As a kid, the last cake you wanted was carrot cake.
Well… maybe right behind fruit cake.
As an adult I’ve liked carrot cake fine. But it wasn’t until I had a slice of AMAZING carrot cake from a little cafe called Fragments in Paris that I realized just how good it could be.
I found the idea of browning butter for carrot cake especially compelling. Since nuts are a common fixture and a clear complement to carrot cake, the idea of adding more sweet nutty flavor in the form of browned butter just made sense. Plus by browning the butter you only have to use your mixer for the icing.
Not to mention the brown butter helps make the cake super rich and moist. That plus the brown sugar, applesauce, and carrots (of course!).
Some warm spices in the batter and then another extra dash of cinnamon in the cream cheese frosting really round everything out.
Plus, slicing the two cake layers in half for a four layer cake isn’t just impressive to look at. It means MORE FROSTING!
Perfect Brown Butter Carrot Cake Recipe Tips
How to Brown Butter for Cake
A skillet works better than a saucepan for browning butter because there’s more surface area for the brown bits to develop.
In a medium skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises. Once the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Let cool completely.
What are the best cake baking pans?
Never use dark colored nonstick cake pans. They conduct heat too aggressively and often lead to hard dry edges and undercooked or sunken centers.
My favorite cake pans are the Fat Daddio’s pans.
How to *properly* prepare carrots for carrot cake:
Shred fresh carrots, no pre-shredded packaged ones. Freshly grated carrots are more flavorful and moist! Better yet, buy your carrots at the farmer’s market. They’re SO much sweeter!
3 cups freshly shredded carrots equals about 4 medium carrots, but definitely buy extra just in case. Don’t grate your carrots too finely, you want to have carrot ‘confetti’ in your cake so the bigger holes on your box grate would work better. You can also use your food processor’s grating attachment to make it quicker and easier.
Nuts in carrot cake?
I added pecans or walnuts as an option for this carrot cake since that’s fairly traditional. You can totally leave them out if you prefer. They add crunch, but also a bit of savory flavor to contrast the sweetness.
Applesauce in carrot cake?
This isn’t here as a healthy addition, necessarily. But it does allow us to get away with using a little less butter. No, it actually helps provide tender moisture and a nice sweet fruity flavor to complement the carrots. You don’t really taste ‘apples’ – just freshness.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Arguably the best part of carrot cake!
For the best and creamiest frosting, be sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Beat them together until completely smooth, scraping down your bowl often, until there’s no lumps. Even if you have a paddle attachment that scrapes the sides as it goes, I would still recommend scraping down the paddle and especially the bottom of the bowl to ensure no lumps.
Don’t skip sifting the powdered sugar! It’s a pain but you’ll regret it if you don’t.
How to assemble brown butter carrot cake:
In this recipe we take 2 cake layers and cut them in half for a total of 4 layers. Because if carrot cake is one thing, it’s a vehicle for cream cheese frosting. Now you can totally skip this step (and you likely won’t need all the frosting), but that’s no fun 🙂
To cut each cake layer, use a cake leveler or serrated knife. A cake leveler makes your layers absolutely perfect. If you bake cakes often, consider investing in one!
How to decorate carrot cake:
The cream cheese frosting is a little looser than your classic buttercream, so you won’t be able to do intricate detailed designs. I personally prefer a more basic or even ‘naked’ look for carrot cake anyways.
A border of chopped nuts on top of the cake makes a simple yet elegant final garnish.
If you want to have a little fun, check out my article on how to make decorative edible carrots.
How can I make carrot cake ahead of time?
Wrap uncut unfrosted cooled cake layers completely in several layers of plastic wrap. Place inside a freezer bag. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Don’t defrost at room temperature or you will end up with mushy sticky cake.
How do I store carrot cake?
Cover with a cake keeper and store at room temperature for up to 6 hours then refrigerate for up to 3 days.
This recipe was the selection for the March 2020 baking challenge! Check out the entries below, then click here to find out what the current month’s challenge recipe is!
I’m wondering if I could make this cake into a 9×13 and if it would still count for the baking challenge? It looks really good, but I also bake for friends, and bringing a layer cake would be super messy and fragile.
Sure, however I’m not sure what the baking time would be and you’ll likely need to reduce the amount of frosting!
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try it!
thanks tessa for sharing your baking knowledge i learned a lot from you
Hey tessa! I don’t have applesauce, how can i replace it?
This cake is awesome. I made it gluten free by using King Arthur measure for measure and it turned out great. Like most cream cheese frosting this one is pretty soft. I took out a chunk to taste but I’m chilling the cake now before slicing. Can’t wait to dig in.
Hi Joanne! I’m planning to make gluten free too, did you use the xanthan gum or was it fine without? I’ve never used gluten free flour for cakes before and not quite sure what to expect
I liked this recipe. I wanted to try a carrot cake revipe with browned Butter instead of oil. Mine didn’t look as pretty so I put pecans around the outside. My family loved it!
Can’t wait to try this!! If I don’t want to splurge on vanilla paste, should I substitute it with something? Or can I just leave it out?
You can just use regular extract!
When I saw this month’s challenge was a browned butter recipe, I couldn’t wait to make it! I love the texture, the moistness, and the taste was superb-just sweet enough!
My New favorite carrot cake in the World! Simply delicious
Love the addition of brown butter in this carrot cake! I baked this in 2, 5″ round tins and the rest in cupcake liners. The cupcakes required about 20 minutes in the oven. The frosting is the best part!
My cake came out with more of a banana bread type consistency. I’m not sure if this was correct or not. I’m not a carrot cake fan myself. I made it for Easter dinner. The flavors were great. It was moist. People liked it. I just thought it was rather dense and almost muffin like. Curious if others experienced this? If I did something wrong or is that the outcome of this recipe?
This cake is so good!! I love the subtle nuttiness the brown butter adds. And the recipe is so easy. I just did 2 layers and the cut the frosting in half and it was great!
It has been a great recipe, thank you
Fantastic!!!
This cake was awesome. I cut down the icing by one third but was a bit too thin for the decorating I wanted to do. Next time I’ll add more powdered sugar. I also skipped the nuts. So moist and delicious, however.
This cake is the Best carrot cake I had tried!!!
All my family love it!
This recipe is a winner. The cake is moist and the frosting isn’t overly sweet. Love it
Very great cake! A crowd pleaser for sure.
I will be making this cake for my mothers birthday this weekend. As there will be many young children at the festivities i wanted to ask: Do I really need to use that much sugar for this recipe? I mean 400 grams brown sugar plus apple sauce plus the optional 600 grams in the frosting seem to be a lot. Can I reduce the sugar in the dough with no problems or will I have to substitute it with some dry ingredients?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi,
What Can I use instead of apple sauce?
This recipe is GORGEOUS. My first ever carrot cake, and I don’t think I will ever use another recipe. I didn’t make it a layer cake, instead kept them separate and brought one to a dinner party, and kept the other to myself! I used 9-inch rounds and they came out perfectly fine. The frosting is to die for. I found that the cinnamon got lost, so I added probably double the amount, along with ginger and nutmeg to mirror the flavors of the cake. I was literally licking it off the spatula. So. Good.
Not your ordinary carrot cake, the browned butter really makes a difference!
I had to make my own brown sugar (granulated sugar + treacle) which I think added another layer of taste.
I made this cake last weekend, I used purple and orange carrots to make it, it turned out amazing and soft! We are two in a household but it was gone within 3 and a half day! Thank you for this recipe, definitely making it again!
Very delicious. Loved the frosting. Not a big fan of the carrots but that is my own personal preference. I’m not sure if I did something wrong. My cake took alot longer to bake: 45 minutes and the center never really baked all the way :(. Really really good frosting though:)
I usually have a different carrot cake recipe I follow but gave this a go. Much moister than my old recipe. Will be switching to this one. I did get a new oven this week and this was my maiden test run. Had to cook a few minutes longer. Also the 8 inch pans were a touch small and the cakes developed a lip. I would use 9 inch pans next time. Overall a great baking and decorating experience.
I usually have a different carrot cake recipe but tried this one and it is better than my old one
Can you substitute the apple sauce for something else? My sibling is allergic to many fruits.
I love carrot cake and this is the best I’ve ever had. Thank you, Tessa. You knocked this out of the park again.
Yummiest cake
Total game changer. This cake is phenomenal. Super most and flavorful. Made it for our anniversary. I do want to add that it took me 6.5 carrots to shred to equal the weight called for in the recipe. Also, I think I’d add a little more spice to the frosting next time.
Forgot to mention, didn’t check my cake pans before making the batter, and turns out I had the wrong ones. I had dark metal 9 inch rounds. Still delicious!
Hi Tessa, I’m wondering if it is possible to substitute vegetable shortening for butter in the cake and/or the cream cheese frosting.
I’ve made frosting with vegetable shortening before (because of food allergies) and it turned out great! Not sure if it applies to this cake, but just sharing my experience
These were delicious! I made mine as cupcakes for easier portion control and sharing. The browned butter added great flavor, and the applesauce added great moisture.
So delicious and easy to make! This is the perfect carrot cake recipe. It just melts in your mouth!
Delish!
Cake is moist and beautiful!
The idea of using brown butter for carrot cake is genius! I love it!
We dint have apple sauce available in supermarkets..is there an alternative any suggestion?
Wonderful cake
What can I do if I don’t have applesauce? It’s quite hard to find in my country
So good!!!!
I would give it 4.8 stars if I could. The cake tasted amazing and it worked well the only thing I didn’t like is that since I made a large two tiered cake with it it was a ton of work to mix up. But it was worth it for the taste.And even though I never have stocking issues with cakes in my pans with the method I use ( I put a thin layer of a mixed combo of flour, oil, and shortening that has been beaten smooth) it always stuck to the pan and I had to work at it to get it out so make sure to use parchment on the bottom.
This recipe is A M A Z I N G! I made it for my birthday and everyone loved it
Seriously the best carrot cake I’ve ever made. And I’ve made quite a few carrot cakes. Incredibly moist and flavorful. Love the frosting as well!
Delicious – and so sweet!
My very first buttercream.
Fantastic recipe. The cake was perfect. I didn’t add nuts inside because of allergies and was so good without them. I didn’t have 4 blocks of cream cheese either so just used 2 and kept everything else the same in the frosting. Still had extra but it was a perfect frosting for this carrot cake. I will for sure make again and I don’t normally like carrot cake 🙂 Thanks!
Delicious! My husband, who is not a big cake eater and definitely not an icing person, put extra icing on his piece. Our daughter said,”Dad, I’ve never seen you add icing to anything.” His response-“Other icings aren’t this good!” Thanks for a great recipe!
Baked up beautifully and tasted great. I used pecans, not walnuts.
This carrot cake is the best ever! I used Pecan nuts from a tree in my garden 🙂 To thicken the runny icing, I placed the bowl with icing in the fridge for 15 minutes before assembling the layers.
This cake was amazing! I normally don’t like carrot cake but this one was so good. I will definitely be making this one again.
This cake was amazing! I normally don’t like carrot cake but this one was so good. I will definitely be making it again.
You guys! This is hands-down the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so incredible. After debating back and forth, I decided to add chopped walnuts and it was a great choice. Such a flavorful, moist cake and the frosting is so light and delicious. To die for!!
This is now one of my two favorite carrot cake recipes ever. So simple, so much moisture and flavor and that cinnamon cream cheese frosting!! Aaaaaaah-mazing!!!
I Love the use of brown butter!!! It is what drew me into this carrot cake recipe. I have the fortunate ability to have my Mother’s homemade applesauce 🙂 along with toasted pecans, to really elevate flavors in this delicious carrot cake!!
Thank you for this one
I think it is dry compared to one I make with oil. That being said I made it into 4 6 inch cakes to put together 2 cakes and my other recipe would not have held up to layering like this one. I definitely would make again if a two layer cake is what I wanted. The flavor was excellent
As a follow-up, my comments were a little confusing. I baked the cake into 4 6 inch cakes. I took two and layered them and saved the other two for later This morning I cut a wedge from the saved layer and it was much better the day after baking. The spices have a chance to mingle It was much more moist too. It had a very good texture and taste. I’m not a frosting fan so my wedge I tasted this morning was not frosted so it was more like a muffin. I plan to use the other two layers to serve as snack cakes with no frosting or a glaze.
Anything with brown butter is so yummy and this cake with that brown sugar as well made a delicious treat! And you just can’t go wrong with cream cheese icing!
What’s substitute for applesauce ?
I couldn’t get out to the store to get more cream cheese, so had to half the icing recipe, but still turned out great!!!
The frosting is so incredible and the cake is just as amazing. This may be my favorite yet, and I have had carrot cake all over this country.
WOW!!!! This was amazing! Calorie bomb, but I felt like a professional baker, it was sooo good. This is my new go-to carrot cake recipe.
The cake was a bit dense but very moist. Better than any carrot cake I ever tasted! Perfect for the holidays!
My son does not like carrot cake but he did like this one, I think it wha the brown butter that made the difference. so very good!
So good! How can it not be with brown butter? It’s the perfect spring dessert!
We love carrot cake and this was a bit different from the start with the browned butter. Wonderful aroma while baking. I did not need as much frosting as I made. The real test will be when my husband, who does not like carrot cake gets to try it tomorrow!
Instead of applesauce, how much butter shld I use to substitute that?
My husband commented that this is the best carrot cake he’s ever had. Love that it has weights included for some of the ingredients, easy to follow recipe, and great results. I definitely need to save this recipe!
This Cake is amazing! I made this cake for the March baking challenge. My family came over for dinner and we ate half the cake the night I made it. Everyone said it was phenomenal and wanted a second piece. It was a HIT!
Thank you so much Tessa for this recipe, it made a lot of people happy. I will say that I realized after putting 4 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting that it was just the right amount with the cake. Even though the recipe called for 5 cups. But then again everyone in my family likes cream Cheese!
Best carrot cake i ever made ! Tnx !!
This cake was great. Super moist and the icing was delicious. I only used 4 cups of sugar but it was just right
Absolutely delicious!! Perfectly moist, the frosting is exactly the right amount of sweet and tangy. Beautiful recipe.
I love this cake! The texture and flavor are unbelievable!! I made a mini 6 inch version by scaling the recipe down by 2/3 and it worked out really well– I had some extra frosting which I’m not complaining about 🙂
i am planning to use 2 6 inch pans too. I am assuming dividing everything by half will suffice to fill the two pans. Is my assumption right?
What about the baking time?
What a simple recipe for a cake with so much flavor! Just great …. and that frosting … yummy in my tummy!
My husband and son loved this cake too!
Many thanks for the recipe!
What a simple recipe for a cake with so much flavor! Just great …. and that frosting … yummy in my tummy!
My husband and son loved this cake too!
Many thanks for the recipe!
Omg! The brown butter makes all the difference! We didn’t have applesauce so used buttermilk and mmmm!
This was a huge success with my family! I was asked if I could make it again as an ice cream carrot cake. Could I spread vanilla ice cream between the layers and freeze it?
This cake was so good! The brown butter brought a nice nutty flavor, and I loved the cinnamon in the cream cheese frosting! The cake was nice and moist, and not too sweet. My family and I loved this and would make it again!
My mom loves carrot cake, so of course she loved this recipe. But my dad isn’t the biggest fan of carrot cake and he LOVED this! Super moist and not too sweet. The browned butter is also a plus since I’ve never met a recipe with browned butter that I didn’t like!
Great recipe. Thanks Tessa
This carrot cake is so delicious! I would not change a thing about it. Thanks, Tessa!
I love browned butter anything! That irresistible nuttiness plus that wonderful cinnamon-y flavor in the frosting is heaven on a fork. A moist cake to be sure (I used grated apple since I didn’t have applesauce, and that always works well for me). I omitted pecans, which is a shame, but not everyone in my household likes nuts. If you can, though, add nuts! I halved the recipe and baked a smaller version using 6″ cake pans (my attempt at portion control–ha!), and I had a fun time decorating with candied carrot curls instead. A big hit with my family! I’ll keep this one in my rotation.
Did you use 2 6 inch pans? I am planning to do the same?
Will the baking time remain the same?
I hope I entered the challenge correctly! Haha 😀 It is so good 🙂
SO delicious! Made it for My birthday. “Really good“ comments from my niece and sister-in-law. They loved it! Easy to follow recipe and uses pantry staples! Lots of yummy cream cheese icing!
Hey Tessa I was just wondering when will you do the drawing? For the prizes? I’m just curious
Very yummy! I’ve never made a carrot cake before. It turned out great!
The cake was delicious! The directions were super easy to follow. It turned out beautifully. However, my cake turned out really dense and a little spongy if that makes sense. I was wondering what I did wrong. This is my first carrot cake so maybe that’s just how the texture should be.
The browned butter really set it off though! And the frosty is scrumptious.
Hey Tessa! We don’t have applesauce, can i replace it with something else? Thank you!
Made this for Mother’s Day. Best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Definitely a crowd pleaser!
Can you sub the brown Butter with olive Oil
This is the BEST carrot cake ever! I’ve made it 3 times during lockdown (in the UK) and it’s had rave reviews from my family and neighbours!! I followed the recipe exactly but did decrease the sugar to 300g, DIVINE!
I made this! I’ve been testing out different recipes that I’ve found online. The cake is delicious! But the frosting is soup. I’ve never had such a soupy cream cheese frosting! I weighed all my ingredients and my ingredients were just slightly cooler then room temp. I’m thinking the cake will probably slide apart while in the fridge overnight!
I made this for Easter and it was fabulous. I am grateful that I am the only one in my family that eats “vegetables in dessert” because I got it all to myself! thanks for the recipe