Brown Butter Cake

California Almonds, Vanilla Ice Cream, Cara Cara Oranges, Raspberries

Pastry Chef Margarita Manzke of République | Los Angeles, CA

This is a very versatile cake that we usually serve with different variations as either a breakfast pastry or a plated dinner dessert course. The rich, nutty brown butter is complementary to and brings out the flavor of the almonds.

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Adapted by StarChefs  |  February 2026  |  Photo: Jakob Layman

INGREDIENTS

Brown Butter Almond Cake:
95 grams all purpose flour
95 grams almond flour
280 grams confectioners sugar
Kosher salt
6 egg whites
225 grams brown butter, warmed

Raspberry Sauce:
1 pint raspberries
75 grams granulated sugar

To Assemble and Serve:
2 Cara Cara oranges
Fresh raspberries
Vanilla ice cream
Edible flowers

METHOD

For the Brown Butter Almond Cake:
Heat a convection oven to 325°F. Grease 10 3½ -inch by 1-inch round molds. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites until medium peaks are achieved. In 3 increments, fold dry ingredients into eggs. In 3 increments, fold in brown butter until incorporated. Scoop batter into molds and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Unmold and transfer to a cooling rack. 

For the Raspberry Sauce:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine raspberries and sugar. As the berries begin to soften, mash with a spoon until sugar dissolves and sauce simmers. Press mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl. Bring to room temperature and refrigerate.

To Assemble and Serve:
Spoon desired amount Raspberry Sauce across the bottom of a shallow serving bowl. Top with 1 Brown Butter Almond Cake followed by orange segments and fresh raspberries. Place 1 quenelle ice cream on top of garnished Brown Butter Almond Cake. Finish with edible flowers.

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