Published: · Modified: · by Kyleigh Sage · This post may contain affiliate links.
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This brown butter orange cardamom layer cake is sandwiched with layers of fluffy honey brown butter buttercream and garnished with dried orange slices! It's light, super flavorful, and sure to impress!
I made these fun dried orange slices last week and immediately knew I wanted to use them to decorate a cake! I had this vision of a semi-naked layer cake with orange slices traveling up the side. So I started brainstorming what flavors to use and soon this orange cardamom cake with honey brown butter buttercream was born! It's honestly one of my favorite cakes I've ever made!
First things first, you need to make a LOT of brown butter because it goes in both the cake and the buttercream. I recommend making layer cakes over the course of 2 days because it's just easier. So make the cake layers and all the brown butter the night before, then do the buttercream and decorating the next day.
If you want to use these pretty dried oranges as a garnish, make those the day before too (or even farther in advice -- they keep for a long time).
Jump to:
- Ingredient Notes
- How to Make Cake Layer
- How to Get Perfect Cake Layers
- Tips for the Best Baked Goods
- Cake Decorating Tips
- Recipe FAQ's
- Tips for Success!
- More Recipes You Might Like!
- Recipe Card
- Comments
Ingredient Notes
- Brown Butter- My favorite ingredient of all time isbrown butter!! Brown butter is just unsalted butter that has been melted and gently cooked to bring out a toasty, nutty flavor. If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips forhow to make brown butter! But if you're trying to keep things simple, you can just use regular unsalted butter in the cake and frosting!
- Cake flour- I always usecake flourin my cakes because it makes them super soft and tender, but all purpose flour also works great!
- Almond Flour- I love substituting a portion of the flour foralmond flourin all my baked goods! It helps keep the cake super moist and tender! It's totally optional, but if you keep almond flour on hand it's a must.
- Yogurt- The yogurt keeps this cake super moist while also adding a bit of tang! You always want to use full fat yogurt in baking for the best results! You could also use full fat sour cream or whole milk!
- Oranges- Orange and cardamom is one of my favorite flavors! So this cake uses both orange juice and orange zest! I also used these prettydried orangesas a garnish, but that's optional!
- Cardamom- One of my favorite spices is cardamom! It's beautifully aromatic and has a warm, citrusy flavor that pairs just beautifully with oranges!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in therecipe card below.
- How to Make Brown Butter
- How to Dry Orange Slices in the Oven
Both the orange cardamom cake and buttercream call for brown butter, so I find it easier to just make 2 separate batches. But you can also make it all together and weigh out the difference if you have afood scale (½ cup of butter weighs about 113 grams). So you’ll need 227 grams for the cake and 340 grams for the buttercream.
How to Make Cake Layer
Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray three 6 inch layer cake pans with pan spray.
Whisk the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest together until combined.
Stir in about half of the flour mixture.
Then stir in the orange juice, yogurt, and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
Pour ⅓ of the batter into each cake pan (they will only be about half full).
Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Place a cooling rack on top of each cake pan and invert. The pan should slide cleanly away.
Let the cakes cool completely to room temperature before trimming.
How to Get Perfect Cake Layers
There are a few tricks that will help you get perfect, even layers for your brown butter orange cardamom cake!
First, you need good nonstick cake pans and pan spray. I use three 6×2 inchFat Daddio’slayer cake pans and Ilovethem!! It's super important to get actual layer cake pans because the sides are perfectly straight! It's a little annoying because this means you can't stack them, but your layers will have perfect sides! With just a tiny bit of pan spray, the cakes just slide right out and never stick! For pan spray, I love bothEverbake Pan SprayandBaker's Joy!
Next, is trimming your cake. This can be a little tricky, but it's super easy once you do it a couple times. Let the cakes coolcompletelyto room temperature, then take a large bread knife and very carefully slice off the very top of the cake so that you have a perfectly even layer. I like using a big bread knife because it's sharp, serrated, and long enough to go through the entire layer at one time.
And of course freezing the layers! So after you've let the cake layers cool completely and trimmed them. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap in place in the freezer overnight. Don't take them out until right before you start assembling the cake! This allows the frosting to slide on smoothly and prevents any crumbs from getting in the frosting.
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Cake Decorating Tips
- I absolutely love myrotating cake stand! I hesitated buying one for a long time, but it really does make getting nice, even frosting so much easier!
- My must have tools for frosting cakes are anoffset spatulaand anicing smoother. Both are super helpful in achieving that perfect, smooth outside frosting.
- I use a6 inch cake boardto transfer my cakes from the turning caking stand, to the stand I like to photograph with.
- Garnish the orange cardamom cake with dehydrated orange slices!
Recipe FAQ's
How long does this orange cardamom layer cake last?
Store the cake in the fridge for up to 4 days. However, it will taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Can I make the cake layers in advance?
Yes!! The brown butter cake layers can be made and frozen up to a month in advance! Wrap the layers indivuvally with plastic wrap, and then seal in a freezer safe bag for the best results.
Can I use different size cake pans?
This orange cardamom cake recipe is designed for 3 six inch cake pans. But it will also work well with 2 eight inch cake pans.
Do I have to use brown butter in this layer cake?
Of course not! You can absolutely substitute regular unsalted butter. I just love the flavor that brown butter adds.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
- Blood Orange Cardamom Cupcakes
- Brown Butter Peach Layer Cake
- Bourbon Pecan Bundt Cake
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, scratch-made recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Recipe Card
Brown Butter Orange Cardamom Layer Cake
4.97 from 61 votes
This orange cardamom layer cake is sandwiched with layers of honey brown butter buttercream and garnished with dried orange slices!
Print Pin
Prep Time: 2 hours hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 16 slices
Author: Kyleigh Sage
Special Equipment
Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams!
Ingredients
Orange Cardamom Cake
- 2 cups cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted brown butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, about 1 orange
- ⅓ cup orange juice, about 1 orange
- ⅔ cup plain full-fat yogurt
Honey Brown Butter Buttercream
- 1 ½ cups unsalted brown butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons milk, as needed
Garnish
- dried orange slices
Instructions
I highly recommend making the cake layers and the brown butter for the buttercream the night before so that they both have time to chill!
Orange Cardamom Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray three 6 inch layer cake pans with pan spray.
Whisk the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest together until combined.
Stir in about half of the flour mixture. Then stir in the orange juice, yogurt, and the rest of the flour mixture and mix until fully combined. The batter will be thin.
Pour ⅓ of the batter into each cake pan (they will only be about half full).
Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Place a cooling rack on top of each cake pan and invert. The pan should slide cleanly away.
Let the cakes cool completely to room temperature before trimming.
Once the cakes are fully cooled. Using a sharp bread knife, trim the cakes until the layers are even. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer overnight.
Brown Butter Buttercream
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the brown butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
Add in honey, vanilla, salt, and milk until fully combined.
Beat the frosting on high for 4-5 minutes until lightly and fluffy.
Assemble the Cake
Remove cake layers from the freezer. Place the bottom layer of cake on your cake stand and spread about ⅓ of the buttercream evenly on top. Place the next layer on top and repeat. Place the final cake layer upside down so that the top of your cake is as even as possible.
Smooth the rest of the buttercream on the top and sides of your cake as desired.
Use buttercream to attach dried orange slices to the side of the cake.
Store the cake in the fridge for up to 4 days. However, it will taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Notes
This recipe is designed for 3 six inch cake pans. It will also work with 2 eight inch cake pans.
Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let cool completely to room temperature. The brown butter should be solid but still pliable. You can leave the browned butter in an airtight container at room temperature overnight and it will be perfect for the next day! Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 961IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Category | Dessert
Cuisine | American
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