9" Carrot Cake
My Mini Carrot Cake is one of my absolute favorite recipes, and it seems to be popular with all of you as well! For this newsletter exclusive recipe, I once again scaled it up to a 9-inch cake, keeping everything from the ratios to the spices to the brown butter in the frosting the same. It's very much a straight forward recipe (bakers of all levels can whip it up with ease), but it absolutely delivers on flavor. It's a minimum effort, maximum results kinda recipe.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the carrot cake layers:
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 200 g (1 cup) neutral oil
- 319 g (1 ½ cups) dark brown sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 375 g (3 ⅓ cups) grated carrots, about 3 large carrots
- 127 g (¾ cup) finely chopped pecans, optional
For the brown butter cream cheese frosting:
- 340 g (1 ½ cups) solidified brown butter, start with 395g butter
- 18 oz (2 ¼ blocks) cream cheese, cold
- 508 g (4 ½ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
For the carrot cake layers:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugars until fully combined.
- Add in the vanilla and eggs, fully incorporating each before adding the next.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Then, fold in the grated carrots and pecans.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cakes start to pull away from the sides.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 min, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
For the brown butter cream cheese frosting:
- Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, add 395g (28 tbsp) of unsalted butter and place over medium heat. As the butter melts, stir it with a rubber spatula to encourage even cooking. Once the butter has fully melted, it will alternate between rapid large bubbles and gentle small foamy bubbles. The butter will be ready once it turns a dark golden color and the fat solids have darkened and settled at the bottom of the pan. Immediately pour into a large bowl, scraping out the fat solids at the bottom, and weigh out to 340g (1 ½ cup).
- Place the bowl in the fridge for about 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the butter is solid, yet soft. Alternatively, place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until solid, yet soft.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the brown butter and cold cream cheese on high speed until smooth.
- Slowly add the sifted powdered sugar in and beat until fully combined.
- Continue beating on low speed until no more lumps or pockets of air remain and the frosting is smooth.
For assembly:
- Secure the first cake layer on the cake stand with a small amount of frosting on the bottom. Using an offset spatula, spread on an even layer of frosting, then place the second cake layer on top.
- Finish decorating the cake as desired. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top, and serve!
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 746kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 4926IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 2mg
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