carrot cake
A carrot cake for all seasons but especially spring. Filled with pineapple compote and topped with brown butter cream cheese frosting. Garnished with candied carrots and pumpkin seeds.
Dear Justin,
It’s been a while. I wanted to share my journey of making Yi Yi’s birthday cake. I’m relying on my tried and true carrot cake recipe from Claire Saffitz with the brown butter cream cheese frosting layered with pineapple compote as imagined by Alison (@al.chenny). I’m pretty sure you’ve tried this carrot cake before and you loved it… actually, I don’t remember if you liked pineapples though.
This was my first time making a whole batch of the carrot cake recipe and I got two 4-inch cakes (250 grams each) and almost 24 cupcakes. So if you don’t need that many cakes in your life, I would halve the recipe (as I usually do). This recipe is quite easy to make but there is a lot of prep involved - toasting the nuts, shredding the carrots, measuring, mixing, prepping the pans etc. But all of that is worth it in the end once you taste it. The cake is moist as it’s an oil-based cake and generously spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It’s not too sweet and the pineapple compote adds a fruity tartness to each bite. I also love the brown butter cream cheese frosting cause it gives a nuttiness that compliments the walnuts and pecans scattered throughout the cake. I also love how you can see the specks of brown butter and vanilla bean throughout the frosting. Gives it a rustic feel.
To decorate, I was inspired by Jasma’s (@jasma.fusion.cuisine) mini carrot cake, where she used candied carrots to imitate flowers. I made two batches of these candied carrots because the first ones ended up being too small. I would suggest using a larger carrot or cutting the top ends of the carrot to yield bigger rounds, as they shrivel up when they are in the oven. When it was time to decorate, I stuck the candied carrots on the frosting and added roasted pumpkin seeds to mimic leaves.
Not everything went according to plan — the cupcakes baked well, but my 4-inch cakes were underbaked when I took them out of the oven. I tested it with a cake tester and it came out clean but it was secretly slightly underdone. But life moved on, so my cake became a 3-layer cake instead of 4 because the last layer was underdone. Sorry Yi Yi, hope you didn’t notice… Note to self, bake it longer next time.
Carrot cakes always remind me of Easter and spring. A new season, a new beginning. It’s also getting sunnier here which has been a warm welcome. Hopefully, you’re enjoying the sun too and maybe grabbing a carrot cake as well.
Love,
Kaitlyn
Candied Carrots
1 carrot (sliced thinly)
250g water
100g sugar
Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Add the sliced carrots to the boiling mixture and let it simmer for 5 mins (or until it’s soft). Drain the carrots and place them individually on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 320f for 10-12 mins (depending on the thickness). Let them cool before using.
Pineapple Compote
400g crushed pineapple (one can)
50g sugar
Combine the pineapple and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium until most of the water is evaporated and the mixture becomes thick and jammy (about 15 mins). Let it cool before using.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
226g (2 sticks) butter
400g cream cheese (room temp)
350g icing sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla paste
pinch of salt
Brown the butter. Once it’s browned, let it cool in the fridge until it’s solidified. Take the solidified browned butter and combine it with the cream cheese. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip until it’s combined. Add the icing sugar and continue to whip. Finally, add the salt and vanilla paste. Keep in the fridge until ready to use (you may need to bring it back to slightly room temp so it’s more spreadable).
Carrot Cake - from Claire Saffitz
1 1/2 cups pecan or walnut pieces and/or halves (5.3 oz/ 150g)
1 pound (454g) carrots (about 5 large), coarsely grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup buttermilk, (8.5 oz / 240g), at room temperature (*or milk with added lemon juice/vinegar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (* I used vanilla paste)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (11.4 oz /325g)
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder (0.28 oz/ 8g)
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.21 oz / 6g)
1 teaspoon baking soda (0.21 oz / 6 g)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs (7 oz / 200g), at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5.3 oz / 150g)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (5.3 oz / 150g)
1 cup neutral oil, such as vegetable or grapeseed (8 oz / 226g) (*I used avocado oil)
*I removed the freshly grated ginger for personal preferences
Assembly
Once the cakes are cooled, slice the cake in half (to make hopefully 4 layers). Top the first cake layer with cream cheese frosting, then a layer of pineapple. Repeat with the other layers. Frost the entire cake with the cream cheese frosting. Decorate with the candied carrots and pumpkin seeds to mimic flowers with leaves.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, core the center of the cake. Fill with pineapple compote and top with cream cheese frosting (I used a french piping tip). Garnish with candied carrots and pumpkin seeds to mimic flowers with leaves.
