Naked Brown Butter Cake
This brown butter cake is rich, nutty, and perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, giving it a deep caramel-like flavor. The addition of heavy cream makes it incredibly moist and tender, while the whipped cream buttercream keeps it light and luscious. It’s the perfect balance of cozy warmth and indulgent sweetness, making every bite absolutely irresistible!
At one point, I was obsessed with brown butter—I used it in everything because I truly believed it made everything better. But my love for it actually started by accident when I was a teen. I was supposed to melt butter for my vanilla cake, but I got distracted and ended up browning it instead. I was devastated because I didn’t have more butter to start over, but my mom just laughed and said, “So what? If you can’t make a vanilla cake, make a brown butter cake instead!
And just like that—light bulb moment! I baked the cake anyway, and let’s just say, my love for brown butter has only grown since. Fast forward to my cake business, and it was only natural to add it to my menu. One day, a customer requested a naked cake and left the flavor choice up to me, so I made her this brown butter cake with whipped cream buttercream. She could not stop raving about how much her guests loved it, and soon, I had repeat orders from her and even some of her guests—all asking for the exact same cake!
So now, I’m sharing it with you. I hope you’ll love it just as much as we do!
Why is this the best cake?
- Deep, Rich Flavor – The brown butter adds a nutty, caramelized depth that regular butter just can’t match. Combined with brown sugar and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, every bite is full of cozy, toasty goodness.
- Ultra Moist and Tender – The heavy cream in the batter creates a luxuriously soft and moist texture, making this cake buttery and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. No dry cake here!
- Light Yet Indulgent Frosting – Instead of a heavy buttercream, this cake is frosted with a whipped cream buttercream—giving you the best of both worlds: the richness of butter and the airiness of whipped cream. It’s silky, smooth, and not overly sweet!
- Versatile and Perfect for Any Occasion – Whether you serve it as a simple tea cake, a beautifully frosted layer cake, or dress it up with caramel drizzle, this cake works for every occasion—from casual get-togethers to elegant celebrations.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Brown Butter – Adds a deep, nutty caramelized flavor. If needed, use regular melted butter, but you’ll lose some richness.
- Light Brown Sugar – Enhances moisture and caramel notes. Swap with dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavor, or use granulated sugar (but expect a lighter taste).
- Eggs – Provide structure and stability.
- Heavy Cream – Keeps the cake rich and moist. Substitute with buttermilk or full-fat sour cream for similar results.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works best. Use cake flour for a softer crumb or a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend for a gluten-free option.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg – Provide warmth and spice. Omit if preferred, or swap nutmeg for allspice or cardamom for a different depth.
- Unsalted Butter – Gives structure and richness. Swap with salted butter (reduce added salt) or vegan butter for a dairy-free option.
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens and stabilizes the buttercream. No real substitute, but you can blend granulated sugar into a powder in a food processor.
- Vanilla Extract – Enhances flavor. Try almond extract for a nutty twist or maple extract for extra warmth.
- Heavy Cream (for whipping) – Adds lightness to the frosting. Use whipped coconut cream for a dairy-free alternative.
Step-by-step: Brown butter cake
Cake
- Brown the Butter – In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until it turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool completely to room temperature.
- Oven & Pans -Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans or 3 x 7-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients – In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Wet ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, beat the brown butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Dry to wet – Alternate adding the dry ingredients and heavy cream in batches, mixing just until combined.1 cup Heavy cream
- Bake – Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Assemble
- Whipped Cream Buttercream Frosting – In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the butter mixture until smooth and airy.
- Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using. Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.½ cup Simple syrup
- Level – Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup.
- Stack – Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream buttercream on top. Add the second cake layer and frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.
- Chill – Chill for 20 minutes before slicing for cleaner cuts.
- Naked cake – to create a naked cake effect, scrape off as much buttercream from the outside of the cake as possible with a bench scraper
- Swirls – Place any remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star tip and pipe a border or swirls on top of the cake.
Frequently asked questions
Is clarified butter the same as brown butter?
Clarified butter is also called ghee. The processes for clarified butter and brown butter are similar – cooking the butter until the milk solids separate. And yet, for brown butter, we cook longer than clarified butter, until the milk solids turn brown. In addition, for clarified butter, you strain out the milk solids, while for brown butter, the milk solids remain in the butter.
How long will this brown butter cake keep?
Because the frosting contains whipped cream, once decorated, the cake can stay at room temperature for a few hours.
It can stay in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
Once cut, always cover the cut side of the cake with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Since this cake is lightly frosted, you will need to wrap the entire cake well before refrigerating.
What other frosting recipes can I use for this cake?
There are so many other choices for frosting. Such as:
Swiss or Italian Meringue Buttercream
French or German Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
I have over 30 frosting recipes on this blog. And I highly recommend checking them out.
Brown Butter Cake
This brown butter cake is rich, nutty, and perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, giving it a deep caramel-like flavor. The addition of heavy cream makes it incredibly moist and tender, while the whipped cream buttercream keeps it light and luscious. It’s the perfect balance of cozy warmth and indulgent sweetness, making every bite absolutely irresistible!
Video
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 cups (310 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Nutmeg fresh grated
- ½ tsp ( ) Ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 cup (227 g) Unsalted butter Browned and cooled
- 2 cup (330 g) Brown sugar
- 4 large Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 ml) Heavy cream (or milk)
Whipped Cream Buttercream
- 1 cup (113 g) Unsalted Butter or brown butter room temperature
- 2 cup (180 g) Powdered Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla extact
- ½ cup (120 ml) Whipping cream
- ½ tsp Salt
Extra
- ½ cup (120 ml) Simple syrup optional to moisten the cakes
Method
Prepare cake
- Brown the Butter – In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until it turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool completely to room temperature.
- Oven & Pans -Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans or 3 x 7-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients – In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.3 cups All-purpose flour, 2 ½ tsp Baking powder, ½ tsp Salt, ½ tsp Nutmeg, ½ tsp Ground cinnamon, ½ tsp Baking soda
- Wet ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, beat the brown butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.1 cup Unsalted butter, 2 cup Brown sugar, 4 large Eggs, 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- Dry to wet – Alternate adding the dry ingredients and heavy cream in batches, mixing just until combined.1 cup Heavy cream
- Bake – Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Assemble
- Whipped Cream Buttercream Frosting – In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the butter mixture until smooth and airy.1 cup Unsalted Butter, 2 cup Powdered Sugar, 2 tsp Vanilla extact, ½ tsp Salt, ½ cup Whipping cream
- Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using. Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.½ cup Simple syrup
- Level – Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
- Stack – Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream buttercream on top.Add the second cake layer and frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.
- Chill – Chill for 20 minutes before slicing for cleaner cuts.
- Naked cake – to create a naked cake-effect scrape off as much buttercream from the outside of the cake as possible with a bench scraper
- Swirls – Place any remaining frosting in a piping bag with a star tip and pipe a border or swirls on top of the cake.
Notes
Tips for the Cake:
- Brown the butter properly – Stir constantly and watch closely as it turns golden brown. Remove from heat as soon as it smells nutty, or it can burn quickly.
- Let the brown butter cool completely – Warm butter will affect the texture of the batter, so let it solidify slightly before using.
- Use room temperature ingredients – Eggs, heavy cream, and brown butter should all be at room temp for a smooth and even batter.
- Don’t overmix – Mix just until the ingredients are combined to avoid a dense cake. Overmixing can make the cake tough.
- Bake until just done – Start checking at 30 minutes with a toothpick. Overbaking can dry out the cake.
Tips For the Whipped Cream Buttercream:
- Whip the heavy cream separately – This ensures it holds structure and keeps the frosting light and fluffy.
- Chill if necessary – If your buttercream feels too soft, pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before frosting the cake.
- Gently fold in the whipped cream – Overmixing can deflate the airiness of the frosting.
Assembly & Storage Tips:
- Chill the cake before slicing – Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes for cleaner cuts and neater slices.
- Store in the fridge – Because of the whipped cream in the frosting, keep the cake refrigerated, but let it come to room temp before serving for the best flavor.
- Make ahead for convenience – Cake layers can be baked ahead and frozen for up to 2 months. Just thaw and frost when ready!
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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This cake is amazing! Beautiful & flavorful!! The storage tips are helpful but I think unnecessary as I do not anticipate any leftovers! Delicious!
Thank you, Jillian. yes, this was such a treat we had no left overs
So delicious! I absolutely love using brown butter in recipes and this is just perfect!
Thank you, Kim. me too
WOW, this cake is a stunner, Veena! Whipped cream buttercream is one of my favorites too.
Thank you, Marlynn
Such a stunning cake! That brown butter is such a delicious deep flavor to this cake – gosh what a delicious way to end a meal!
Thank you, Shashi
What a stunning cake! I would just want to eat that butter cream out of the bowl.
Thanks Dannii
What a detailed and amazing post this is! Thanks for all the details that you have provided. It’s very helpful.
Thank you, Meghna
Such a beautiful cake with amazing flavors! You don’t see brown butter used that option in a cake, but what a difference it makes – delicious!
Thank you, Lauren.
I love the sound of that cake and the buttercream is a perfect addition!
Thank you, Amy.
Your cakes always look so amazing! I’m not much of a baker but I’d love to give this brown butter cake a try! My hubby will be so impressed!
Thank you, Jacqueline. This one is really easy
Great tips on how to make the brown butter for this recipe, I am excited to try this for our next birthday celebration 🙂
Thank you, Noelle.