Carrot Cake Inspired by Claire Saffitz, Rose Levy Beranbaum, and Stella Parks

00:00 Intro
03:46 Toast the Walnuts and Brown the Butter
05:56 Grate the Carrots and Ginger
07:02 Prep the Baking Sheet
07:27 Dry Ingredients
08:55 Wet Ingredients
10:29 Bake the Bake
10:56 Cream Cheese Frosting
12:45 Assembling the Cake
15:49 FAQ

Useful equipment (commission earned):
Sifter https://amzn.to/42s1UhP
Grater https://amzn.to/3SywRfJ
Serrated Bread Knife https://amzn.to/42CpcSg

The base technique for this cake is from Claire’s book, Dessert Person:
https://amzn.to/49n4ZBY

Solid Mix-ins:
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130g walnuts
70g golden raisins
2 tsp unbleached all-purpose flour
680g (1.5 Lb) carrots (you’ll only need 454g for the cake)
2 inches peeled ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a 13x18 baking sheet with parchment. Add the walnuts. Place in the oven for 10 min. Cool completely and chop. Move to a medium bowl. Add the raisins and flour and toss well. Butter the baking sheet you used for walnuts. Top with parchment. Butter the parchment and the sides. Reserve for cake.

Peel, trim, and shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater to get 454g (you might have some carrots leftover). Grate the ginger on a microplane zester and measure out 2 tsp.

Brown Butter for Frosting:
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226g (2 sticks) unsalted butter

Cook the butter in a small saucepan, stirring frequently. When the butter has lots of brown specs, take off heat and pour into a heat proof bowl. Cool to room temperature. Alternatively, let butter come to room temp and skip browning.

Dry Ingredients:
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300g unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher or 1 tsp Table Salt
1 Tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom (optional)
1 tsp powdered ginger (optional)
Grating of nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp) (optional)

Sift all the dry ingredients 3 times (or sift once and then whisk for a long time to get everything evenly distributed).

Wet Ingredients:
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4 large eggs at room temp (200g)
2 tsp vanilla
300g granulated sugar
100g light brown sugar
20g pomegranate molasses or 2 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
220g neutral oil
60g sour cream or Greek yogurt

Put eggs, vanilla, both sugars, and molasses into a bowl of a mixer and beat with a whisk attachment on high for 5 minutes until very thick and pale. Slowly stream in the oil while whisking. Whisk in the sour cream. Beat until the mixture is completely emulsified (all the oil is absorbed).

Switch to a spatula. Stir in 2 tsp grated fresh ginger that you prepared earlier. Fold in the dry ingredients just until the flour streaks disappear. Fold in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins. Pour into the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Pick up the pan a few inches off the counter and drop it to release large air bubbles. Bake in the middle of the oven at 350F (180C) until the knife comes out clean, about 25 min. Put on a cooling rack and cool completely. While the cake is cooling, get the cream cheese out of the fridge to bring it to room temp for at least 1 hour.

Cream cheese frosting:
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454g (1 Lb) cream cheese, at room temp for 1 hour
226g granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla
Cooled browned butter (see above)

Put the cream cheese, sugar, and salt into a bowl of a mixer and beat with a paddle attachment on high speed for 1 min. Scrap down, and beat another 30 seconds or until creamy. Let sit for 15 min for the sugar to dissolve. Mash the butter with the back of a spoon until creamy. If too warm, put it in the fridge for 5 min and mash thoroughly. The butter and cream cheese should be of similar texture and temperature. Switch to a whisk mixer attachment. Whip the cream cheese on high for 1 min. Add the butter and vanilla and whip on high for 4 min, scraping down halfway through.

Cut the cake into 3 layers of the same size and ice as desired. See the video for ideas. Serve right away, or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temp for at least 2 hours before serving.

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