Strawberry Rhubarb Brown Butter Cake
Layers of strawberry rhubarb compote and soft mascarpone whipped cream spread between a sweet & nutty brown butter cake.
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cake
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
- 2 cups sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup vanilla sugar, (see notes)
Vanilla Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 4 ounces mascarpone
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the brown butter cake:
- First, brown your butter. Melt butter in a saucepan and continue to cook on medium-low, watching carefully for bubbles to subside and the bottom of the liquid to begin browning. Once it is taking on a golden brown color, remove from heat. It should smell nutty and have little brown bits in it.
- Pour in a small bowl and allow to cool back to room temperature. It should be soft and spreadable.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray two 6" cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
- In a small bowl, combine milk, egg whites, and vanilla.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Add soft brown butter, blending until mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Add all but 1/4 cup of milk mix and beat on medium speed until thick and creamy, 2-3 minutes. With mixer on low, gradually pour in remaining milk.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and use a spatula to even out.
- Bake until golden brown on top and sides are beginning to pull away from the pan, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
For the compote:
- Allow berries & rhubarb to defrost slightly, if frozen.
- Place berries & rhubarb in a stainless steel pot with the sugar and cook until fully broken down and quite thick, stirring and mashing with a wooden spoon all the while. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
- Pour compote in a bowl and allow to cool completely.
For the mascarpone whip:
- Whisk mascarpone, cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
To assemble cake:
- Slice each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers.
- Spread first layer with a thin layer of whipped mascarpone, followed by a layer of compote. Repeat on next 2 layers.
- Top with final cake layer.
- Apply a thin layer of mascarpone whip around entire cake for a crumb coating. Chill at least 20 minutes.
- Ice cake with remaining mascarpone whip and decorate as desired.
Notes
Vanilla sugar: If you don’t have any vanilla sugar, simply use regular sugar in the compote and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla after the strawberries and rhubarb are finished cooking.
Keep cake in fridge until ready to serve. This cake is great served chilled or at room temperature.
Did you try this recipe?
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