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Ackee-carrot-cake-with-brown-butter-frosting-eggless---easy-recipe
Chantal

Brown Butter Frosting

An easy frosting recipe with brown butter departing a delicious depth of nutty flavour perfect for playing up your simplest recipes
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g Butter* or 200g browned butter
  • 454 g Icing Sugar**
  • 6 tbsps Milk
  • 1 tbsp Good vanilla extract

Method
 

  1. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook stirring occasionally so the milk solids don't stick to the bottom of the pan
  2. Cook till caramel in colour and it smells nutty and fragrant.
  3. Immediately pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and place in the fridge to harden (this can be done at room temperature but it will take longer)
  4. Monitor the butter you want it to be firm but if you leave it too long it will be rock hard and you'll have to leave it out a few moments before moving on to the next step. It's a bit of a tango but it's worth it.
  5. Cream the chilled browned butter till light and fluffy then sift in the icing sugar in 3 additions, mixing well after each.
  6. Add the milk and the vanilla extract mixing well to combine.

Notes

This recipe makes enough frosting to fill and frost an 8-inch round with 3 layers. I made a 6-inch cake and opted to frost only the top, I freeze my left over frosting for another use. You could make half the recipe but will still likely have a bit left over if you only frost the top.
*Once browned the butter will reduce to about 200g, if you're substituting vegan butter/margarine, use 200g and not 250g
**I never used to like these types of frosting till I discovered the grittiness you sometimes get is due to cornstarch. I now use an organic brand that uses tapioca starch and the finish is much smoother