Let me first say, that I love, love, love the idea that French home-bakers bake cakes in loaf pans. I know, all you cake aficionados love a beautiful layer cake, but the truth be told, I’m just not any good at them. But a cake in a loaf pan? I am all over that!
My vanilla beans are a little old, so I made mine with the scraped vanilla bean and two-teaspoons of vanilla. My version of compromise! To brown the butter to the shade of honey, I placed my honey bear right beside my stove so I could compare. My butter came out just a slight shade darker, but not black – and I really can see how that could happen if you weren’t paying attention (“…the difference between brown and black is measured in seconds.”). And, I do love the smell of butter browning!
I served this with a little ice cream and raspberry sauce, just to fancy it up a little. And, I have to say, it was delicious!
scaryladyatho 
I bet it was delicious with the raspberry sauce.
I must confess that I prefer layer cakes because I usually have trouble getting loaf pans done to the right consistency (I either over or underbake them).
This recipe baked up perfectly in the loaf pan. Your cake must have been delicious with the raspberry sauce! I liked it plain, but I got a lot of yummy ideas for toppings from other Doristas for next time I make this.
I liked making it in the loaf pan as well…easy to slice and grab a piece. The thought of that raspberry sauce sounds so terrific…winter blues here and raspberries just scream “SUMMER!!” Next time. 🙂
I served mine with whipped cream and raspberries! It was delicious! Yours looks quite pretty! Happy Tuesday!
Perfect with ice cream and raspberry sauce! I loved this easy cake, too 🙂
I’m glad that honey bear guided you to success with the browned butter. The raspberry sauce sounds delicious!
I used some vanilla beans and some of my homemade vanilla extract (which would be a great use for your older vanilla beans) in the cake and it gave it a great taste. And raspberries would be a great addition.
Ice cream and raspberries sound like the perfect accompaniment!
I like your idea of putting the honey beside the stove for comparison. It’s always a little nerve-wracking making browned butter (or caramel, for that matter), but it’s so worth it.