Brown Butter Golden Syrup Loaf Cake
We’ve given a classic golden syrup cake an upgrade with nutty brown butter, warming spices and a sprinkle of sea salt. It’s sticky, full of flavour and super easy to make.
I’ve got another easy loaf cake recipe for you, in the shape of a classic golden syrup cake. This isn’t your regular golden syrup loaf though, as the batter’s made with nutty brown butter, brown sugar, lemon zest and warming ground ginger. The trick with this cake is to brush extra golden syrup on top once it’s baked, let it cool then leave it to mature for a day before serving. As the cake sits, the syrup soaks into the crumb, deepening the flavour and making the sponge even more moist, soft and sticky.
As this cake is made with brown butter, there’s no creaming involved and you don’t even need a stand mixer! I’ve included some handy tips and tricks as well, to ensure you get that signature crack on top and a perfectly risen, soft, moist crumb.
Looking for more baking recipes to try? We have recipes for a whole load of bakes. From homemade bread & sourdough, to cakes, brownies & cookies.
Ingredients For Golden Syrup Cake
- Golden Syrup – You’ll need Lyle’s golden syrup for this cake. There’s not really a substitute for golden syrup in this cake but it’s available in most supermarkets. If you’ve not used golden syrup before, it’s an invert sugar syrup that’s amber in colour and has a buttery, caramel flavour.
- Butter – We’re using unsalted butter for this cake, as we’ll be adding in salt ourself.
- Sugar – For a rich, caramel flavour, I went with light brown sugar for the batter.
- Sour Cream – If you’ve read any of my other cake recipes, you’ll see that sour cream is used in a lot of them. It’s a secret weapon in baking, that adds moisture and flavour to cakes.
- Vegetable Oil – Adding a small amount of vegetable oil to the batter, ensures that the cake stays moist.
- Lemon – When I make a treacle tart, I always put lemon zest in to cut through the sweetness. This cake has a similar flavour profile, so adding lemon into the batter works a treat.
- Ground Ginger – The warming flavour of ginger works fantastically with the sweet, buttery flavour from the golden syrup. Feel free to leave it out if you’d prefer though.
- Flour – I always tend to use plain flour for my cake recipes then add in raising agents myself. I find that you get a better rise this way.
- Baking Powder – As we’re using plain flour, we need to add baking powder in to make the cake rise.
- Salt – I add fine table salt to the cake batter then sprinkle sea salt on top, to cut through the sweet, sticky syrup.
The Best Way To Line A Loaf Tin
The best way to line a loaf tin is to generously grease the inside with soft butter (or oil) then line the base & 2 longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging (as shown below). This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake once baked.
How To Make Brown Butter Golden Syrup Cake
I’ve taken a classic golden syrup loaf cake and swapped regular butter out for brown butter, to give it a rich, caramelised flavour. This is a super easy cake to make at home and the trick is to let it mature overnight before serving, for maximum flavour and a softer, moister crumb.
1. Brown Butter
The first step is to make a batch of brown butter. If you’ve not done this before, you add chopped butter into a pan then cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently until it starts to foam, smells nutty and you can see that the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned a deep golden brown.
As soon as the brown butter is ready, take the pan off the heat then immediately add in golden syrup, light brown sugar and the zest of a lemon then whisk to combine. This mix then needs to cool for around 30 minutes, until it is just warm. If the syrup is too hot when you use it, it will activate the baking powder before the batter goes in the oven, meaning the cake won’t rise properly!
2. Mix The Batter
This is an all in one style batter, which essentially means that you sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (flour, baking powder, ground ginger & salt) then add in eggs, sour cream & oil (whisked together) and the cooled syrup mix before whisking until just combined and smooth. Be careful not to over mix the batter as it can make the cake tough.
3. Pipe A Line Of Butter On Top
As soon as your batter is mixed, transfer it to a greased & lined 2 lb loaf tin then pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the middle. This controls how the cake cracks as it bakes.
4. Bake
This golden syrup cake bakes for 55 minutes – 1 hour at 170°c/338°f, until it’s risen nicely and is a deep golden brown. If you insert a skewer into the centre, it should come out clean.
5. Brush With Golden Syrup
Once baked, let your cake cool for 10 minutes then poke several holes on top with a skewer and brush with a generous amount of golden syrup before letting it cool & soak for a further 20 minutes. If your kitchen is particularly cold, it will help to warm the syrup up slightly in the microwave first.
6. Mature Overnight
After 20 minutes, use a thin knife to release the ends from the tin (if needed) then lift the cake out and place onto a cooling rack. Sprinkle the cake with a pinch of sea salt, whilst the syrup is still sticky then leave to cool completely.
At this point, your golden syrup cake is good to serve but if you want the absolute best flavour & texture, I’d highly recommend wrapping it in baking paper then clingfilm, before letting it mature for at least overnight before serving. This gives the syrup time to soak into the crumb, making it softer and moister.
Golden Syrup Cake Tips And Tricks
- Brown the butter to give your golden syrup cake a nutty, caramelised flavour.
- Add sour cream and a small amount of veg oil to the cake batter, to add extra moisture.
- Pipe a line of softened butter down the length of the batter before baking, to control how the cake cracks as it cooks.
- Brush a generous amount of golden syrup onto the cake whilst it’s still warm, so it can soak into the sponge, making the crumb extra soft, moist and sticky.
- Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the warm cake, for extra flavour and so it sticks to the syrup on top.
- Let your golden syrup cake mature overnight before serving, for better flavour. Make sure to cover the top with baking paper before wrapping in clingfilm, so the syrupy top doesn’t stick.
Frequently Asked Questions
To bake golden syrup cake in an Aga, cook on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the top set of runners just before baking the cake, leaving it in for the duration of the cook. Use the boiling plate to cook the brown butter.
Brown butter golden syrup cake will keep for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in clingfilm. This style of cake gets better when left to mature for a few days, so is perfect for making ahead of time.
Classic golden syrup cake is made with regular melted butter but as this recipe has been developed using brown butter, it’s what I would recommend using.
Golden syrup cake gets better if left to mature for 1-2 days, as improves the flavour and makes the crumb extra moist & sticky. The extra golden syrup will soak into the sponge as it sits, making the cake softer & more flavourful.
More Baking Recipes To Try
- Cherry And Almond Madeira Cake
- Almond Angel Cake Slices
- Thin Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Carrot Cake With Whipped Cream Cheese Ganache
- Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake
- Homemade Country Slices
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Brown Butter Golden Syrup Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Sieve
- Piping Bag
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Skewer
Ingredients
Brown Butter Golden Syrup Cake
- 220 g Golden Syrup
- 100 g Light Brown Sugar
- Zest Of 1 Lemon
- 150 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 Large Eggs (Room Temp – See Notes)
- 125 g Sour Cream (Room Temperature)
- 40 g Vegetable Oil
- 240 g Plain Flour
- 2¼ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Table Salt
For Piping On Top
- 15 g Softened Butter (In A Piping Bag)
To Finish
- 80 g Golden Syrup
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Add the golden syrup, brown sugar and lemon zest into a bowl then set to one side.This is so we can add them into the brown butter straight away, to stop it from continuing to cook.
- Next, chop the butter into even pieces, add into a medium saucepan then set over a medium heat.
- Cook the butter, stirring frequently until it starts to foam, smells nutty and you can see that the milk solids on the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown. This will take 3-4 minutes.
- As soon as the brown butter is cooked, take the pan off the heat, immediately add in the golden syrup, brown sugar and lemon zest then whisk to combine. Let this mix cool in the pan until it is barely warm, which will take around 30 minutes.It's key to let the butter & syrup cool before using, otherwise it will make the baking powder react, affecting how the cake rises in the oven!
- In the meantime, preheat an oven to 170°c/150°c fan (338°f/302°f) and grease a 2 lb loaf tin with butter then line the bottom & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging the tin's edges (this makes it easier to take the cake out of the tin once it is cooked!).
- When your syrup has cooled, add the eggs, sour cream and oil into a jug then beat with a fork, to combine. Then sift the flour, baking powder & ginger into a large mixing bowl then add in the salt and whisk to combine.
- Next, add the syrup mix and sour cream into the flour then whisk by hand, until the batter is smooth & combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter, it should be just mixed, without any lumps.
- Once mixed, transfer the batter to the lined tin the pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the middle. This controls how the cake cracks on top as it bakes.
- Bake the cake for 55 minutes – 1 hour, until it is well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Once baked, let the cake cool for 10 minutes then poke several holes in the top with a skewer before brushing the 80g of golden syrup on top. If needed, warm the golden syrup slightly to make it easier to brush on.
- Let the cake cool/soak in the tin for 20 minutes then run a small knife along each end & carefully lift it out of the tin (using the overhanging parchment). Transfer the cake to a cooling rack, keeping hold of the parchment, as you'll need it later.
- Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top of the cake, whilst the syrup is still sticky then leave to cool completely.
- For the best flavour & texture, it's best to let your cake mature before serving. To do this, wrap the cake in the parchment it was baked in, place another piece on top if needed then wrap tightly in clingfilm. Leave overnight at least before serving but a day or two is best!
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