Carrot Cake
Cake.
3/4 cup unsalted butter, browned
2 cups finely grated carrots
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, loosely packed
4 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Buttercream.
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cake.
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until nutty brown solids form on the bottom of the pan. Scrape the butter and the browned bits into a large mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the grated carrots, applesauce, granulated sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet, stirring just until combined. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for about 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Set the pans on wire racks and cool completely, covered with a clean kitchen towel.
Buttercream.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter for 1 minute until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and the meringue powder, mixing until combined. Add the salt and vanilla; on medium high, whip for several minutes until light and fluffy - add a little more powdered sugar if the buttercream is too soft.
Stack and fill the cooled cakes, then frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream. Chill for 30 minutes, then frost with a final layer of buttercream. For the naked cake pictured here, pipe the buttercream onto each layer using a large open star tip. Any leftover buttercream can be frozen for another cake.
Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen