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Brown Butter Mini Sheet Cake with Maple Frosting 
5 from 27 votes

Brown Butter Mini Sheet Cake with Maple Frosting 

This Brown Butter Mini Sheet Cake features a moist crumb enhanced by the nutty flavor of browned butter. The cake contrasts gently with a maple syrup frosting that blends powdered sugar, butter, and a hint of cream, delivering a rich sweetness. Vanilla bean adds fragrance and depth, while the small 8x8-inch size fits well for intimate gatherings or small family desserts. Chai cookies used as decoration offer a spiced crunch complementing the cake's softness.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Decorating Time:
15 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 314 kcal
Course: Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Mini Sheet Cake:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter Clover Sonoma Organic
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 1 vanilla bean scraped
  • 2 egg large
  • 1/2 cup whole milk Clover Sonoma Organic
Frosting:
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter Clover Sonoma Organic
  • 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream Clover Sonoma Organic
  • Pinch kosher salt
For Decoration:
  • Chai Cookies

Instructions

To Make the Mini Sheet Cake:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line an 8x8-inch cake pan. Set it aside.
  2. To brown the butter, place a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the butter to the pan and once it’s melted, it will begin to foam up and bubble a bit. Allow it to cook until you begin to see lightly browned specks beginning to form. Give it a stir and cook until it’s browned. You should also start to smell its nutty aroma. Remove it from the pan and continue to stir to cool it down.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and kosher salt. In the bowl of a stand-up mixer (you could also just do this with an electric mixer and a large bowl) another medium bowl, beat together the browned butter, sugar, neutral oil and vanilla bean seeds for about 1 minute. Add the eggs and beat until combined.
  4. Pour the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients, rotating with the milk. This will help hydrate the batter evenly. I like to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure there aren’t any bits of flour hiding.
  5. Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and place in the oven for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 to 7 minutes. Then invert onto a cooling rack and cool until it’s room temperature. It’ll probably take a full hour.
To Make the Frosting:
  1. In a bowl of a stand-up mixer, add the butter and beat it until next level. Place a sieve atop the bowl and sift in the powdered sugar, along with the maple syrup, heavy cream and pinch of salt. Beat for a full 2 minutes, this will ensure a super fluffy frosting.
To Assemble the Cake:
  1. Pour all of the frosting on the cooled sheet cake and spread it around, creating cute swoops as you go. Top it with some cookies or sprinkles. Slice it up and serve.

Notes

  • Cool the cake completely before frosting to prevent melting the frosting.
  • You can bake the cake ahead and store in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Chai cookies used for decoration can be made a day before to ease preparation.

Nutrition Information

Serving 8g Calories 314kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 77g (26%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 148mg (6%) Potassium 112mg (2%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 57g (114%) Calcium 41mg (4%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 314

% Daily Value*

Serving 8g
Calories 314kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 77g 26%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 148mg 6%
Potassium 112mg 2%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 57g 114%
Calcium 41mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.