Brown Butter Carrot Cake

Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 9-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment, then butter and flour the parchment and sides.

Brown the butter: melt the 85 g unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Swirl through the foam until golden flecks appear and it smells like toffee/hazelnut. Scrape all the brown bits into a bowl and let it cool to just-warm before using.

Toast and grind the spices: place the whole cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant — don't let them burn. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and grind fine. (If using pre-ground spices, toast them in the dry skillet for 30 seconds to revive aromatics.)

Finely grate the 300 g carrots on the fine holes of a box grater. If using the 100 g pecans or walnuts, toast them on a sheet pan at 350°F for 6–8 minutes until fragrant and golden, then chop.

Mix wet ingredients: in a large bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, 160 ml neutral oil, 200 g dark brown sugar, 100 g granulated sugar, 4 eggs, and 2 tsp vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.

Combine dry and wet: whisk together the 280 g all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and the ground spice blend in a separate bowl. Fold the dry mixture into the wet just until combined. Then fold in the grated carrots, nuts (if using), and drained pineapple (if using). Stop as soon as the batter is uniform — overmixing toughens the crumb.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 30–35 minutes, until the tops are springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

Cool the cakes: let them rest in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting — frosting a warm cake will melt the cream cheese frosting into a sliding mess.

Assemble: level the cooled cake layers if domed. Place the first layer on a plate or board, add a generous layer of cream cheese frosting, and stack the second layer on top. Apply a thin crumb coat all over, chill 15 minutes, then apply the final coat using an offset spatula at a low angle. Optionally press toasted nuts around the sides or place a few candied carrot curls on top.