Tuesday, January 27, 2015

TWD - Brown Butter and Vanilla Bean Weekend Cake


For Tuesdays with Dorie this week, our assignment was brown butter and vanilla bean weekend cake.  I was excited to be making this cake because it received rave reviews on the discussion forum from those who had already made it.

Dorie informs us that this cake is called a "weekend cake" because it can be made on Friday and will last all weekend, to be left out for family and guests to help themselves.  In France, a "cake" usually means a loaf cake, like this one. Dorie advises that this cake is best eaten a day after baking so that the flavours have time to develop. 


This cake came together quite easily and smelled marvellous while baking, primarily courtesy of the browned butter in it, which has a nutty aroma. It also looked rather handsome once unmoulded from the tin.

The cake itself is very flavoursome, with both the vanilla and rum flavours being prevalent in the finished product (note that I used vanilla extract rather than vanilla bean). It is sweet without being overly so; for children, you could easily add a glaze to the top of the cake so that they have their ultra-sweet hit. 

To see what the other Doristas thought of this cake, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.



21 comments:

Mardi Michels said...

This is going to be my "go to" pound cake I think. SO good. Simple, yes, but really flavourful!

Karen @ From Scratch said...

I was excited for this one too and I was very pleased with the results!

Karen said...

I loved how easy this cake was! Your cake looks so delectable and moist!

caramelizelife.com said...


I too was excited to try a new technique using caramelized/ browned butter.

I had no idea going into making this cake that it was going to be similar to a pound cake. It wasn't until I read through the directions that I realized it was in a loaf form! I guess I didn't pay that close of attention when I lived in France.

I used my homemade pure vanilla bean extract and was happy with the results.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I love cakes that last and become better with time! Then I don't feel like I am in so much of a rush to eat it!

Kari said...

I love vanilla flavoured cakes - this sounds like a great recipe to have on hand.

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Yup, this was a winner! Good to be back with TwD this week :)

Johanna GGG said...

lovely photos and sounds like a really delicious cake

Cher Rockwell said...

This was easy enough that I would almost call it a "weekday' cake :-)

Kayte said...

Oh, Gaye, yours looks just perfect...but then I would expect that as you are the Queen of Cake Baking! This was a hit here as well. Mark had TWO pieces (the guy who claims he doesn't really care for cake). I don't think this one is going to be leaving the house. :-)

yummychunklet said...

I've missed reading your adventures from Down Under! Happy belated Australia Day!

Kathy said...

Gaye, Your cake looks beautiful! And I know it was delicious! This one is definitely a winner! Happy Tuesday!

Nana said...

Your cake looks wonderful and so easy to whip up.
Definitely a repeat recipe.

Leah said...

Your cake looks so beautiful, it really could not be more perfect.The golden, solid top and the browned sides...just gorgeous.

Zosia said...

Your cake is beautiful! It did smell most heavenly while it baked and tasted very good.

Unknown said...

Your cake looks great, I'm glad you whipped it up with such ease! Nice to be baking with you ;)

steph- whisk/spoon said...

Looks lovely! I enjoyed this one, too.

Jora said...

I must be a child at heart. My first thought after reading this was "wow, a sweet glaze on top does sound good." We decided this was acceptable breakfast food because it wasn't too sweet :-)

Diane Zwang said...

Your right this cake did smell marvelous while baking. My kiddo liked his with whipped cream. It was nice to have an easy baking assignment.

Teresa said...

I loved this one, too. I'm going to make it for the next meeting I have that has a potential for controversy. Everyone will be so distracted by the cake, the meeting will go smoothly.

Golden Life PHX said...

Yum! I think this cake is pretty too even though it is so simple.