Brown butter loaf cake

Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan. Grease a 10.5cm x 30cm (top measurement) loaf pan. Line base and sides with baking paper. Sift flour and baking powder into a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high, beating for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low-medium and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the flour mixture and milk, in batches, beating until smooth, occasionally scraping down the side of the bowl with a spatula. Spread mixture into pan.

Bake loaf cake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave cake in pan for 20 minutes before turning top-side up onto a wire rack to cool.

Stir butter in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat until melted. Cook for 5 minutes or until butter foams, stirring frequently until the milk solids turn golden brown and butter smells nutty. (Take care not to let it burn as it will continue to brown once removed from the heat.) Transfer mixture to a heat-proof bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until the butter is solidified but still soft enough to be beaten with an electric mixer.

Beat brown butter and vanilla with electric mixer until as white as possible. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and milk in two batches until fluffy.

Spread buttercream icing on the cake in a swirly pattern. Just before serving, top with almonds and salt flakes.

Uniced cake suitable to freeze.