Brown Sugar Cake
Brown sugar cake is an easy and delicious upside down cake. It has a soft and sweet interior, that is encompassed by a crunchy, caramelized exterior. Once out of the oven it is served immediately, so every bite is nice, warm and crispy. Because of the sweetness, I think this cake would benefit by serving it with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. I didn’t have any on hand, so I used the next best thing–whipped cream. Add some apples to the topping and you’ve got yourself a nice autumnal dessert. However, since I’m in a Spring mood, I left this delicious brown sugar cake just how it is.
The process is easy. Start by making the brown sugar sauce. Mix boiled cream and butter into brown sugar.
Mix until smooth, then pour onto the bottom of a parchment-lined cake pan. Reserve 1/4 of the brown sugar sauce for later. Freeze the cake pan for at least 5 minutes or until ready to use.
To make the cake, sift the dry ingredients together.
Cream the butter, sugars and vanilla extract until smooth. Add each egg one at a time until combined.
Smooth the very thick batter on top of the frozen brown sugar sauce in the cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven.
After 30 minutes, remove pan from oven and with a piping bag, insert teaspoons of the reserved brown sugar sauce all around the cake. Put the cake back in the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
As soon as the cake is done baking, invert it onto a cake plate and serve. No need for this one to cool!
- 1 cup packed (227g) Dark Brown sugar
- 4 TBS (1/2 stick or 56 g) Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup (125 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup (72 g) Almond Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 8 oz. (2 sticks or 226 g) Unsalted Butter, very soft, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1/2 cup (99 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup packed (56 g) Dark Brown Sugar
- 3/4 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs
- Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream
- Put the brown sugar in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the butter and heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the brown sugar. Whisk until no lumps remain. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch round cake pan, and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
- Cover the bottom of the prepared cake pan with three quarters of the brown sugar topping, spreading it out to make an even layer. Freeze for at least 5 minutes, or until ready to fill. Reserve the remaining mixture to use as a filling.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is well combined before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, and using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the cake pan, over the topping, and smooth it out with a spatula. Put the pan on a baking sheet and bake until the cake begins to rise around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and insert a scant teaspoon of the brown sugar filling in ten spots on the cake, sinking it down into the center.
- Return the cake to the oven and bake until it is golden brown and firm to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut along the perimeter to loosen the cake, then turn the cake out of the pan onto a plate and serve immediately; or let it cool in the pan on a wire rack and then reheat it in a 350 degree F. oven for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a plate and serving.
- The cake is best eaten the day it is baked but can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.
- Medium-sized saucepan
- Electric mixer
- 10-inch round cake pan
- Parchment paper
- Offset spatula
- Piping bag with long tip
- Cake plate
- Rubber spatula
- Baking sheet
