The title says it all-- this soft, fluffy yellow cake recipe unites nutty brown butter with rich, whipped Nutella buttercream for another level of deliciousness! Perfect for a birthday or any special occasion -- or no occasion at all!
Grease and flour bottom and sides of two 8-inch cake rounds and line with parchment, and then spray the parchment paper with baking spray.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place rack in the middle of the oven.
In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, cream the softened brown butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the sugars and beat for 4-5 minutes on medium speed.
Add in the vanilla, and then eggs and egg yolks, one at a time,mixing just until combined in between each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of buttermilk), mixing well after each addition.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Drop each pan from about 3-inches onto the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden around the edges and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Watch closely after 25 minutes to ensure that the cake does not overbake.
Let the layers rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes before gently turning them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Whip up your frosting...
Beat butter, nutella, and powdered sugar on medium speed for at least two minutes until light and creamy.
Add heavy cream and vanilla and beat for an additional two minutes. Spread on cooled cake layers.
Notes
Flour and Corn Starch: You can replace the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in the cake recipe with 2 cups (230g) of cake flour, if you have it.Brown Butter: For step-by-step details and images on how to brown butter, check out my Brown Butter Appreciation Post!Oven Space: Be sure each cake layer has room around it while baking. This may require placing the cake pans on separate oven racks and on opposite sides of the oven; that is, you would put one cake layer on an upper middle rack on the left side of the oven, and the second cake layer on the next rack down on the right side of the oven. THEN, after about 25 minutes of baking time has passed, switch the two pans to ensure even baking.Make ahead: You can make the cake layers and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer, wrapped well, for up to 2 months. The frosted cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to four days.