Recipe: Grace Pastries Danish Tea Cakes with Browned Butter Icing (Los Angeles)

DANISH TEA CAKES
Grace Pastries, Los Angeles

FOR THE BATTER:
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup extra fine white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs (minus 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, divided use
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
FOR THE ICING:
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons hot water

TO PREPARE THE TEA CAKES:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.*

Cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, vegetable oil, salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add the eggs in three parts. Cream slowly for 6 minutes, continually scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add 3/4 cup of the buttermilk, cake flour and baking soda until smooth. Add the remaining 3/4 cup buttermilk. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out on cooling racks. Repeat with any remaining batter. Let cool completely before topping with the icing.

TO PREPARE THE ICING:
Heat the butter slowly and cook until golden brown.

In a separate bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons hot water together. Add the melted butter. Whisk until smooth.

While the icing mixture is still warm but the cakes are cooled, dip the tops of the cakes into the icing mix and cool again, careful not to layer the icing on too thickly.

*The author, whose father owned Grace Pastries, notes the teacakes were baked in restaurant grade square muffin tins using regular cupcake liners.

Makes 24