Brown Butter Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Those are some fine carrots in that cake. [Photo Credit: Alex Paternostro]
by Seth and Alex Paternostro
December 18, 2021
Cute Bunny was munching on grass with her buddy, Bill Floppy Ears, in the dark. Just then, floodlights flipped on, and a flashlight started shooting at her, then him, and back again. They stayed still, waiting it out. The lights eventually shut off, and the beam moved on. After a sigh of relief, the rabbits got back to work. They were planning on hopping from yard to yard in search of carrots.
Their endeavor might sound simple, might sound easy and wholesome, but Reader beware, for “carrots” was merely a codeword for crack-cocaine. The couple rushed under a fence and into the alley. A scraggly rabbit, the kind with eyes pink from cosmetics research, was standing there, twitching.
“Ay, Cute Bunny, you still strippin’?” he cackled, scratching the back of his head with a hind leg.
“Nah, I’m not about that life anymore. I got myself Bill Floppy Ears now. He takes good care of me.”
“Alright, alright. You want the usual?”
“You know it,” and the rabbit kicked the goods toward them with a stubby arm. Bill sniffed and nodded. Cute Bunny slipped over some greens.
“Thanks, thanks. Thanks, thanks! You guys better get of here. Nice to see you, Cute Bunny.”
The couple left, crawling back under the fence.
Bill leaned over and asked, “So, ugh, what happened to his paw?”
“You don’t know? That’s why he’s called One Paw. He got into trouble with some real dogs. They cornered him, and he kept saying, ‘I’m all out. I’m all out, I swear. You know me, you know. I’m clean, I’m clean,’ but they didn’t believe him. They ripped his hand off and left him for dead. But that’s how it works in The Yard.”
“Damn,” and they ate the carrots.
Serves 8
Total time
2 hours
Equipment:
cutting board, chef’s knife or cleaver, vegetable peeler, box grater, small mixing bowls, small saucepan, silicone spatula, large mixing bowl or stand mixer (if available) with whisk attachment, measuring cups and spoons, digital scale, microplane zester, whisk, 9-inch cake pan, skewer or digital thermometer, wire drying rack, paring knife
Tableware:
serving platter, plates, and forks
Ingredients
For the cake:
12 oz carrots
2 inches ginger
5⅓ oz butter, plus as needed
5⅓ oz all-purpose flour, plus as needed
2 large eggs
4⅔ oz white sugar, plus as needed
2⅔ oz dark brown sugar
2⅔ tsps ground cinnamon
1⅓ tsp ground ginger
⅓ tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
⅓ tsp baking soda
⅔ tsp kosher salt
For the frosting:
2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 orange
1 lemon
¼ cup heavy cream
Kosher salt, as needed
Instructions
(To make the cake)
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle.
Rub the cake pan lightly with butter, sprinkle over a spoonful each of flour and sugar, shake to distribute, then flip, and tap out any excess.
Peel the carrots and ginger, grate the carrots on the box, and microplane the ginger, keeping the two separate.
Measure out 8 oz of the carrots, then combine with the ginger in a small bowl.
Place the butter in a saucepan over medium-low, and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter stops foaming, smells nutty, and the milk solids at the bottom have browned. Turn off the heat, and place to the side.
In a stand mixer, combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Briefly whisk by hand to mix, then whip on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and airy.
Turn the mixer to medium-low, and pour the browned butter down the edge of the bowl.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, then fold in the flour just until no dry spots are visible.
Fold in the carrots and ginger, and scoop into the cake pan.
Drop the pan from a few inches over the counter to eliminate any large air pockets, then place in the oven.
Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out of the middle clean and a digital thermometer registers 210°F.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 45 minutes, then loosen the edges with a paring knife.
Invert the cake, then return it to an upright position.
Serve still slightly warm with a scoop of the frosting.
(To make the frosting)While the cake is cooling, quarter a lemon, then zest an orange.
Work the brown sugar, half of the orange zest, and a small pinch of salt into the cream cheese with a silicone spatula until light and fluffy.
Whisk the heavy cream into the cream cheese, 1 tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated and the consistency of a thick frosting.
Taste, then adjust with lemon juice and more orange zest, if needed.
Decorate your masterpiece.
Note: The core of this recipe comes from Stella Parks, whose book, Bravetart, is a real winner. If you do not have a stand mixer, then very thoroughly whip the egg and sugar mixture by hand for a good while.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 445 Total Fat 20.6g (26%) Saturated Fat 12.5g (63%) Cholesterol 100mg (33%) Sodium 152mg (7%) Total Carbohydrate 63g (23%) Dietary Fiber 2.8g (10%) Total Sugars 43.9g Protein 4.8g Vitamin D 6mcg (32%) Calcium 107mg (8%) Iron 2mg (10%) Potassium 302mg (6%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
Alex Paternostro is a writer and food photographer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated with honors in English from Princeton University. You can learn more about him here.
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