Brown Butter Bourbon Peaches and Cream Cake
A tender three-layer brown butter cake brushed with peach syrup, filled with roasted peach compote, and frosted with billowy vanilla whipped cream. Made with summer peaches (fresh or frozen) for a showstopping celebration cake.
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Three 8-inch round cake pans
- Light-colored saucepan (for browning butter)
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Offset spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
The Cake
- 195 g unsalted butter browned; 240g butter to start. see notes for method
- 60 g neutral oil grapeseed or canola
- 180 g sour cream room temperature
- 360 g cake flour
- 225 g granulated sugar
- 150 g light brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 90 ml whole milk room temperature
Peach Simple Syrup Soak
- 200 g fresh or frozen peaches
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 ml water
Roasted Peach Compote
- 450 g peaches peeled and diced (fresh, or frozen and well drained)
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 30 ml bourbon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting
- 710 ml heavy cream 3 cups, cold
- 100 g powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Decoration
- 2 fresh peaches sliced
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs optional
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Brown all 345g butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling frequently, until the milk solids turn deep amber and it smells nutty. Pour immediately into a bowl, including all the brown bits. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until solid but still scoopable, about 1 hour. Divide into 195g for the cake and 150g for the frosting.
- Make the roasted peach compote: Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the peaches with the brown sugar and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast 20–25 minutes (a few minutes longer for frozen) until soft, jammy, and slightly caramelized at the edges. Transfer to a small saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch into the lemon juice, then add to the peaches along with the bourbon. Cook over medium heat 3–4 minutes until thickened. Cool completely before using.450 g peaches, 50 g light brown sugar, 30 ml bourbon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Make the peach simple syrup soak: Combine the frozen peaches, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 8-10 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve and press the solids to get your ~100ml of peach syrup. Allow to cool completely before using. Keeps refrigerated for up to a week.200 g fresh or frozen peaches, 50 g granulated sugar, 50 ml water
- Prep dry ingredients: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment, and grease again. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.360 g cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Prep wet ingredients: In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, almond extract, and milk.180 g sour cream, 3 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, 90 ml whole milk
- Reverse cream the batter: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine both sugars with the flour mixture. Mix on low until it resembles damp sand, about 30 seconds. Add the 195g cooled brown butter and the oil. Mix on low until absorbed, then increase to medium and beat 1 minute until fluffy and pale. Scrape down the bowl.195 g unsalted butter, 225 g granulated sugar, 150 g light brown sugar, 60 g neutral oil
- Add the wet ingredients: With the mixer on low, add the sour cream and egg mixture in two additions, mixing just until combined after each. Do not overmix. Give one final gentle fold with a spatula to make sure no streaks remain.
- Bake: Divide batter evenly between the three prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 22–26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whip the cream frosting. In a cold bowl, combine the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whip on medium, increasing to medium-high, until it holds firm, spreadable peaks — stop as soon as it does, before it turns grainy. Keep chilled until ready to frost. (To stabilize, see Notes.)710 ml heavy cream, 100 g powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
- Assemble (dam and fill). Level the cake layers if needed and place the first on your cake board or plate. Brush generously with peach simple syrup and let it soak in for a minute. Using a piping bag or a spoon, pipe a thick ring of whipped cream around the outer edge to form a dam, then fill the center with half the compote, spreading it just to the cream wall. Add the second layer, repeat the soak, the cream dam, and the remaining compote. Top with the third layer and brush with the last of the syrup.
- Finish naked and decorate. Leave the sides bare in a naked style so the layers and cream peek through, scraping away only any cream that squeezes out. Pile a generous swirl of whipped cream on top and swoop it into soft peaks. Refrigerate until 20–30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, mound the fresh peach slices in the center of the cream, and drizzle with honey and tuck in the thyme sprigs if using.2 fresh peaches, 2 tablespoon honey, 3 fresh thyme sprigs
Notes
Note: brown 240g butter total, then use 195g for the cake after browning. You might have some left over.
- Take the butter to deep amber. Brown the 195g for the cake until the milk solids are a rich amber and it smells nutty — that toasty depth is what carries the cake against the light whipped cream.
- Stabilize the whipped cream (optional). For a birthday cake, a warm day, or make-ahead assembly, stabilize the cream so it holds: bloom 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in 1 tablespoon cold water, microwave 5–10 seconds to melt, cool slightly, and drizzle into the cream as it reaches soft peaks before whipping to firm peaks. Or fold in 4 oz softened cream cheese or mascarpone for a sturdier, slightly tangy frosting.
- Using frozen peaches. Thaw and drain well before roasting — pat dry if very juicy — and add a few extra minutes of roasting time to cook off the moisture. Peaches frozen at peak ripeness make a wonderful, deeply flavored compote.
- Syrup soak from frozen peaches. Instead of using bottled juice or nectar, you can build the whole soak from frozen peaches. Simmer about 150–200g frozen peaches with the 50g sugar and 50ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the peaches are very soft and breaking down, 8–10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing gently on the solids to extract all the liquid, then discard or save the pulp (it's lovely stirred into yogurt). You should end up with roughly 100ml of fragrant peach syrup; top off with a splash of water if needed. Cool completely before brushing on the layers.
- Don't overwhip the cream. Whip cold cream in a cold bowl and stop at firm, spreadable peaks — a few strokes too far turns it grainy and buttery. If it feels soft, chill it rather than whipping harder.
- Make-ahead friendly. The compote and soak keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. The baked cake layers can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 1 month — frost from frozen for cleaner assembly.
- Summer storage. Whipped cream frosting is delicate and temperature-sensitive. Keep the assembled cake refrigerated until 20–30 minutes before serving, especially if serving outdoors, and stabilize the cream if it will sit out.
- Bourbon note. The alcohol cooks off during roasting, leaving just the warm vanilla-oak depth behind. To skip it, substitute a splash of peach nectar or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to brighten the compote.
Nutrition
Calories: 657kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 7gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 21gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 268mgPotassium: 226mgFiber: 2gSugar: 51gVitamin A: 1490IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 136mgIron: 1mg
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