Carrot Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
This isn’t just any carrot sheet cake. It’s beautifully moist, spiced, and topped with a dreamy brown butter cream cheese frosting. It’s super easy to make too!
The key to a super moist carrot cake is using vegetable oil in the batter instead of butter. This keeps the cake soft and moist for days! Even though it’s missing butter in the batter, the flavor is bought to the cake with lots of spices.
The moist cake bakes in a large baking pan, so there is no need for layering cake layers!
As for the frosting, this is my absolute favorite part. I’ve used a dreamy cream cheese frosting with a secret ingredient. It’s enriched with brown butter, giving it a depth of flavor that pairs wonderfully with the spiced cake. It’s the best thing ever!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this carrot cake sheet cake.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and warm spices.
- Wet ingredients: Brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, natural yogurt, vanilla extract, or paste.
- A whole lot of carrots: I recommend buying whole carrots and grating them yourself. Pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store can be too dry and won’t provide the same moisture or natural sweetness.
- Pecans or walnuts – Optional, but add a little crunch. You could use sunflower seeds or pepitas for a nut-free version.
- Brown butter cream cheese frosting: Room temperature cream cheese, brown butter, powdered sugar, and a splash of vanilla extract.
Method
Brown butter
The brown butter will need time to cool to room temperature, so begin with this step.
Let the butter melt over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Avoid using a dark pan, as you will struggle to see the caramelization of the butter at the bottom of the pan and run the risk of burning it.
Once the butter has melted, let it cook for around 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly until the milk solids have caramelized into a golden amber color and the butter has a nutty aroma. It will bubble and foam.
Pour the melted butter into a large bowl, including all the brown bits. Let this cool until it has solidified at room temperature. You can place it in the refrigerator to speed up the solidifying process, but make sure it’s at room temperature when you’re ready to use it.
Cake
Preheat the oven and grease, and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
Grate the carrots in a food processor or with a box grater and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and warm spices in a large bowl.
Mix brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
Mix in the grated carrots and chopped nuts.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and fold them with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread it out evenly, and bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
Cream cheese frosting
When the brown butter has solidified, beat it with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, on high speed until light and creamy.
Add in room temperature cream cheese and beat it again until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat it on low speed until the sugar is combined, then switch to high speed and beat until creamy.
Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Crumble over chopped walnuts, then serve.
Store the leftover cake in an airtight container.
Variations and Substitutions
- This cake can also be turned into a 2-layer cake, using two 8-inch round cake pans.
- You can add extra flavor with crushed pineapple or raisins, dried apricots or dried cranberries.
- Make a mini carrot cake instead!
Carrot Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
Ingredients
Brown Butter Frosting
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 225 g full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature
- 360 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 tablespoon cream or milk as needed
Cake
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 210 g neutral vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 60 g natural yogurt or sour cream
- 200 g soft brown sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 270 g grated carrots
- 70 g walnuts or pecans, chopped
Instructions
Brown Butter
- The brown butter will need time to cool and solidify again before using, so begin with this step.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Once the butter has melted, let it cook for around 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly until the milk solids have caramelized into a golden amber color and the butter has a nutty aroma.
- Pour the melted butter into a large bowl, including all the brown bits. Let this cool until it has solidified at room temperature. You can place it in the refrigerator to speed up the solidifying process, but make sure it's at room temperature when you're ready to use it.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C and grease, and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and warm spices in a large bowl.
- Mix brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Mix in the grated carrots and chopped nuts.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and fold them with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread it out evenly, and bake for 32-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
Frosting
- When the brown butter has solidified, beat it with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed until light and creamy.
- Add room-temperature cream cheese and beat it until fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat it on low speed until the sugar is combined, then switch to high speed and beat until creamy. Add a tablespoon of milk or cream if the frosting is too thick. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake.
