flour sifted
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 240g or 1 cup whole milk

Chocolate Mousse Filling

• 75g semi-sweet or dark chocolate
• 250g heavy whipping cream divided (100g for the ganache and 150g for the whipped cream)
• Dash of vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Chocolate Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 227g or 1 cup butter unsalted or salted (if using salted, adjust salt added)
• 3 egg whites from large eggs (no egg yolk at all)
• 170g sugar fine granulated
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to stabilize the meringue
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method

Brown the butter for the cake and then for the buttercream

• In a saucepan melt the butter for the cake and cook until you see the butter separating; brown bits will start falling to the bottom. Watch it carefully because it can burn quickly and once all the bits are a toasty brown, pour it into a heatproof bowl. Set aside to cool.
• Clean and dry the pan then repeat with the butter for the buttercream. Use different bowls or mark them so you know which is for the cake (it will be less) and which is for the buttercream. Once the butter is cool and starts to become creamy and thick, stir it to disperse the brown butter bits. Set in the fridge to chill until ready to use; the consistency of the butter for the cake should be at a soft room temperature.

Make the Cake Layers

• Preheat the oven to 325 F and grease and flour two round 8 inch pans. If your eggs aren’t at room temperature, set them in a bowl of hot water to warm up.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar, salt, vanilla and soft browned butter. Affix the paddle attachment and beat on low speed, then work up to medium. Beat the mix until it’s light and fluffy, the color will be several shades lighter - this can take a few minutes. Add the sour cream and beat for 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on, one by one add the eggs. Allow each to mostly incorporate before adding another. Once all the eggs are in, beat well to combine.
• Sift in the cake flour and add the baking powder. Turn the mixer on its lowest setting (so flour doesn’t fly out!) and while it’s slowly beating, pour in the milk. Beat until the batter is well combined, stop the mixer to scrape down as needed.
• Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool briefly in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

Make the Mousse

• Chop up the chocolate and set in a small bowl. Heat the 100g of heavy cream until it’s steaming and pour over the chocolate. Stir briefly then leave it for a minute, stir until smooth. Let cool until thickened before proceeding.
• Separately, beat the remaining heavy cream with the vanilla and salt to medium peaks; when the mixer is leaving ribbons in the cream as it moves. Add half of the cooled, thick ganache to the bowl and briefly mix. Add the remaining ganache and mix to combine. If the mousse is starting to get overly thick and grainy, add a bit more heavy cream and stir until it’s airy.
• Make the Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• The temperature of the butter for the buttercream should be on the cooler side, but not rock hard. If you find you need to warm it and it becomes soft, we’ll troubleshoot this afterwards. But don’t use melted or overly soft butter! Chill it to firm it up.
• Fill a pot about 2 inches high with hot water and set it over medium low heat. Set a bowl over the pot (this will act as a double boiler) and bring the water to a simmer. Pour the sugar and egg whites into the bowl and immediately whisk well.
• Keep stirring the mix as it heats. If you’re using a rubber spatula you can scrape the bottom of the bowl and if you hear/feel scratching that usually means the sugar has yet to dissolve. If you can lift the spatula and pinch the mixture and detect no sugar granules, it’s done heating. Pour it into the bowl of the stand mixer (the bowl should be very clean and dry) and affix the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and begin whisking on low, then work up to medium.
• Whisk until you have stiff peaks, where you can lift the whisk upside down and it doesn’t droop. Add the vanilla and salt and whisk briefly then, with the mixer on low, add the butter, about a tablespoon at a time. The meringue will turn into soup and depending on the temperature of the butter will either whip up into a creamy buttercream or, if the butter was on the warm side, stay a loose soup. If it is not thickening this is because the butter is too warm; set the bowl in the freezer for 10-15 minutes then try again.

To assemble the cake

• Slice off the domes from the cake. Place one of the cakes sliced side up and spread a thick layer of mousse over it (if you pipe a border of buttercream around the bottom layer it helps it from slipping out). Set the other cake sliced side down and spread the top and sides with the buttercream. Top with chocolate curls or shavings or berries, if you like.

Notes

Note: this recipe is best made with a scale.

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The original cake photos from May 2018:

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