This Brown Butter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is an absolute show-stopping layer cake. Made with nutty brown butter and toasted walnuts, each bite is perfectly spiced and so incredibly moist. It’s layered with a simple cream cheese frosting that pairs so well with the spiced carrot cake. This is the perfect dessert for Spring, Easter, or any special occasion!
Table of Contents
Ultra-Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot cake is actually one of my absolute favorite cakes out there, but I’ve had so many lackluster ones that I’ve become extremely picky! This brown butter carrot cake may just be the best cake recipe I’ve ever made.
The cake is moist, flavorful, and perfectly spiced. It’s studded with lots of freshly grated carrots and toasted walnuts for texture. The brown butter really elevates the classic cake flavor and should not be skipped! The secret to a really great bakery-style carrot cake is adding some molasses to the batter. It makes the cake darker and richer and it’s just the most delicious.
When it comes to carrot cake, I don’t mess around with raisins, coconut, or pineapple in the batter. In my opinion, classic is best here! Then, I frost the cake with a simple cream cheese frosting that is silky smooth and is just the most classic and delicious pairing.
Jenny’s Tips for Perfect Carrot Cake
Use freshly grated carrots. Don’t even think about using a bag of pre-shredded carrots. Not only have they been sitting in a grocery store for who knows how long, but they’re too thick for the batter. Use the fine holes on a box grater to grate fresh carrots by hand. Trust me, it makes all the difference.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. To keep our cakes tender and not dense, I always switch to a rubber spatula when it’s time to incorporate the dry ingredients to the wet. Folding everything together keeps you from accidentally over-mixing the cake!
Evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans. This might be a bit extra, but in an effort to make sure the cakes are the same thickness and that they bake at the same rate, I like to weight the total amount of the batter. Then, I divide by two and weigh that much batter into each cake pan.
Use a cake tester to determine doneness. Everyone’s oven is different! Start checking the cakes for doneness at 30-35 minutes, but it may even take 40-45 minutes. The cakes are done when a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Helpful Cooking Tools
- 9-inch Cake Pans
- Mixing Bowls
- Box Grater
- Cordless Hand Mixer
- Stainless Steel Saucepan
- Offset Spatula
Key Recipe Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Grated carrots. Don’t use bagged shredded carrots for this! Grate carrots by hand on a box grater.
- Butter & Oil. A combination of brown butter and neutral oil makes this carrot cake extra moist.
- Sour cream. The acid in the sour cream helps activate the baking soda.
- Spices. I use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves to add the perfect level of warm spice.
- Whole milk powder. Optional, but adding milk powder gives you a more tender cake.
- Flour. Good ol’ all purpose flour is the play here. I typically use King Arthur flour whenever I bake.
- Molasses. The key to getting a darker, richer carrot cake is in adding some molasses to the batter.
- White & Brown sugar. The combination adds lots of flavor and creates the perfect texture.
- Walnuts. I love the texture that walnuts add to carrot cake, but you can omit them if you prefer.
How to Make a Brown Butter Carrot Layer Cake
- Brown the butter. I like to use a stainless steel or light colored saucepan so that I can see the color of the butter as it changes. It goes from brown to burned very quickly if you aren’t paying attention.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Make sure to whisk the dry ingredients well so that the spices and baking soda are evenly distributed through the flour.
- Whisk the wet ingredients, then fold in the dry. You’ll whisk all the wet ingredients until smooth, then fold in the flour along with the carrots and walnuts. I like to use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together so the cake stays tender.
- Bake the cakes. After you evenly distribute the batter between the cake pans, bake until a cake tester comes away with a few moist crumbs. The tops should be golden brown.
Jenny’s Tip: Make sure to let the cakes cool completely before you remove them from the pans or frost them.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. This is a really simple cream cheese frosting recipe! Just use a hand mixer to whip it all together until it’s smooth and spreadable.
- Frost the cakes. You’ll sandwich the cakes around a thick layer of frosting in the middle. Then, you’ll apply a crumb coat before frosting the rest of the cake. I like to use a decorative star piping tip to decorate the top!
How to Brown Butter
Making brown butter is so easy and it’s the perfect way to level up your baking. It especially adds flavor and really elevates this carrot cake recipe.
- Melt the butter. Start with a shallow saucepan and melt your butter over low heat.
- Bubbling. After the butter is melted, it’ll start to bubble a bit. You’ll notice the color will change and the butter will get much clearer.
- Foaming. Next, your butter will start to get foamy. I like to swirl the pan every minute or so while this is happening. The butter will start to brown and you’ll smell the change.
- Browning. Keep a close eye at this stage because it’s easy to burn! You want the butter to just be past golden brown at this point.
Once the butter is golden brown, remove it from the heat immediately. Transfer it to a heat-proof bowl and let it cool to room temperature. From here, it’s ready to use in a variety of baked goods! Don’t leave the little browned bits behind, that’s where all the flavor is.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More One-Bowl Cake Recipes to Try
Moist lemon Snack Cake
Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaf
Apple Crumb Cake
Cranberry Ricotta Cake
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Ultra-Moist Brown Butter Carrot Layer Cake
Ingredients
Brown Butter Carrot Cake
- 8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 cup whole milk powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup neutral oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 2 cups peeled and finely grated carrots, packed (300 g)
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 F. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let the butter melt and cook, swirling the pan every so often, until the butter is golden brown and smells nutty. Transfer to a heat-safe large glass mixing bowl and let it cool slightly.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, milk powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and cloves. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Add the oil, brown sugar, molasses, and granulated sugar to the bowl with the slightly cooled brown butter. Whisk for 2 minutes, until the oil is well incorporated into the sugar. Whisk in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla bean paste until very smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the flour mixture, grated carrots, and walnuts until the batter has no streaks of flour.
- Bake the cakes. Evenly distribute the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely before removing them from the cake pans. If the cakes are domed, you can level off the tops with a serrated knife.
- Make the frosting. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, vanilla, and cream cheese and use a hand mixer to beat them together for 2 minutes, until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, adding cream as necessary when the mixture gets too thick. Whip the frosting until it’s smooth and spreadable.
- Frost the cake. Spread an even layer of frosting between the two cake layers. Then, apply a thin layer of frosting to the outside of the cake. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Then, spread a thick and even layer of frosting around the rest of the cake. You can reserve some frosting to pipe decoratively around the cake. Let the cake chill for 1 hour before serving.
Storage Instructions
- To store: Leftover carrot cake can be stored, covered, overnight at room temperature or stored in a cake carrier in the fridge for 4-5 days. To freeze. Wrap individual cake slices in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer-safe ziplock bag to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost slices overnight in the fridge.
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