Brown Butter Almond Flour Cake with Maple Pecan Crunch

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 175°C (350°F). Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally. Cook until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn deep golden, and the aroma is nutty and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and cool for 5 minutes.

Combine maple-syrup, pecan (roughly chopped), 2 tbsp brown-sugar, and 2 tbsp butter in a small bowl. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake alongside the cake for 8-10 minutes until bubbling and caramelized. Cool completely on the sheet — it will crisp as it cools.

Whisk almond-flour, baking-powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until evenly combined.

In a large bowl, whisk egg, 1/2 cup brown-sugar, and vanilla-extract until lightened, about 1 minute.

Pour the slightly cooled brown butter into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth and combined.

Add the almond-flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until a thick, uniform batter forms — no dry streaks.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 28-32 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and flip right-side up. Cool another 10 minutes.

Break the cooled Maple Pecan Crunch into irregular shards with your hands. Press the crunch firmly into the top of the warm cake — it will set as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.