Sourdough Brown Butter Carrot Cake
Celebrate the arrival of spring with this Sourdough Brown Butter Carrot Cake! A fresh, festive twist on a classic favorite. Finely grated carrots and citrus zest bring brightness, while brown butter adds a rich nutty flavor. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, it’s the perfect bake to welcome longer spring days.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls - for mixing cake batter and icing.
- Whisk + rubber spatula - for combining ingredients.
- Microplane or zester - for zesting orange. I love this hand held zester linked here.
- Box grater or food processor - for grating carrots. I like this grater linked here.
- Saucepan or small pot - for browning butter.
- Digital kitchen scale (optional) - for accurate measuring, especially helpful with sourdough baking. I linked the one I like here.
- Measuring cups and spoons - if not using a scale, and for smaller ingredients.
- Cake pans - two 9-inch round pans or one 9x13-inch pan (I love these 9 inch cake pans linked here for even baking for a 2 tier cake or this 9x13 USA pan for sheet cakes).
- Parchment paper - for lining pans.
- Cooling rack - for cooling cakes.
- Toothpick or cake tester - to test when cake is done.
- Hand beaters or stand mixer - for whipping cream cheese frosting.
- Sieve - for sifting the powdered sugar.
- Offset or frosting spatula (optional) - for spreading frosting.
- Cake stand or platter (optional) - for serving the cake.
- Pastry bags (optional) - for piping details on the cake.
- Cake decorating tips (optional) - if you choose to pipe little carrots on the cake, I used Wilton tip #16 for the green tops and Wilton tip #10 for the carrot body.
Ingredients
Overnight Fermented Base:
- 2 1/2 (320g) cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 (138g) cup avocado oil or neutral oil
- 1/2 (120g) cup sourdough starter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple flavoring
- 1/2 (100g) cup granulated white sugar
- 1 (200g) cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 (120g) cup honey
- 2/3 (150g) cup whole milk or buttermilk
- 1/2 (120g) cup full-fat sour cream
Add the Next Morning:
- 1/2 (113g) cup unsalted butter for browning
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 (240g) cups finely grated carrots
- 1 (8g) Tbsp orange zest or one orange
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
Cream Cheese Icing:
- 8 (225g) oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 (113g) cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 3/4 (450g) cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
For Topping:
- 1/2 (60g) cup pecans toasted and chopped
Instructions
Step 1: Overnight Fermentation
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oil, sourdough starter, vanilla, maple flavoring (if using), white sugar, brown sugar, honey, milk, and sour cream.2 1/2 (320g) cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 (138g) cup avocado oil, 1/2 (120g) cup sourdough starter, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp maple flavoring, 1/2 (100g) cup granulated white sugar, 1 (200g) cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 (120g) cup honey, 2/3 (150g) cup whole milk, 1/2 (120g) cup full-fat sour cream
- Note: Substitute for discard is listed in footnotes or FAQ's.
- Optional Overnight Fermentation: Cover and refrigerate overnight (8–12 hours). If you choose to skip the overnight fermentation, proceed with the recipe as listed below.
Step 2: Brown the Butter
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter foams and turns a rich amber color with brown specks at the bottom, emitting a nutty aroma. Remove from heat immediately. This process typically takes about 5-7 minutes.1/2 (113g) cup unsalted butter
- Once butter is browned, remove the saucepan from heat and allow it to cool before adding it to the cake batter.
Step 3: Shred the Carrots
- Wash and dry the carrots, and trim the ends. Using the fine side of a box grater, grate the carrots until you have very small shreds. I recommend grating them fresh rather than using pre-shredded carrots because the finer texture blends better into the batter and prevents large chunks in the dough. Set aside the carrots while you mix the dough.2 (240g) cups finely grated carrots
Step 4: Finish the Cake Batter
- If you're batter was fermenting in the refrigerator overnight, allow to rest at room temperature for an hour to warm up. Gently fold the batter after it has warmed up to pop any gas bubbles before scooping. Skip this step if you aren't fermenting the batter overnight.
- To the fermented base, add the browned butter, eggs and yolks, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. Whisk the batter until it's smooth and no lumps remain, but avoid overmixing as this makes the cake tough.2 eggs, 2 egg yolks, 2 tsp baking powder, 1½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- Fold in the grated carrot and orange zest into the cake batter. Don't overbeat your batter!1 (8g) Tbsp orange zest
Step 5: Bake Cakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans or one 9x13-inch pan. Tap excess flour out of pans. Optionally, line bottoms of cake pans with parchment to make cakes release faster. This also helps them not to stick!
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan(s). For 2 9-inch pans, this is roughly 3 cups (825g) of batter per pan.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes (round pans) or 45–50 minutes (9x13-inch).
- A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To make cakes easier to frost, wrap with plastic and place on a cookie sheet to refrigerate cakes. You can also freeze them after wrapping if you choose to frost cakes at a later time.
- Prepare your frosting while the cakes cool.
Step 6: Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- Note: I recommend doubling the frosting if you're making a two-tier cake to have extra to cover the cake and decorate.
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy with hand mixers. Scrape sides of bowl down if needed to make sure cream cheese and butter and completely combined and fluffy.8 (225g) oz cream cheese, 1/2 (113g) cup unsalted butter
- Add vanilla and salt, and beat into frosting until combined.1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Sift powdered sugar if desired (makes less clumps and a smoother consistency). Gradually beat the powdered sugar into the frosting until light and creamy.3 3/4 (450g) cups powdered sugar
Step 7: Assembling your Cake
- Single sheet cake directions: If you're making a 9x13 single sheet cake, spread frosting over the top of the cake, decorate as desired with left over frosting and sprinkle generously with the toasted pecans.
- Two-tier cake: If you choose to make a two-layer cake, place one layer on a serving plate or platter. Spread frosting on top and sides, fully coating first layer of cake. Add the second layer and frost the top and sides. Refrigerate 30 minutes to firm up the icing, and then add more frosting and/or chopped toasted pecans to the top and sides.
- How to pipe mini carrots: I decorated my cake with tiny carrots all over randomly by coloring a bit of left over frosting orange and green. To pipe the mini carrots, I used Wilton tip #16 for the green tops and Wilton tip #10 for the carrot body.
- Yields: Two 8-inch layers or one 9x13-inch cake
Notes
How To Store:
Make ahead: Fermented base can be prepped the day before. Refrigerating: Store the frosted cake in the fridge (airtight) for up to 5 days. Freezing: Wrap unfrosted cake layers tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before frosting. Note: You can substitute the starter with 1/2 cup (120g) Greek yogurt (full-fat) and 2-3 Tbsps extra milk. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!