The details

Easter is almost here, bunnies have overtaken our yard (and eaten up all our herbs), and it’s time for carrot cake! This spiced carrot cake was born out of a custom local order for a carrot birthday cake. I always felt a little icky about carrot cake–all the chunky fruit and pineapple freak me out to be completely honest, but I always liked the warm and robust flavor of mixed spices in the batter. Here’s my take on carrot cake–not so traditional, but tasty and comforting. Notes of ginger and chai spice ring through the moist cake and the browned butter in the frosting is just *chef’s kiss*. I think you’ll like this one.

This cake is adapted from Courtney Rich’s Classic Carrot Cake recipe with some changes in ingredients and spices. But credit where credit is due!

Ingredient Notes

A few things to bring your attention when making this cake, because ingredients matter:

When I say neutral oil in any recipe, I’m referring to canola oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil. Having used all these oils at some point in baking, my preference is canola oil.
Use freshly shredded carrots! The bigger the carrot, the easier this will be, but it’s still a job that requires some muscle. But it’s worth it. You can even add more carrots if that’s your thing.
Feel free to tweak the spices to your liking. Not a fan of nutmeg? No problem, omit it. I would recommend keeping in the amount of cinnamon and ginger that my recipe calls for.
Whole milk greek yogurt imparts moisture while also keeping this cake light. You can substitute sour cream but the cake will be more dense. Do not use low fat greek yogurt or regular yogurt. It just won’t be right.
If you just HAVE to have some chunky pineapple and raisins in there, knock yourself out. This cake is a good base for that kind of thing, though I like it as is!
Yes, this cake calls for both cake flour and AP flour. I like the way the two combine for the texture in this case. If you only have cake flour, use all cake flour. If you use AP flour only, the texture may vary but it will still be good.

Browning butter is really what sets this delicious frosting apart from a regular old cream cheese frosting. The nutty toasty flavor really complements the spices in this cake. See this page for details on browning butter, including a nifty video showing the whole process. But trust me, it’s easy and I do it ALL the time (like, too much).

A word on snacking cakes

I consider any smaller sheet cake a snacking cake. And also, calling it a snacking cake makes me feel better about having a small slice at any time of day. Breakfast? Sure. Afternoon snack? Why not. It’s just a little snacking cake!

I also love that snacking cakes are no fuss and easy to throw together–no layer cake assembly or crumb coats. Making swoops and swirls with the frosting when you spread it is pretty darn underrated. It’s basically therapy.

Here’s some gear I like to use when making my snacking cakes:

8-inch square cake pan
Offset spatula for all that frosting swirling

You can make any of my cakes a snacking cake! For recipes that make 8 inch layer cakes, I often make all the batter and fill the 8-inch square pan half full and use the rest for cupcakes. This recipe and my Rich + Fudgy Chocolate Sheet Cake are specifically formulated for the snacking cake route.

Other Spring cakes to try out:

Bake to this music

Spiced Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Print Recipe

Welcome Spring with this warmly spiced carrot cake, complete with creamy and nutty brown butter cream cheese frosting. It’ll have you reaching for another slice every time.

Yield: 1 8-inch snacking cake 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the spiced carrot cake:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup neutral oil
3 eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups freshly shredded carrots
1/4 cup whole fat greek yogurt, room temp

For the brown butter cream cheese frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, browned and chilled until solid
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
4 oz cream cheese, chilled
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2–3 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare your 8 inch-square cake pan with parchment and/or greasing.
Brown 1 stick of unsalted butter for the buttercream over medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as brown speckles form in the butter. Store in a heatproof, airtight container in the freezer while making your cake batter.
Make your cake batter. In a large bowl, add your sugars and oil. Mix on medium-high speed for a couple minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add eggs one at a time, mixing in between additions. As soon as all eggs are added, continue to mix on medium-high for 5 minutes until the batter becomes lighter in color, shiny, and emulsified. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine flours, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add dry ingredients until the batter just comes together and flour streaks disappear. Add the shredded carrots and fold to distribute. Add the greek yogurt and fold until just combined.
Spoon and spread your cake batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 40 minutes until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
While the cake cools, make your frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat cold browned butter, cold unsalted butter, and cream cheese on medium high for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture becomes smooth and whipped and no chunks of butter remain. Reduce mixer speed to low and add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Once combined, add vanilla and salt until combined. Increase speed to medium and add heavy cream. Increase speed again to medium-high and beat for 3-5 minutes until the frosting is smooth, light, and fluffy.
Spread your frosting on your cooled cake and enjoy! This cake can be kept at room temp for a few hours but should be stored in the fridge overnight. The cake will be fresh for 2-3 days.

Notes

This recipe makes one 8-inch square snacking cake or two 6-inch round cake layers. You can double this recipe to make 3 8-inch round cake layers for a large layered cake.
Neutral oil refers to canola oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil. Your choice!
You can make this cake several days ahead of time and store covered in plastic wrap at room temp. I don’t recommend making this frosting ahead of time. If needed, frosting can be stored for an hour or so at room temp covered in plastic wrap. Plan to mix it up a bit before frosting your cake.

Author: Caroline Crockett
Category: desserts, cake