Description
This Brown Butter Pound Cake with Strawberry is a delightful twist on a classic dessert, featuring rich, nutty brown butter in the cake batter paired with a fresh strawberry compote. The moist and tender pound cake is baked to perfection and topped with a vibrant, sweet-tart strawberry sauce, making it perfect for gatherings or a special treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1 cup (16 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Strawberry Compote
- 1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 ¾ cups hulled strawberries, cut in halves
- 1 ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Brown Butter: Cut the butter into chunks and place them in a bright-colored skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally for 5-8 minutes, until the butter turns golden brown with nutty aroma.
- Cool Butter: Remove from heat and pour the browned butter into a 13×9 baking pan or a large container. Cover tightly and refrigerate or freeze for 45 minutes. Then, let it sit at room temperature for 12 to 30 minutes to soften.
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease or butter a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Beat Butter & Sugar: Using a mixer, beat the softened browned butter on high speed for 1 minute until creamy. Add granulated sugar and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add Eggs & Vanilla: Lower mixer speed; add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then add vanilla extract. Beat at medium-high speed until combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture while the mixer runs on low speed. Mix just until combined to avoid overmixing.
- Bake Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour. Check doneness with a toothpick; it should come out clean.
- Cool Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack completely before serving.
- Prepare Strawberry Compote: In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in warm water. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cornstarch mixture with strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir while cooking, mashing some strawberries gently. Once simmering, cook and stir for 7 minutes until thickened.
- Cool & Serve: Remove compote from heat and allow it to cool. Spoon it generously over slices of the cooled pound cake and enjoy!
Notes
- Ensure butter is evenly browned but not burnt for the best nutty flavor.
- Use room temperature eggs to help the batter combine smoothly.
- Don’t overmix the batter after adding dry ingredients to keep the cake tender.
- Test cake doneness early to avoid drying out; every oven varies.
- Strawberry compote can be stored refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- This cake can be served warm or at room temperature with the compote.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: brown butter pound cake, strawberry compote, pound cake recipe, berry dessert, homemade pound cake
