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Carrot Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. Sweet carrot cake with notes of vanilla and cinnamon, swirled with rich, creamy brown butter and topped with a nutty-flavored cream cheese frosting. Soft, fluffy, sweet, and delicious…with extra frosting on top. The perfect spring cake for all your upcoming events.
Happy Friday! It’s been such a crazy week that I thought we’d celebrate with cake! I never make carrot cakes, but they’re actually really fun for springtime. And of course, the upcoming Easter holiday, which crazy enough, is in just a couple of weeks!
Do any of you have fun Easter plans? My ideal Easter is spent in south Florida with my family, but I think we’ll be in Colorado this year!
I know that many of you are celebrating with family and friends this Easter. So I wanted to share an easier cake that was quick to bake up!
The cake
You’ll want to start with the carrot cake…everyone makes theirs a little differently. But my secret is to use oil in place of butter. The cake is moist, light, and fluffy…just the right amount of sweet, salty flavor.
Simply mix the melted coconut oil with brown sugar (which is also key for a light caramel-like flavoring), vanilla, and eggs. Then add the carrots and all of the dry ingredients. Oh, and I like to add a little shredded coconut to the batter too!
Totally optional, but we love it!
The frosting
While the cake is delicious the frosting really does complete it. I wanted the frosting to feel extra special, but not overpower the flavors of the cake.
Brown butter is my go-to so I decided to mix it with cream cheese. The frosting is rich and creamy with tones of nutty buttery flavor.
Simply brown the butter, let it cool, then mix it with the cream cheese. Next, add a touch of powdered sugar and vanilla. The frosting perfectly complements the warm flavors and soft texture of the cake. And since this is a sheet cake, I went heavy for a good cake to frosting ratio.
I decorated the top of my cake with small carrots that I drew on with a little vanilla icing. If you’d like to do the same, simply mix powdered sugar with water and vanilla until you have a thick icing. Just be sure it’s not so thick that it can’t be drizzled on top of the cake. Add some orange and green food coloring, then draw carrot-like shapes on top of the cake. I like to use a small ziplock bag with the corner snipped to pipe the frosting.
It’s definitely not necessary to decorate, but it does make for an extra festive cake! And of course, it’s delicious either way!!
This cake is great for spring but especially fun and fitting for upcoming Easter! I can’t wait to make it again soon!
Looking for spring-like sweets, try these:
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Candied Lemon
Creamy Lemon Bars with Browned Butter Raspberries
Lastly, if you make this Carrot Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Carrot Sheet Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 481 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.2. To make the carrot cake: In a mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Mix in the carrots. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, beating until just combined. Stir in the coconut, if using.3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until center is just set. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.4. To make the frosting: Melt together the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Add a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let cool completely, then add the cream cheese and beat until creamy. Sift in the powdered sugar, then add the vanilla. Beat until well combined. The frosting should be creamy, if it feels too runny, add powdered sugar to thicken it or stick it in the fridge to firm up. 5. Spread the frosting over the cake. Slice and enjoy!
