Spiced Apple Brown Butter Cake

I love the words "brown butter" and find myself instantly drawn to recipes with it included in the title.  I'll often stop and read a recipe in full if I see it mentioned in a cook book or magazine. So, I can honestly say I've tried dozens of recipes advertising the nutty deliciousness of brown butter - chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, shortbread cookies, various cakes, biscotti, Madeleines and the list goes on.  However, while a lot of the recipes I've attempted indeed lived up to the hype, some have been disappointing by ending up a little dry or the nutty flavour of the browned butter was lost in the mix. Essentially, I find the balance between brown butter and the other ingredients in a recipe (such as flour, sugar and eggs etc) must be just right.  Considering brown butter or beurre noisette (hazelnut butter) as it's called in French, is made by melting butter and letting it cook until nicely browned - some of the moisture evaporates as it cooks which can cause some dryness when baking with it.

My recipe for Spiced Apple Brown Butter Cake definitely ticks all the boxes I'm looking for when baking with brown butter.  The cake has a deep buttery flavour, is moist and rich without being heavy or too intense.  As well, the addition of spiced apples nicely compliments the brown butter without overpowering it.  I also like to make a pecan brittle topping to sprinkle over the top of the cake before baking, as I find this adds a really nice crunch and enhances the flavour of the cake.

Nonetheless,  the recipe still turns out wonderful with just a sprinkle of turbinado sugar over the top or simply nothing at all.  Despite the fact that this cake has a decidedly wintry list of ingredients and spices, I really find it to be a season-less recipe.  While apples are technically in season during the fall, I can find great apples almost all year long.  As well, spices like cinnamon and nutmeg etc., are the quintessential season-less ingredient since that's exactly the point and purpose of drying and preserving herbs and spices - using them all year long.    

I'm well aware this recipe has a lot of components to it and may seem like a lot of work for a simple loaf cake.  Notwithstanding, the finished product is so deeply spiced and buttery you'll be dreaming of this cake after eating it.  While I love a simple recipe that has minimum effort for maximum benefit, I'm more than willing to put in a little effort for a such a splendid cake.  

Overall, I find this recipe is a nice addition to my loaf cake recipe roster considering I often find myself in a perpetual Banana Bread cycle.  It's exciting and refreshing to have a new and fabulous loaf cake recipe on hand for those times when you want to wrap up an extra special homemade treat to bring to a friend's house as a gift.  I can think of nothing more charming that a homemade cake wrapped in parchment paper and tied with string to surprise a friend with.

Pecan Brittle Topping:
2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped to a small dice
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon of melted butter

Combine all the ingredients together and spread out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 350 F oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant and toasted and the maple syrup and butter have slightly caramelised.  Set aside to cool and then transfer to the fridge to cool completely.

Spiced Apples:
4 granny smith chopped into a medium dice
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
Freshly ground nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg)
1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
Pinch of ground star anise
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the chopped apples and saute until they start to brown.  Lower the heat to medium low, add the brown sugar and spices tossing the apples until they're are evenly coated.  Continue to stir and cook the apples until they have softened and reduced down quite a bit (you need about 1 cup of spiced apples to be added to the cake recipe). Then add the maple syrup and stir into the apples letting the liquid reduce slightly. Transfer the spiced apples to a dish and place in the fridge to cool.

Brown Butter Loaf Cake:
5 ounces of unsalted butter (browned)
1 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup spiced apples (see recipe above)
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice
Freshly ground nutmeg (or 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg)
1/2 cup of chopped toasted pecans tossed with 1 tablespoon of flour

Grease a standard 9 by 5 inch loaf tin with butter and line with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 F.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat and continue to let it cook until it's nicely browned. As the butter is browning, stir often help it brown evenly and prevent it from burning. Once the butter has turned a caramel colour, pour it into a bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the butter has cooled to room temperature, mix with the brown sugar and beat well until combined, then stir in the vanilla, eggs and yogurt.  Add in the cooled spiced apples and stir everything well.  Add the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, Chinese 5 spice, and nutmeg.  Then add the toasted pecans (which have been tossed in 1 tablespoon of flour, which will prevent the pecans from sinking to the bottom of the loaf) and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle with the pecan brittle that has been broken into small pieces.  Bake

for 45 to 60 minutes or until the loaf is fully cooked through (a toothpick or skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean).  Let cool in the tin and then wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper until ready to eat.