Brown-butter carrot cake with cream cheese frosting from BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts (page 138) by Stella Parks

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Twisted carrot roses

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • tralliott on March 05, 2024

    I have made this twice. Both times it took ENDLESS AGES and was excellent. If I make it again I will... - Halve the recipe to make one 2-layer cake. - Swap out an easier cream cheese frosting, probably Smitten Kitchen's. - Add lots of raisins. - Reduce the spice slightly to suit my husband's taste. (I like it the way it is!)

  • meginyeg on April 19, 2022

    Made a half recipe of this and it was great. Loved the flavour. Didn't frost it bit put a cheesecake layer in the middle of two cake layers. Will make again.

  • stacymarkow on May 21, 2021

    Didn't care for this recipe at all. Was dry, kind of dense, and not really reminiscent of other carrot cake recipes I had growing up as a kid. The search continues.

  • bakingElizabeth on August 01, 2020

    I have made this twice, and it is totally worth the time (agree with other reviewer that it is best to prep components in advance, as suggested in recipe). It freezes well (unfrosted, well-wrapped in plastic/sealed baggies), and works well in mini-form (disposable baking molds). It stayed moist in both formats. The second time I made it, I doubled the recipe, to have a frozen supply on hand for later (unwieldy volume, but worth juggling two bowls). Defrosted minis also make a decadent breakfast, after a few minutes in the toaster oven. I personally prefer a traditional cream cheese frosting, but that is the only thing I swap out.

  • khopkins1012 on April 03, 2020

    I made a 3/4 version of this as a single layer cake in a 9x13 brownie pan. It was very good. In the future I would do some of the prep in advance because doing it all at once left me baking all morning. I skipped the carrot roses and added yellow raisins.

  • roxlet on June 28, 2018

    I have now made this carrot cake 4 times, and I think it's the best carrot cake that I have made. For years, my go-to was the Cook's Illustrated version that has you make an emulsion of the eggs and oil, and as a result, it's not greasy, as many carrot cakes tend to be. This is mellow and delicious, and it makes a very large cake. I made the full recipe, and made 6 individual carrot cakes for a dinner party. The other two layers are in the freezer. I double wrapped them, and I will see how they survive that treatment. You can easily cut back the amout of pecans, which are a lot, but I love pecans in carrot cake, and toasting them first make them super delicious. However, don't forget to chop the nuts even though the recipe doesn't say to do this!

  • anya_sf on April 22, 2018

    I made 1/3 recipe, yielding 13 cupcakes (70 g batter each, slightly larger than stated). They baked in 23 min. The cakes had a very fine crumb for carrot cake, with a sturdy texture (good for layering), drier than most carrot cakes, but still moist enough. The spice flavor was strong. There were perhaps too many nuts. I also usually prefer raisins in carrot cake. The frosting was interesting - the cream cheese didn't stand out, but rather the vanilla (pudding) flavor. It was good though. The frosting was a dream to pipe - beautifully whipped. The overall combination of cake and frosting was very good.

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