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.
Servings: 8 People
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!
Salt Butter Smoke Magazine
Love seasonal cooking?
Issue 001 features over 20 original autumn recipes, seasonal features, preserving guides and beautiful photography.
Take a Look Inside →Notes
1. To Bake In An Aga - Bake the cake on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven, slide a cold plain shelf on the top set of runners just before baking, keeping it in the oven for the whole bake. Use the boiling plate to cook the brown butter.
2. Golden Syrup - Make sure to use Lyle's golden syrup for this recipe, you can get this in most supermarkets!
3. Eggs - This recipe uses large eggs, which should each weigh around 50 grams out of the shell. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature before using, as they'll mix into the batter more evenly.
4. Sour Cream - Like with the eggs, it's best that the sour cream is at room temperature as well. I like to weigh it out and leave out for 20 minutes or so before using.
5. Piping Butter On Top – Piping a thin line of soft butter down the middle of the cake before baking it, allows us to control where the top of the cake will crack as it bakes. This is optional though!
6. Storage & Maturing - This golden syrup cake will keep for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container or wrapped in clingfilm. The flavour & texture will improve if left to mature for at least a day before serving, so I'd highly recommend doing this!
Enjoying This Recipe?
The Prep List is my free weekly newsletter with seasonal recipes, kitchen notes and behind-the-scenes from my kitchen. Add Salt Butter Smoke as a Google Preferred Source to see more of my recipes in Search.