Brown Butter-Pecan-Cornmeal Cake

This cake is a stunner, though certainly not in aesthetics. What it lacks in beauty or height, however, it more than makes up for in flavor. Let me briefly cover its crowning attributes: buttery notes, paired with the crunch of the toasted pecans and the textured cornmeal batter; it's a sweet-salty combo almost reminiscent of salted caramel. It's a soft cake, better served piece by piece than taken to a potluck, but it won't take long to finish with a couple willing tasters, as I had this past weekend. You'll want some too; I needed a few volunteers so I didn't end up standing alone by the kitchen counter, working through the entire pan with a fork. 

The batter does spend three hours (or an overnight stay) in the fridge, so plan accordingly. It also uses four egg whites, leaving you with a handful of unused yolks. I admit the whole process seems involved for the production of so homely a cake. But the taste supersedes a number of mile-high, filled-and-frosted cakes I've had, so don't let your eyes convince you otherwise, and start separating those eggs. 

From Smitten Kitchen's Pecan Butter Cornmeal Cake

Brown Butter-Pecan-Cornmeal Cake
Ingredients:
9 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP granulated sugar
3 TBSP unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
7 TBSP yellow cornmeal
1/4 tsp. salt
4 egg whites (save yolks for custard)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:
--Toast pecans. Spread in a single layer on an ovenproof pan and bake for 4 minutes at 375 degrees F. Check often to make sure they don't burn; the pecans should break easily when they're properly toasted. Chop once cool enough to touch.

--To brown butter, melt the butter in a small pan until it is dark gold and lightly bubbling, 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together pecans, sugars, flower, baking powder, cornmeal, and salt. In another bowl, stir together egg whites and vanilla just until combined—no need to whip the egg whites. Add to the flour-sugar mixture along with the cooled butter, and stir to combine. Refrigerate three hours or overnight.

--When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pour patter into a 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan. Bake until a knife comes out clean, or 20-25 minutes.

Note: The way I prepared this recipe, I served pieces directly from the pan. If you want to turn the cake out of the pan and serve on a platter, Smitten Kitchen suggests the following directions: Use a 9-inch tart or springform pan; and butter the sides and line the bottom with parchment paper before adding batter. Once baked, let cool 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a plate.