Apple cake with brown butter maple buttercream

Heat the oven to 350F; butter and flour two nine-inch cake pans and line with parchment.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a large bowl and whisk to distribute.

Cream the room temperature butter about a minute.

Add the granulated and packed brown sugar and mix on medium to medium high about five minutes until light and fluffy.

Peel and grate the apples, measuring to about two cups.

Chop the thyme.

Add the eggs one at a time, letting each incorporate and scraping down at least once.

Mix in the vanilla and the chopped thyme.

On low, add the flour in three batches alternating with the grated apple, stopping the mixer between.

Finish by hand, folding with a spatula until just combined.

Divide between the two pans and smooth level.

Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer in the middle comes out clean.

Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, stirring as it foams, to a light amber colour, then pour out including the milk solids.

Stir the scraped vanilla bean into the brown butter and cool to room temperature, four hours on the counter or 30 minutes in the freezer with stirring.

For the crystallized thyme, heat the sugar and water in a small pot over medium, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves, then cool to room temperature.

Dip each thyme sprig in the simple syrup, tap off the excess, roll in sugar and lay on parchment to dry.

Whip the cooled brown butter with the maple syrup and salt on medium until combined.

Add the powdered sugar in batches on low, alternating with about three tablespoons of cream at a time, then mix on medium about a minute until light and fluffy.

Spread a cup of frosting in a thin layer on the first cake, then a third of a cup of apple butter.

Add the top layer, pipe frosting over the top and sides, smooth and swoop with an offset spatula.

Crown with the crystallized thyme, weaving the pieces for height.