Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting! Perfectly spiced carrot cake with a heavenly brown butter cream cheese frosting! This adorable 3-layer 6-inch carrot cake is insanely moist, dangerously delicious and extremely easy to make!
I ADORE this carrot cake and I know you will too! It’s SO soft and moist and perfectly spiced with Vietnamese cinnamon, allspice and a touch of nutmeg. And just when you thought cream cheese frosting couldn’t get any better, you will swoon over this brown butter cream cheese frosting! The nuttiness of the brown butter just compliments the warm spices so well. Wowsers!!
INGREDIENTS
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon – I used Vietnamese cinnamon, but use your favorite.
- Allspice – If you do not have allspice, you can use clove instead.
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Oil – Use any neutral oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, light olive oil or walnut oil.
- White Sugar
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar. Keep in mind that if you use dark brown sugar, your cakes will be darker.
- Eggs – Be sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
- Greek Yogurt – I like to use full fat plain Greek yogurt, but you can use low fat if that’s all you have. Alternatively, you can use full fat sour cream as well.
- Vanilla Extract
- Shredded Carrots – Finely grate whole carrots yourself. Do not use the packaged pre-shredded carrots. They are much too big.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add white sugar, brown sugar and oil and mix on medium speed until well combined. About 2 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. (You may also use a hand-held mixer)
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on medium for about 45 seconds each. Remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
3. Add Greek yogurt and vanilla extract and mix until combined. About 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Add the remaining and mix on low until there are few flour streaks left.
5. Add shredded carrots and mix until just until combined. At this point you can also add ½ cup each of nuts or raisins. Do not overmix.
6. Evenly transfer the batter to your prepare pans. I like to use a kitchen scale to ensure that they as even as possible. Bake at 350ºF (176ºC) for 30 to 35 minutes. Cakes are ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean or the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan.
Frost your cake with your brown butter cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
Measuring By Weight
Measuring ingredients by weight, rather than by volume, is the most accurate way to bake. Unfortunately, not all measuring cups are created the same, so your one cup will be different from my one cup. Additionally, there are measuring cups that are specifically designed for liquid and for dry ingredients. I highly recommend purchasing an inexpensive kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients to prevent any inaccuracies. For your convenience, my recipes are written in grams, with the exception of teaspoons/tablespoons, to ensure your bakes come out perfect every time!
If you would like to learn more about measuring by weight, you can refer to King Arthur’s ingredient weight chart.
Happy Baking!
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Recipe
SUPER MOIST CARROT CAKE W/ BROWN BUTTER FROSTING
- Total Time: 1 hr + 20 mins
- Yield: 3-Layer 6-Inch Cake 1x
Description
Perfectly spiced carrot cake with a heavenly brown butter cream cheese frosting! This adorable 3-layer 6-inch carrot cake is insanely moist, dangerously delicious and extremely easy to make!
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 2 Sticks (226 g) Unsatled Butter
Super Moist Carrot Cake
- 2 Cups (240 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ¾ Tsp Baking Soda
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp Allspice
- ⅛ Tsp Nutmeg
- ¾ Cup (150 g) White Sugar
- ¾ Cup (150 g) Light or Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup (220 g) Neutral Oil
- 3 Large Eggs, room temp
- ½ Cup (114 g) Greek Yogurt, room temp
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 ½ Cups (250 g) Finely Shredded Carrots (about 3 to 4 carrots)
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Solidified Brown Butter
- 16 oz (452 g) Cold Cream Cheese from the block (not whipped)
- 5 to 7 cups (550 g to 770 g) Sifted Confectioners’ Sugar (aka Icing Sugar or Powdered Sugar)
Instructions
Brown Butter
- Place butter into a light colored saucepan and over medium heat, melt butter until it browns. Swirl the pan and stir constantly. The butter will bubble and foam up and start to brown after 5 to 6 minutes. Make sure to not burn your butter! Once your butter has turned a golden brown, take off the heat and immediately transfer to a glass bowl. Make sure to scrape all the brown bits to the bowl as well. That’s where all the flavor is.
- At this point, you can either allow it to cool down at room temp or place in the fridge to firm up until needed. The brown butter will need to be solidified before using.
Super Moist Carrot Cake
- If you are using cake strips, submerge in a bowl of tap water and soak for at least 15 minutes.
- Grease and line 3 6-inch (15 cm) cake pans or 2 8-inch (20 cm) pans with parchment paper. Additionally, if you are using cake strips, wring the excess water from the cake strips and wrap around your pans and set aside.
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF (176ºC)
- With a box grater, carefully grate your washed/peeled carrots and set aside.
- In a clean medium sized bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add white sugar, brown sugar and oil and mix on medium speed until well combined. About 2 minutes. Don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. (You may also use a hand-held mixer)
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing on medium for about 45 seconds each. Remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
- Add Greek yogurt and vanilla extract and mix until combined. About 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Add the remaining and mix on low until there are few flour streaks left.
- Add carrots and mix until just combined. At this point you can also add nuts and or raisins, ½ cup each. Do not overmix.
- Evenly transfer the batter to your prepare pans. I like to use a kitchen scale to ensure that they as even as possible.
- Bake between 30 to 35 minutes. Cakes are ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean or the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan.
- Place pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Carefully remove cakes from the pans and place back on the wire rack to cool completely.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- When the cakes are nearly cooled, we will start on the frosting. Once your brown butter has solidified, stir to mix all the brown bits that have settled at the bottom of the bowl. If your brown butter has hardened in the fridge, place it on the counter and allow to come to room temp.
- With a hand held mixer or in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix your cold cream cheese and brown butter on medium/high until smooth.
- If you are using a stand mixer add 5 cups of sifted powdered sugar to the mixture and mix on low and then increase your speed to medium until combined. If you are using a hand held mixer, add a few cups at a time and mix until combined. After adding 5 cups, you may add more powdered sugar if you would like a thicker frosting. I ended up adding 6 ½ cups. If your frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes before using. *see note below
- Frost and assemble your cake to your preference. Make sure your cakes are completely cooled before frosting. I used an ice cream scoop to measure 3 scoops of frosting for each layer. I then applied a crumb coat and finished with light final coat. Save any leftover frosting for cinnamon buns, banana bread or cupcakes! See note below
- Serve right away or refrigerate until needed. Enjoy!
Notes
- Keep in mind that the thinner your frosting, the less stable it will be for stacking a multi layer cake. The weight of the layers can cause the frosting to ooze out if it’s too soft.
- A crumb coat is essentially a very thin layer of frosting applied to the cake to traps all the crumbs, making it easier to add a final coat. Method: After applying a thin layer of frosting to your cake, place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set. You will also want to place your frosting in the fridge as well. It will be easier to work with. Then finish frosting and decorating your cake.
- Store carrot cake in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy for up to 4 days. I enjoy it right out of the fridge because it’s so moist, but you can also allow the cake to come to room temp before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 mins for brown butter, 20 mins for cake, 10 mins for frosting
- Cook Time: 30 to 35 minutes
If you have made this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out for you! Please consider leaving a star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram @shortstackkitchen. Thank you so much!
Linda
The carrot cake was delicious! Would definitely make it again!
Lisa Huynh
Hi Linda, thank you so much for trying this recipe. It’s my favorite cake of all time. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!