Brown Butter Carrot Cake

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Browned Butter Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 18

Frosting cake time: 10

Total Time: 58

Servings: Servings

Calories: 504kcal

A moist, gently spiced carrot cake baked in a half-sheet pan and layered with rich, browned-butter cream cheese frosting. The nutty flavor of browned butter brings depth and warmth to this classic cake.

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Ingredients

Cake

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

4 large eggs room temp
1/4 cup kefir or buttermilk
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned cooled but liquid (see notes below)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Additional Ingredients

3 cups finely grated carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained (see notes below)
1/2 cup raisins

Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned fully cooled but soft (see notes below)
16 oz full-fat cream cheese (softened) Philadelphia Cream Cheese in blocks, not tubs, works best for this recipe.
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

How to Make Browned Butter

In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat.
Swirl the pan often. The butter will foam, then turn golden and smell nutty. When the milk solids are deep amber, remove from heat.
Pour into a bowl and cool until just warm but still liquid; this is for the cake.
Wipe out the pan, then repeat with the second 1/2 cup of butter for the frosting. Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate, stirring every 10–15 minutes until soft but not solid.

Make the Cake

Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a half-sheet pan (approximately 32 x 28 cm) with buttered parchment paper, leaving a little overhang.
Measure all of the ingredients before mixing the batter.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In another bowl, whisk sugar, brown sugar, eggs, kefir, olive oil, cooled browned butter, grated carrots, pineapple, raisins, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine wet and dry ingredients; mix just until incorporated.
Pour batter into the pan and spread evenly.
Bake 15–18 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
Lift cake onto a rack and cool completely. Cut in half to make two layers.

Make the Frosting

Using an electric mixer for best results, or a wooden spoon, beat the cooled, soft browned butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Add vanilla and powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until fluffy.
Spread half the frosting on one cake layer.
Top with the second, and cover with the remaining frosting.
Decorate with candied walnuts and thyme, or as desired.

Notes

The browned butter gives both the cake and frosting a deep, nutty flavor. The cake stays moist for several days in the fridge and tastes even better the next day. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Measuring the ingredients: There are many ingredients in this recipe, and it is easy to forget one or two. Before you begin making the batter, measure all ingredients to ensure they are included in the cake.

Pineapple: I use one 220-gram can of sliced pineapple, draining it and then chopping it into small bits. This equals 1/2 cup.

Brown Butter: Use 1/2 cup of solid butter for both the cake and the frosting. As the butter browns, water will evaporate, so it will not measure out to 1/2 cup. As long as you begin with 1/2 cup of solid butter, it will be fine.

Nutrition