Brown Butter-Polenta Cake with Maple Caramel

From the kitchen of Carly

Nutty brown butter meets grainy polenta in a tender cake topped with dark maple caramel. The almond flour keeps it moist while the caramel pools underneath, creating pockets of sticky sweetness. Sophisticated enough for dessert but rustic enough to serve with coffee.

Brown Butter-Polenta Cake with Maple Caramel

Polenta gives this brown butter cake a sandy, almost delicate crumb that breaks apart on your tongue, while almond flour keeps it moist and tender. The trick is cooking maple syrup to exactly 265°F, so it sets into a thin caramel that cracks beautifully when you slice through cake. Top with tangy whipped cream to cut the sweetness and let the brown butter shine.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 3/4 cupunsalted butter, plus more for pan
  • 3/4 cuppure maple syrup
  • 2 cupalmond flour or meal
  • 1 cupquick-cooking polenta
  • 1 1/2 tspbaking powder
  • 1 tspkosher salt
  • 3/4 cupplus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 largeeggs
  • 1/2 cupheavy cream
  • 1/2 cupsour cream
  • 1A candy thermometer

Instructions

  1. Set the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter, lay a parchment round in the bottom, and butter that too.

  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the 3/4 cup of butter, then keep cooking and stirring until it foams and the milk solids turn a deep nutty brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Watch it closely so it doesn't tip into burnt. Pour into a medium bowl and let it cool, then refrigerate until completely cold.

  3. Clip a candy thermometer to a clean medium saucepan, pour in the maple syrup, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the thermometer reads 265°F, at which point the syrup will be thicker and a shade darker. Pour it straight into the prepared cake pan and spread it evenly with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool and harden.

  4. Whisk together the almond flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high to beat the cold brown butter with 3/4 cup of sugar until the mixture is very pale and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Continue beating until the batter is light and airy, about 4 minutes more. Drop the speed to low, gradually add the dry ingredients, and mix just until combined. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

  5. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a wire rack and leave the cake in the pan for 20 minutes before turning it out. Let it cool completely on the rack.

  6. Combine the heavy cream, sour cream, and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Serve alongside the cake.

  7. Baked cake keeps for 1 day, tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Brown butter can go from golden to burnt in seconds, so keep the heat at medium and stir constantly once it starts foaming. The solids will smell nutty and look like dark specks at the bottom of the pan, which is the goal. Cool it completely before creaming with sugar or the butter will separate.
  • Use a candy thermometer and don't eyeball the maple syrup temperature. At 265°F, you get a caramel that sets firm on the bottom of the pan but stays chewy enough to bite through. Any lower and it stays tacky; any higher and it hardens into candy.
  • Don't overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients. The polenta and almond flour don't need much stirring, and overmixing toughens the crumb. Stop as soon as you see no white streaks of flour.

Variations

  • Honey or brown butter caramel: Replace maple syrup with 3/4 cup honey, or skip the maple and cook 1/2 cup heavy cream with 4 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup sugar to 265°F for a deeper, richer caramel.
  • Cornmeal swap: If you can't find polenta, use fine cornmeal in its place for a slightly more delicate crumb.
  • Almond extract and vanilla: Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/8 teaspoon almond extract to the batter for a subtle backdrop that lets the brown butter and caramel take the lead.
  • Whipped mascarpone: Mix 4 ounces mascarpone with the heavy cream and sour cream instead of cream alone for a richer, less tangy topping.

Make ahead and storage

Store the cooled cake tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 1 day, or wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The cake doesn't freeze well because of the caramel layer, so eat it fresh or within a few days.