Moist and decadent Brown Butter Spice Cake with orange buttercream frosting features a perfect blend of flavors. Made with warm and cozy spices, browned butter, and dark rum, this towering beauty is truly impressive.
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Spiced Cake with Orange Buttercream
With rich yet sweet flavors, this spice cake is undeniably remarkable! Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice pair wonderfully with dark rum and dark brown sugar. Brown butter in both the cake batter and frosting put this cake over the top!
To contrast the deep cake flavors, frost this towering beauty with homemade orange buttercream. It’s bright and seriously citrusy, adding a welcome lightness to the overall cake.
Simply decadent, you’ll fall in love at first bite!
Why You’ll Love this Spice Cake Recipe:
- HOMEMADE: The spice cake batter and orange buttercream frosting are both made completely from-scratch.
- LAYERED: What is it about layered cakes that always impress? This spice cake has three moist, flavorful layers.
- UNIQUE: This isn’t your typical chocolate or vanilla cake recipe! Give this spiced brown butter cake a try the next time you’re craving something a little different.
How to Make Brown Butter Spice Cake
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Brown the butter for the cake batter and frosting.
- Make the cake batter.
- Bake.
- Make the frosting.
- Frost and assemble the layered cake.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy.
While similar in flavor profile, they’re not quite the same. Traditionally, spice cake doesn’t have any add-ins while carrot cake is made with carrots, nuts, and raisins.
Using brown butter is a guaranteed way to add another depth of flavor to baked goods. It’s rich and nutty, instantly elevating this spice cake recipe.
Yes, and I actually recommend it! Spice cake tastes best on day 2, when the flavors have had time to mingle. This is a wonderful dessert recipe to make in advance.
Use 3 6-inch cake pans for this layered cake recipe. These smaller cakes are so fun to make and serve! Instead of 3 6-inch pans, use 2 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. Keep an eye on the cakes while they bake – thinner cake layers don’t take as long to bake.
With three beautiful layers and a gorgeous coat of orange buttercream, there’s so much to love about this brown butter spice cake!
Enjoy a slice of this cake for breakfast with your coffee – trust me on this one!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Brown the butter and let it cool completely to room temperature before continuing with the recipe. If you’ve never made it before, here’s how to make brown butter.
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice in the frosting. You can really taste the difference!
- Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before assembling and frosting.
How long will brown butter spice cake stay fresh?
This cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. In fact, it actually tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have had time to mingle, so it’s a great make-ahead recipe.
Does this cake contain alcohol?
The cake batter is made with one tablespoon of dark rum. For an alcohol-free version, replace the dark rum with an equal amount of pure vanilla extract.
Can I freeze this cake?
Yes! Tightly wrap the entire cake or slices of cake with plastic wrap and place into an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Richly flavored spice cake topped with bright orange buttercream is a match made in heaven!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Brown Butter Spice Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Spice Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup browned butter room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
For the Orange Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup browned butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice room temperature
- Zest of 1 orange
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- Brown the butter and let it cool to room temperature before beginning this recipe. You need 1 cup of browned butter for the cake and ½ browned butter for the buttercream. Brown 2 cups of butter, and measure accordingly.
For the Spice Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 3 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the lined pans with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the room temperature browned butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for 1 minute on medium speed, until fluffy and light in color.1 cup browned butter
- Add the brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat with the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.1 ¾ cups dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the dark rum and mix until combined. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon dark rum
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk in batches to evenly incorporate: add ⅓ of the dry, ½ of the milk, ⅓ of the dry, last ½ of the milk, and last ⅓ of the dry. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are well mixed.1 cup whole milk
- Evenly divide the batter into prepared pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing from the pans and completely cooling on a cooling rack.
For the Orange Buttercream Frosting
- While the cake layers cool, make the frosting. Add the butters, salt, orange juice, and orange zest to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for 1-2 minutes on medium speed.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup browned butter, ½ teaspoon salt, 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, Zest of 1 orange
- Add ½ of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.4-5 cups powdered sugar
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated. Once combined, beat the frosting on medium speed for 7-10 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
To Assemble
- Once the cake layers are completely cool, begin assembling the layer cake. If the cakes are domed shaped, use a serrated knife to trim the tops.
- Spread a dollop of buttercream on the cake board/plate. Place the first cake layer on the plate, bottom facing up. The buttercream on the plate helps to keep the cake steady and prevents it from moving around during assembly.
- Use an icing spatula to spread an even layer of buttercream onto the first cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top, bottom facing up. Repeat this process for the third cake layer.
- Add a crumb coat to the cake by spreading a thin layer of buttercream around the sides and top of the cake. Place the cake in the freezer for 10-20 minutes.
- Once the crumb coat has hardened, frost the cake with the remaining buttercream, smoothing the top and sides of the cake with an icing spatula or bench scraper. Use a small icing spatula to make swirls on top of the cake and a buttercream comb to make patterns on the sides of the cake. Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
- Before Beginning: Brown the butter and let it cool to room temperature before beginning this recipe. You need 1 cup of browned butter for the cake and ½ browned butter for the buttercream. Brown 2 cups of butter, and measure accordingly.
- Storage: This cake tastes best on day 2, after the flavors have time to mingle, so it’s a great recipe to make ahead of time. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap so the cake doesn’t dry out. Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Frosting: For a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. For a thinner frosting, add more orange juice.
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