On the weekends I hang out quite a bit at The Orient Country Store on Village Lane in Orient, New York, one of the most charming streets in America. At the market, after saying hello to the amiable hosts, you have to steel yourself to walk past the line-up of Miriam Foster’s exceptional baked goods displayed on the old wooden counter—the salty oatmeal cookies, the dark chocolate brownies, coconut macaroons with a beautiful crispy char, her unforgettable ginger snaps, muffins, and the amazing brown butter spice cake, which turns out to be gluten-free.
The thing that nobody says about gluten-free baked goods is that they should fool you into thinking they’re not gluten-free—they should taste as good as what they’re replacing. Miriam’s Brown Butter Spice Cake is heaven itself, nutty and luscious from the brown butter, and studded throughout with tiny bits of ground almonds. Since we had just made a bowl of strawberries mixed with honey and a little lemon juice, we spooned it over Miriam’s cake, and we were speechless from pleasure. This accident of fortune produced the best strawberry shortcake of our lives. Can you imagine it with a dollop of whipped cream?!
We called Miriam instantly, and with the kind of witty generosity that is typical of her, she agreed to share her recipe with all of us. Whether you use it as a base for strawberries, or just to nosh on with glee, you’ll be as happy as it is possible to be. Don’t be surprised if your friends beg you for the recipe. Send them straight to us. Thanks, Miriam. Crank up the oven.
- 0.5 cup butter
- 1.33 cups confectioners' sugar
- 0.5 cup whole almonds ground fine into meal
- 0.33 cup rice flour
- 0.25 teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 0.125 teaspoon cardamom ground
- 4 white egges large (.5 cup)
- To make the cake, preheat the oven to 400° F. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to let the butter cook until the white milk solids fall to the bottom of the skillet and turn a rich hazelnut brown and the aroma is nutty. Set aside to cool.
- Sift together the confectioners’ sugar, almond flour, cake flour, nutmeg, and cardamom. Place the sifted ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. On the lowest speed, add the egg whites; mix until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat until very smooth. Decrease the speed to low and stir in the browned butter, then increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth.
- Butter a 10-inch tart pan or a 9-inch loaf pan. Pour in the batter and smooth the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Easily add fruit at bottom of pan (berries, apple pieces, pear slices, peach, etc.) or arrange on top once cake is baked and cooled.
Is the almond flour just the ground almonds and is the rice flour the cake flour? I did not see cake flour listed in the ingredient list.
looking forward to trying this, sounds yummy.
Sounds simple & yummy, but doesn’t include the amount of cake flour. Does the rice flour & almond meal sub for cake flour since it’s gluten free?
The ingredient list states .3 cup rice flour, yet the instructions call for cake flour. Which is it, please?
Thanks.
Is it rice flour or cake flour in this recipe?
This sounds so good, however I am allergic to almonds, can I substitute ground walnut or pecans for the almonds? I do need it to be gluten free for a friend.
Thank you and I truely believe in ” never eat more than you can lift!”.
Ken, Faith here. I will ask Miriam at the bakery if pecans can be substituted. it makes sense to me that they could, but I’ll check with her. This recipe is gluten-free, according to Miriam. Seriously, it’s a knock-out.
Ken, I don’t see why not. I think I’d go with the walnuts now, and top it with caramelized apples and whipped cream.
Cheers, Faith
I am a new recipe follower In the recipe for strawberry cake what is .5 or .3 cup equal I am use to 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup
Thank you
You’re right, it’s our network system translating. it means 1/2 and 1/3. Best, Faith
Hi Faith—–In Miriams brown butter spice cake, is the butter salted or sweet?