This buttercream is toasty, nutty and molassesy, not too difficult to make and so versatile. The brown butter adds a lovely depth of flavour that works beautifully with the brown sugar resulting in
This recipe can be made with 100% brown butter if you want a really strong brown butter flavour but I prefer the texture with half and half. The rich, toasty flavour of this buttercream is really versatile and pairs nicely with loads of flavours, I often use it in chocolate cakes as well as my sticky toffee cake and it also pairs really well with caramelised apples and pears for a nice autumnal vibe.
Brown Butter Buttercream
200g dark brown sugar
100g egg whites
200g soft butter
200g butter (180g brown butter)
Pinch of salt
Method
Start by browning 200g of butter, set aside to cool, we want to use it at room temperature. If you want to know more about making brown butter click here.
Combine the dark brown sugar and the egg whites and heat over a pan of just simmering water until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has reaches 70°C.
Transfer to a stand mixture and whisk until stiff peaks have formed and the meringue is cool then add the salt.
Add the regular softened butter first and whisk until combined, followed by the brown butter, the brown butter should be somewhere between liquid and set when you add it in, if it’s got too cold, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Continue whisking until the butter is fully incorporated and you have a nice smooth buttercream. Once all of the butter is incorporated, whisk for at least 5 more minutes, this will make your buttercream lovey and fluffy. You can see the difference in texture in the pictures below, the first picture shows the buttercream right after all of the butter was added while the second picture shows it after it’s been whisking for 5-10 minutes.
Use as required!