The Best Carrot Cake Recipe with Brown Butter Frosting
The best carrot cake is now dressed in the most mouth-watering waves of brown butter frosting. Don’t you just want to drive right in? With flavors this good we don’t really need all the bells and whistles (although they never hurt). The organic swoops and swirls of the slightly nutty frosting are so inviting.
Exposing the sides of the cake and piling on the frosting on top shows just how moist the carrot cake is and makes us want to take a nap in the soft and fluffy frosting. Why hide that natural beauty with perfectly smooth buttercream? We eat with eyes first, after all.
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe with Brown Butter Frosting
Prep 40 MIN
Total 2 HR 20 MIN
Servings 24
Ingredients
Cake
1 1/2 cups purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups shredded peeled carrots (3 medium)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting
1/3 cup butter
12 oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In large bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and oil with whisk until well blended. Beat in flour mixture until batter is smooth. Stir in carrots and walnuts. Spread batter evenly in pan. Tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to eliminate air bubbles from batter.
- Bake cake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
- In 1-quart saucepan, heat butter over medium heat 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until light golden brown. Watch carefully because butter can brown and then burn quickly. Remove from heat. Pour into large bowl; cool 15 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese into browned butter with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until frosting is smooth and creamy, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Spread on top of cake. To serve, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.