Snacking Pound Cake with Brown Butter Icing

• total time: 2 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 11 3/4 ounces)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/4 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into thick pats, plus more for greasing

1 2/3 cups (11 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pound fresh strawberries, quartered or halved if large

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (optional)

Pinch of fine sea salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups unsifted powdered sugar (about 8 ounces)

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease bottom (not sides) of a 13- x 9-inch baking pan with butter. Whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat butter with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed until thick and pasty, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl often. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add sugar, beating until all sugar is added and mixture is thick with a grainy texture, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Increase mixer speed to medium-high; beat until mixture is light, fluffy, and paler in color, 8 to 10 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

With mixer on low speed, add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Beat in a heaping 1/4 cup flour mixture on low speed; add remaining 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla paste.

With mixer on low speed, add remaining flour mixture alternately with cream in 3 additions. (Batter will be very thick and spreadable rather than pourable.) Transfer batter to prepared baking pan, and spread into an even layer. Bake until top is lightly golden, sides are pulling away from pan, and a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Run an offset spatula around edges of cake to loosen; invert cake onto wire rack. Let cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the strawberries: Stir together strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, Grand Marnier (if using), and salt in a medium bowl. Refrigerate, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and strawberries are glossy, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Make the icing: Place butter in a stainless steel or light-colored saucepan over medium-low. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter melts, about 3 minutes; continue cooking, swirling pan occasionally, until milk solids at bottom of pan turn brown and begin to smell nutty, about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat immediately, and transfer browned butter to a medium-size heatproof bowl. Let cool slightly at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Add powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt to cooled butter; whisk together until smooth. Spread icing over top of cooled cake, allowing it to drip over edges. Serve iced cake with strawberries and their juices.