Spiced Brown Butter Apple Cake

This spiced brown butter apple cake is light and buttery, with chopped apple in every bite. Brown butter brings a rich, nutty flavor, and cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves give the cake a cozy apple-pie taste that’s perfect for Fall.

This cake is inspired by my favorite French apple cake recipe. I kept the best parts: the bite of fresh apple, the light texture, and the crisp, sugar-dusted top, and adapted it for Fall. But instead of flavoring the cake with rum, I wanted this version to feature brown butter and lots of warm spices.

The first couple of times I tested this recipe, I didn’t use enough spices. In this final version, there’s plenty of cinnamon, along with ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The spices stand out but don’t hide the fresh apples or the nutty flavor of the brown butter.

Despite browning the butter, this is a really simple cake to put together. No mixer is required, and you don’t need to cream the butter and sugar. It’s a no-fuss seasonal bake that’s perfect for cozy afternoons with a hot cup of coffee.

Why you’ll love this apple cake

• Light and buttery with fresh apple in every bite
• Warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
• Rich, nutty flavor from browned butter
• Lightly crisp, sugar-dusted top
• Simple, rustic cake for everyday baking

Ingredients for spiced brown butter apple cake

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
• Granulated sugar
• Brown butter
• Eggs
• Whole-milk Greek yogurt — or sour cream
• Vanilla extract
• Apples — Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji are my go-to varieties

What are the best apples for apple cake?

I find that a firm apple is best for this cake because I like the chopped pieces to retain some texture after baking rather than completely melting into the batter. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji are my go-to varieties, but Granny Smith is a great option if you’d prefer something slightly tart.

Peel and core the apples before weighing, then chop them into ½-inch pieces. They don’t need to be perfectly uniform, but smaller pieces make it easier to get apple in every bite and help them cook evenly.

How to brown butter

Browning butter is easier than it sounds. You’re simply cooking regular butter for a few minutes until the milk solids toast and turn golden brown.

Add the butter to a heavy-bottomed saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Let it melt, then cook until it bubbles and foams, stirring or swirling the pan occasionally. Soon, you’ll notice small brown flecks at the bottom of the pan and a nutty smell. Take the butter off the heat right away, since it can burn quickly after this point.

For this recipe, you’ll need ½ cup, or 113 grams, of butter after browning. Start with a little more than you need to account for the water that evaporates as the butter cooks. Let the brown butter cool slightly before adding it to the cake batter.

How to make spiced brown butter apple cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare an 8-inch round baking pan. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk everything together.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole-milk Greek yogurt, and vanilla until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, then pour in the slightly cooled brown butter along with all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Gently mix until the batter comes together. Don’t overmix.

Fold in the chopped apples until they’re distributed throughout the batter. There are a lot of apples compared with the amount of batter, but that’s exactly how it should look.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle a tablespoon of granulated sugar evenly over the top.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the cake is set in the center and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out without wet batter. Let it cool before slicing.

How to serve apple cake

This is the kind of cake I like just as it is, especially alongside a cup of coffee in the afternoon. The sugar sprinkled over the top before baking gives it a delicate crispness, so I don’t think it needs frosting or a glaze.

If you’re serving it as dessert, you could add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a little softly whipped cream. It’s also especially good served slightly warm.

How to store apple cake

Let the cake cool completely before storing it. Keep it tightly covered at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, keep it covered in the refrigerator. You can serve slices cold, let them come to room temperature, or warm them slightly before serving.

Spiced Brown Butter Apple Cake

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Servings: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Small mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Sharp knife and chopping board
• 8-inch cake pan

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ⅔ cup (135g) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup (60g) plain whole-milk Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 10 tbsp butter browned (measure ½ cup after browning)
• 3 cups (350g) apples peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar for topping

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
• Add the butter to a heavy-bottomed saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter, then continue cooking, stirring or swirling occasionally, until it begins to foam and the milk solids turn golden brown. Once the butter smells nutty and you see browned bits at the bottom of the pan, remove it from the heat. Measure 113 g (½ cup) of browned butter and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and granulated sugar.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla until smooth.
• Add the egg and yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients, then pour in the slightly cooled brown butter. Gently mix everything together just until combined, being careful not to overmix.
• Fold in the chopped apples until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar over the top.
• Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out without wet batter.
• Let the cake cool before slicing and serving.

Notes

• Measure the butter after browning, since some water will evaporate as it browns. You need 113 grams (½ cup) of finished brown butter. 
• Measure the apples after preparing them. You’ll need 3 cups (350 grams) after peeling, coring, and chopping. It will look like a lot of apple compared with the amount of batter, but that’s what gives you apple in every bite.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Once you add the wet ingredients and brown butter to the dry ingredients, mix only until everything comes together. This helps keep the cake light.
• Don’t skip the sugar topping. The tablespoon of granulated sugar sprinkled over the batter gives the finished cake a lightly crisp top.

Course: Dessert

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