Spiced Carrot Cake with Browned Buttercream Frosting

  A. Weaver  ||  July 11, 2022

We are in the peak of carrot season. The funny thing is once I start eating them, I quite stop. I developed this recipe to celebrate a classic carrot cake with a rich not so classic frosting. The browned butter frosting is a frosting that is simple, versatile, and can be put on many different cakes.

Spiced Carrot Cake with Browned Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups carrots (grated)
• 2 cups cake flour
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice

Frosting

• 1-1/2cups (1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbs milk
• 1 tbs vanilla

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray or shortening.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and allspice.
4. In a separate mixing bowl combine oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the grated carrots and mix until well combined.
5. Transfer the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
6. Pour the cake batter evenly between both prepared cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of each one comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 30-45 minutes. Once the cakes have cooled, start frosting!

Frosting

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Stir constantly. The butter will produce small bubbles and become frothy at first and then slowly disappear. Watch and stir as the butter begins to brown. When the color shifts from white to yellow to the color of light brown, turn off the heat immediately. Pour into a large heatproof bowl and set aside to come to room temperature.
2. Whisk together the room temperature browned butter, powder sugar, and milk.

Ice the top of the first layer with 1/3 of the frosting. Stack the second layer on top, then cover the top and sides with the rest of the frosting. Garnish with chopped walnuts!

Hulō!

A. Weaver

Photos by A. Weaver

This recipe was inspired by Elizabeth Poett owner of Rancho San Julian and host of Ranch to Table of Discovery+