Carrot Sheet Cake Recipe
User Reviews
5
Carrot Sheet Cake Recipe
Description
The Carrot Sheet Cake Recipe features a blend of all-purpose flour with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, integrated finely with grated carrots and chopped walnuts, which add both moisture and texture. The baking process produces a tender cake with a lightly spiced crumb. The brown butter cream cheese frosting enriches the cake with its earthy, nutty notes and a smooth, creamy finish. An additional buttercream is prepared separately for decorating flowers, allowing for personalized embellishments. Together, these elements produce a layered flavor with moist texture and subtle spice.
The cake is baked in a well-greased and parchment-lined 9x13-inch pan, ensuring an even rise and easy removal. After baking, it is cooled before frosting to preserve the delicate crumb structure. This cake works well as a dessert or snack, standing out for its homey appeal and the use of classic carrot cake ingredients with brown butter nuances.
The recipe can be prepared in stages: the cake batter can be baked and stored refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to three months, and the frosting keeps well in the fridge or freezer for similar periods. For freezing, chilling the cake first prevents damage when wrapping. These details help with planning ahead while maintaining flavor and texture integrity.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Dry Mix:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg if using dried nutmeg, use 1/2 teaspoon, freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Carrot Cake Wet Mix:
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature, unsalted
- 1 cup granulated sugar white
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (such as avocado oil, grape seed oil or vegetable oil)
- 3 egg large
- 3/4 cup buttermilk shaken
- 2 1/2 cups carrot grated
- 1 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature, unsalted
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- Pinch salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Buttercream for Flowers
- 1 cup butter at room temperature, unsalted
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- salt pinch
- 1 tablespoons heavy cream
- Food gel coloring
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. I also like to line my baking pan with a parchment just to make sure nothing sticks.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ginger. Set the dry mixture aside.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the butter, white sugar and brown sugar; beat until nice and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the oil and eggs. Beat until combined.
- Alternating between the buttermilk and the dry mix, add them to the butter mixture, until just combined. Lastly, add the carrots and walnuts and mix until thoroughly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and transfer to the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool before adding the frosting.
To Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cube up 1/2 cup of the butter (1 stick). In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, add the cubed butter. Once it’s melted, it will begin to foam up and bubble a bit. Allow it to cook until you begin to see lightly browned specks beginning to form. Give it a stir and cook until it’s browned. You should also start to smell its nutty aroma. Pour it in a freezer-safe bowl and stir to cool it down.
- Transfer it to the freezer to chill, for about 5 minutes. We want it to be around room temperature butter. After it gets to that room temperature butter-firmness (it can be a bit softer—that’s ok), transfer it to the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or bowl using an electric mixer). Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
- Sift in the powdered sugar and add the vanilla extract, salt and heavy cream. Beat the frosting for about 3 minutes. The fluffiness from the heavy cream really lightens up this frosting so be sure to beat it for the full 3 minutes. If the frosting is too loose, feel free to transfer it to the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes. Then beat it one last time.
To Make the Buttercream for the Flowers:
To Assemble the Cake:
- Pour all of the frosting on the cooled sheet cake and spread it around, creating cute swoops as you go. Top it with whatever you like! I piped out buttercream roses, see below for notes! Cake will stay moist for about 3 days when wrapped properly.
Notes
- You can prepare the cake and frostings ahead and store them properly to extend their shelf life.
- Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap before refrigerating or freezing to maintain moisture.
- Chill the cake thoroughly before freezing to preserve its texture when thawed.
- Use the buttercream frosting for decorative flowers and the cream cheese frosting for the cake top.
- Freeze the frosting in airtight containers to use later without loss of quality.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 12Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 350 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 12g | |
| Calories | 350kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 24g | 8% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 4g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 24mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 20mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 4mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 10g | 40% |
| Sugar | 16g | 32% |
| Vitamin A | 100IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 2.5mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 50mg | 5% |
| Iron | 0.4mg | 2% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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