I can’t get over how beautiful this cake is — thank you, Posie Harwood on Food52.com for sharing the recipe. Having made this a couple of times now, I can say that it’s delicious but its looks are over the moon. You will get a great reaction if you bake it 🙂  though of course it doesn’t qualify as “too pretty to eat.” Nothing does, in my book! I was a little worried about the brown-butter part — to be specific, that I’d burn the butter — but keep a close eye on it and you’ll be fine.

INGREDIENTS

10 tablespoons butter at room temperature, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup berry jam

STEPS

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8-inch square pan (I used round, maybe even a 9-inch) and sprinkle sugar to coat the bottom and sides.
2. Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until it begins to brown and smell nutty. As soon as you see it browning, remove it from the heat, and set it aside to let cool.
3. Cream together the remaining 5 tablespoons of room temperature butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. Mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the condensed milk and beat until the batter is smooth.
4. Fold in the 5 tablespoons of melted, cooled butter (the batter may look thin and too liquid-y but don’t be discouraged).
5. Add the salt and flour and mix until the batter is just combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If your jam is very thick, now is a good time to warm it slightly—just enough that it loosens a bit. Or give it a good stir with a spoon to break up the texture a bit — that did the trick for me. Spoon dollops of jam over the surface of the pan and use a knife to swirl the jam across the surface of the cake.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for a half-hour before cutting and serving. I got no complaints when I accompanied this with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.