Brown Butter Pound Cupcakes

I picked up Gourmet at the airport last month when I was flying over here and felt a pang of sadness as I carefully flipped through the penultimate issue.  Even for me, a foodie and blogger newbie, I felt that great sense of shock and disbelief to be witnessing the end of an era.  The legacy and recipes will live on, but all in all the food world has lost one of its greatest pillars.

 

In honor of Gourmet, I thought I’d do a round of recipes from the magazines archives.  So, for the next couple of weeks be on the lookout for those Gourmet recipes you always wanted to try, but never got around to!

To start, I picked the brown butter pound cake recipe in the October 2009 issue.  It hit a chord with me because I love almond meal and thought that brown butter could be pseudo alternative for those who have nut allergies.  I have a friend who’s highly allergic to peanuts and almonds and have always felt like I was wagging a bone in front of a dog whenever I raved about it.  So this is for her and all those other nut allergic individuals.

The brown butter really sets this pound cake aside from others.  It turned out a little on the dry side.  If I had read the reviews beforehand, I would’ve upped the butter or reduced the amount of flour to make it more moist.  However, I think if those small adjustments are made, this pound cake would be a winner.  It definitely wins in the taste department.  It’s nutty with a strong hint of caramel.  I almost believed it was made with almond meal.

Instead of a loaf, I halved the recipe and made them into mini cupcakes.  Perfect with tea in the afternoon.

Brown Butter Pound Cupcakes

Adapted from Gourmet

Makes 18 mini cupcakes

1 1/8 stick unsalted butter
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a skillet, heat butter until solids form and turn dark brown, about 15 minutes.  It will have a nutty, caramel fragrance.  Transfer to a bowl and put in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together.  In a separate bowl, beat brown butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs 1 at a time.  Next, add the vanilla and flour.  Mix until combined.

Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup.  Bake for 10 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.