This cake was the result of me making caramelized apples, and wanting to do some fun things with them. I was attempting to make a tarte tatin(whomp whomp) and if that wasn’t foreshadowing enough, I basically ran out of butter to actually make one. So with the butter that I still had, I decided, instead of doing a tart, let’s make a brown butter cake. I love brown butter, because it is versatile and can be used in so many different recipes. In a cake, it adds that nutty-caramel flavor, and since I caramelized apples, they all just play off of each other nicely. Because brown butter-apple cake, while delicious, sounded a bit too straightforward, I also swirled some black sesame throughout the whole thing, since that works with sugar and caramel so well! This is definitely a snacking cake, since it is just one layer of cake without any frosting, making it easy to store, transport, and eat whenever and wherever you are! What I love is the textural contrast: you get fluffy, light cake, juicy chunks of caramel-soaked apple, and crunchy bits of sesame seed studded throughout each bite!

Makes 1 9-inch cake, or 12 servings:
For the caramelized apples:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 green apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
a pinch of cinnamon

In a nonstick pan, heat up the sugar until dark brown in color. Add into that the apples and butter and stir until the sugar and butter melt into the apples. Add into that that the salt and cinnamon. Allow the apples to cool completely before using in the cake batter.

For the brown butter-sesame cake:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, browned and cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup black sesame powder
caramel apple pieces
2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds

In a bowl, whisk together the brown butter, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and salt until combined. In another bowl, sift into that the flour and baking soda. Fold the flour through the brown butter-buttermilk to form your cake batter. Pour a quarter of your batter into a bowl, and fold into that the black sesame powder. Add the cooled apples into the non-sesame batter Swirl the two batters together in a lined 9-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.