Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (Nut & Fruit Free!)
No nuts or fruit are getting in the way of this tiered slice of carrot cake
My mom has always loved carrot cake… and I have always not loved carrot cake. That was until going to pastry school and realizing it wasn’t the cake I didn’t like but the nuts and fruit that were often crammed inside. I hate, despise, truly detest nuts and/or dried fruit in baked goods. They do not belong and absolutely ruin the texture of a perfectly good sweet treat. I will die on this hill (with the only exception potentially being pistachios…potentially).
I know I’m not alone in this passion so I decided to provide for my fellow “no nuts for me” folks with this beauty. A nut and dried fruit-free carrot cake layered and topped with a delicious brown butter cream cheese frosting, which adds just the right caramelized touch of flavor to bring it all together. Plus, there are two cakes that require a cream cheese frosting or they are simply incorrect. What are they you ask? Red velvet and carrot cake.
Now that I’ve informed you about two major baking takes regarding nuts and frosting, let's get to baking. Also, quick note, I did use coconut oil in the recipe as I will confess I like the ever so slight aroma it gives the cake but if you prefer to swap, which I totally respect, you can easily sub in a canola or even olive oil (though the latter might come with an olive oily taste).
Ingredients:
CAKE
¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup coconut oil*, melted
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 cups carrots, grated (approx. 4 medium carrots)
Zest of 1 orange, optional
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
FROSTING
12 tbsp salted butter
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
Directions:
Make your frosting: Place your butter into a small pot over medium heat. Swirl the pan every minute or so. As the mixture begins to separate, the milk solids will rise and then slowly drop to the bottom of the pot and begin to brown. Once browned, remove from heat and pour immediately into a bowl, cover, and place in the fridge. Once your butter has firmed in the fridge, remove it and allow it to soften at room temperature until ready to use. Add your room-temperature cream cheese and browned butter to a mixing bowl and beat for a minute until smooth. Sift your powdered sugar into the bowl and carefully beat until all is incorporated. Add the milk and give one final beat. Keep at room temperature while you prepare the cake (this will make it easier to pipe)
Preheat oven to 350F and grease, line, and flour two 9-inch round cake pans
In a bowl, sift together your flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir and set aside
In another bowl, beat together your sugars, coconut oil, eggs, and applesauce for a minute until combined. Mix in your grated carrots and orange zest
Fold in your dry ingredients until just combined, do not overmix
Split your batter between your lined cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely (remove parchment paper from the bottom of the cake)
Once cooled, layer with frosting and top with fresh carrot shavings as desired. Enjoy!
If you love this cake as much as my mom does, tag @accentgolden in your baking posts!
Notes:
You don’t have to use coconut oil for this recipe, simply swap for canola oil or olive oil if desired. If you chose olive oil, there might be a slight olive oily flavor to your cake FYI
If you prefer to leave out the orange zest, you do you, my friend! It adds a little citrusy tang without a fruity texture but again, totally respect aversions to fruit in cakes
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature! This cake is packed so you want to ensure that your various ingredients combine together easily and you avoid overmixing your batter - which could result in a cake with a texture much denser than you want
Before icing your cake, be sure that your cakes are completely cool otherwise they could melt the frosting as you layer and decorate it
