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Brown butter spice cake

Published: 30 Apr 09
Updated: 5 Aug 24

Try baking up a storm for afternoon tea with this recipe for brown butter spice cake – how to decorate it is up to you (perhaps with edible flowers, as in this Victoria sponge topped with roses).

Easy
May 2009

Test kitchen approved

Serves 8
Hands-on time 15 min; oven time 30 min

Try baking up a storm for afternoon tea with this recipe for brown butter spice cake – how to decorate it is up to you (perhaps with edible flowers, as in this Victoria sponge topped with roses).

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Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
250g caster sugar
2 medium free-range eggs
100g treacle
250ml tea, made using 2 english breakfast teabags
Grated zest of 1 orange
600g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp baking powder

For the icing

100g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g icing sugar

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Butter and line 2 x 20cm round cake tins.
Melt the butter in a pan until it stops foaming and browns. Strain through a coffee filter or fine sieve into a large bowl and cool, then beat with the sugar, eggs and treacle. Stir in the tea and orange zest.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the spices and baking powder. Blend into the butter mixture. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a rack.