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carrot cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting
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Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

My all-time favorite carrot cake recipe that is deeply moist, has the most incredible spice flavor, is so easy to throw together, and is taken to the NEXT LEVEL with brown butter cream cheese frosting. The brown butter adds a rich, nutty caramel flavor that makes this cake extra cozy!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 15 slices

Equipment

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

  • 2 Cups (260g) grated carrots 3-4 large
  • 2 1/2 Cups (330g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 Cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 Cups (300g) packed brown sugar light or dark
  • 1 Cup (240ml) vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 Cup (135g) unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold and sliced into tbsp sized pieces
  • 16 Oz (452g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese*, room temperature NOT the spread
  • 8 Cups (960g) powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Candied Pecans (Optional)

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar light or dark
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp water
  • 1/2 Cup (2 oz, 60g) chopped pecans

Instructions

Make the Carrot Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºF) and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottoms.
  • Grate the carrots by hand and measure them out into a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. In another medium bowl, whisk together the white and brown sugars, vegetable oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together using a rubber spatula until just combined, then fold in the grated carrots. At this point you can fold in any add-ins if you wish.**
  • Pour the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning them out to cool fully on a wire rack or baking sheet.

Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Brown the Butter: Add the butter into a large frying pan and cook over medium heat until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes while stirring constantly. The melted butter will start to foam on top, then will turn light brown in color and smell deliciously nutty. Remove from heat at this point and transfer to a glass container. Allow it to re-solidify for about 2-3 hours at room temperature or place it into the refrigerator for about 1-1.5 hours. It should be completely room temperature and solidified (but easy to press a spatula into) before continuing on with the buttercream recipe.
  • When the brown butter has cooled to the ideal consistency, place it into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a large bowl and hand mixer) and add the cream cheese. Mix on medium-high until fluffy and light in color, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
  • Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after mixing in each addition. Add the vanilla and salt and continue mixing on low speed until smooth and uniform. Use the frosting right away on cakes and cupcakes, or transfer it into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
  • Note: If you're ready to use the frosting and it seems too soft right after making it, refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes before remixing on low speed. This will help the butter in the recipe solidify a bit more to add stability.

Make the Candied Pecans (optional)

  • In a small saucepan, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and water. Mix together while you cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble slightly. Reduce the heat slightly and add the pecans. Stir to coat them while you continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, until the pecans are nicely coated and smell fragrant.
  • Place the candied pecans onto a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer to cool until room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Assembly

  • Once the cake layers have cooled completely, level them to your desired height. Fill and stack the cake layers with brown butter cream cheese frosting, then crumb coat the cake with more brown butter cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate the crumb coated cake for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting firm up.
  • To create the design pictured, use the cream cheese frosting to frost a rustic finish on the cake. If using, press some of the candied pecans around the bottom third of the cake. Add the rest of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 1M and pipe a swirl border on top of the cake. Garnish with more candied pecans. 

Notes

*Cream Cheese: It's very important to use full-fat brick-style cream cheese in this recipe (I use Philadelphia brand), not the spread or low-fat variations. The spreadable kind and reduced fat versions contain much more water content and will add too much liquid to the frosting, making it impossible to work with. If you don't have access to brick-style cream cheese, I recommend making a double batch of my brown butter frosting instead. 
**See the blog post above for ingredient ideas and amounts for adding in at the end of the recipe (raisins, nuts, etc.) 
Make Ahead Tips:
  1. The carrot cakes can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
  2. The brown butter cream cheese frosting can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix it with your stand mixer on low speed until it’s smooth and uniform. 
  3. The decorated cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Take it out of the refrigerator an hour or two before serving – it stores best cold but tastes best at room temperature.