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The Batter Thickens

A food blog balancing sweet treats & healthy eats.

Burnt Miso Pound Cake

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You may have noticed that when I have a new ingredient I’m trying out, I am going to use it a lot. I’ve been making a lot of things with miso recently. Lots of them savory, but I got it to bake with. But these Miso Peanut Butter Cookies just didn’t turn out as well as I wanted them to. They weren’t bad, they just weren’t great. I wanted to make something where miso could be the central flavor, and that’s where this pound cake came in to play! This recipe is from All About Cake, with my own freestyle honey sesame glaze. And it’s a lot more miso-forward!

The burnt miso helps bring out the flavor a bit more, I think. I don’t think it changes the flavor, but it makes it stronger. It’s hard to describe really what miso is. Especially in baked goods. Masterclass describes is as “deeply savory, with toasty, funky salty-sweet richness.” Which I guess isn’t wrong! I wouldn’t have been able to conjure that up. It’s savory without being salty, and yet that somehow still works in a pound cake!

This is a pound cake in the truest sense of the word! It is dense. It’s got a tight crumb, and is very hearty, but it’s not overly sweet. It takes ages to bake, but it’s worth it. And it’s a very simple flavor, despite sounding more elaborate. But frankly, I think pound cakes should be simple flavors. It’s not a delicate cake, it shouldn’t have delicate and fancy flavors. Let it be hearty and focused on one good flavor. 

And with that honey butter glaze on top? Sitting in the sunlight? It GLISTENS:

I think this would be good with ice cream. Maybe something simple like a vanilla bean. But it’s also great just on its own!

Or maybe with an afternoon tea? Because it isn’t overly sweet, and feels very dense, I believe this cake falls into that special category of dessert that works for a midafternoon snack. You don’t need something this hearty after dinner at night. And since it’s not overly sweet, it won’t give you a sugar rush to crash if you eat it at 3pm. 

I got this cake recipe from All About Cake, and in the step about burning the miso it said “Don’t be a ninny!” As in, don’t be afraid to really let it brown and burn. I took out that line when I copied it over because it felt out of place, but… I guess I’m telling you now to keep it in mind if you want make this!

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Burnt Miso Pound Cake with a Honey Sesame Butter Glaze

  • Author: Audrey
  • Array: Array
  • Total Time: 0 hours
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Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 5 tablespoons miso paste
  • ⅔ cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil
  • 1 stick + 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups + 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 ⅓ cup cake flour
  • ¼ cup + 1 tsp light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

For the glaze:

  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp miso
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
  2. Spread the miso out in an even layer, about 1/4-inch thick, on the lined baking sheet. Bake it until the miso is browned and quite burnt around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. The edges should be quite burnt and there should be patches of burnt spots all over the top. Remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly.
  3. Reduce the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
  4. Scrape the miso into a blender. Add the buttermilk and oil and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Whisk the melted butter and eggs into the miso mixture.
  5. Whisk the sugar, cake flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a separate large bowl.
  6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir to combine. If the batter looks lumpy, use a whisk to break up all the lumps.
  7. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake until the cake rises and puffs, about 80 minutes. At 75 minutes, tap the top of the cake with your fingertips: The cake should bounce back and the center should no longer be jiggly. If it doesn’t pass this test, leave the cake in the oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
  8. Let the cake cool in the pan for 45 minutes. While it’s cooling, prepare the glaze. Melt the butter, and then add in the brown sugar, honey or maple syrup, miso, and sesame seeds, and mix until it comes together.
  9. When your cake is cooled, run a small butter knife or offset spatula between the edge of the cake and the pan to help release it. Invert the pan onto a wire rack to fully release the cake. Turn the cake right side up. Cover with the glaze, either by just pouring or brushing the sides, and let the cake continue to cool.
  10. Once cooled to room temperature, serve! Goes well with vanilla ice cream.

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